Fish are swimming in the street, ducks have made homes of backyards, and basements on Solana Key Court are flooded. It is one of the areas hardest hit by high water in the border town of Osoyoos.
While lake levels plateaued over the weekend, emergency officials say it could rise several more feet and peak on Friday, potentially smashing historic levels on record.
“While a lot of the snow around here has melted, we don’t think in Manning Park and north of Princeton that it has melted yet,” said Osoyoos Mayor Sue McKortoff.
Geoff Tigg’s garage is full of his neighbour’s furniture.
His basement is also swamped.
“I’ve got about five inches of water right now in a crawl space that is three-and-a-half feet high,” he said on Monday.
“So now I got 1,200 square feet of carpet I’ve got to cut up and take out when this goes.”
The water has receded on the hotel strip but Coast Hotel remains evacuated, as does one of the buildings at Poplars Motel.
“We had to cancel just about most of May until they can get back in and check foundations,” Poplars Motel manager Frank Stadnyk said.
In the face of adversity, strangers are stepping up to help flood-stricken residents.
The Osoyoos Lake Dragon Boat Club is trading in paddles for shovels.
“We were looking for something to do and we could come here and fill sandbags,” said volunteer Jim Peltier.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve lived in a community that everyone pulls together,” Tigg said of the community support.
Osoyoos officials hope visitors will still embrace the desert-town ahead of the May long weekend.
“I really think that people need to know that we are open for business,” McKortoff said.
“You can’t go boating but there’s lots of other things you can do.”
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