The boots are now on the ground in B.C.’s interior as Canada’s military arrives to help with the flooding.
The first wave of military personnel arrived Thursday and it could be just in time.
WATCH: Military arrives to provide flood help in Grand Forks
In Grand Forks, the troops have started helping to fill sandbags and help protect the city.
By the end of Friday, there will be 100 troops in Grand Forks.
The military will be coordinating with the Emergency Operations Centre and the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary.
WATCH: Military arrives in Grand Forks:
Starting Saturday, the troops will be helping to reinforce the dikes and help residents.
“The people of Grand Forks have been doing an awesome job,” Cpt. Chris Hanson of the Canadian Armed Forces told Global News. “It’s the worse possible conditions for this.”
“All we’re here for is to support them and to get them across that finish line. We hope it helps them out and gets the job done.”
On Thursday, residents of the South Ruckle neighbourhood were allowed home for 12 hours to fill up and place more sandbags and to try and save their homes.
What greeted one man was complete devastation.
“It just breaks your heart seeing that,” said resident Mark Ashley. “You put all your work into that and it’s gone.”
More troops are also on the ground in the Okanagan.
After arriving Thursday afternoon, 45 Canadian Forces personnel were on duty at 8:00 a.m. Friday in West Kelowna.
They’re working with forestry firefighters and municipal crews installing flood mitigation measures along Okanagan lake in the Green Bay neighbourhood.
The soldiers will then move on to other flood prone areas.
The Canadian Armed Forces has deployed 300 members to support flood relief efforts in B.C.
The work around the province is far from over, however. Communities are bracing for a second round of flooding, possibly this weekend and into next week.
Rain and some thunderstorms are expected in parts of the Kootenays and the Okanagan.
About 4,500 people are still out of their homes, with another 7,000 on evacuation alert.
The River Forecast Centre issued a series of flood warnings and advisories on Friday notifying people about risks present in various areas.
There’s a flood watch in effect for the Shuswap River, high streamflow advisories for the North Thompson River and tributaries including the Clearwater River, as well as the Thompson River near the Spences Bridge.
There’s a flood warning in effect for the Salmon River close to Falkland adn Salmon Arm.
Flood watches have also been issued for the Okanagan including Mission Creek as well as tributaries in the Kelowna, Penticton and Vernon areas.
There’s also a flood watch for the Similkameen River and tributaries such as the Tulameen River, and a flood watch in the Central Interior that covers the Coldwater River, the Nicola River, the Bonaparte River, Guichon Creek, and tributaries near Kamloops, Merritt, Cache Creek and surrounding areas.
Comments