Cleanup efforts continue in Princeton, B.C., with thousands of pounds of garbage being excavated into a large pile which was created by flooding in the town four weeks ago.
Princeton Mayor Spencer Coyne said the recent snowfall has hampered cleanup efforts.
“Right now, we are trying to do snow removal on top of all the clean up,” said Coyne.
“We are managing our street maintenance. It’s a bit of a challenge without our snow removal equipment but we’re managing.”
Currently, the town is relying on a few skid-steers and a single one-ton pickup truck for sanding to clear its streets of snow.
“That’s one of our biggest drawbacks right now, getting enough sand on the road,” said Coyne.
“We are running as fast as we can, getting that sand out. We are asking residents to be patient with us but it is difficult right now.”
With the large majority of the town’s snow-clearing equipment damaged and unusable after the town’s works yard flooded, though, residents say it’s a concern — especially with more snow forecast for the region.
“We only got one sand truck for inside town,” said Katelin Lafleur, a Princeton resident.
“It’s a big concern. I’m really hoping for the better of the town.”
Some good news for Princeton residents, however, is their water system has two operational watermains now, with the second being operational as of Tuesday night.
The town’s sewer system is stable as well, according to the mayor.
Princeton is also working closely with the provincial government to hopefully bring in some temporary housing for evacuees to return.
“The plan is to hopefully put something up at the industrial park,” said Coyne.
“We have flat land up there and it’s servable. We are working with the province and contractors to create a camp-like situation so people can stay in the community and work and get back on their feet as they go.”
The mayor expects to hear more news about the possible temporary housing in the coming days.
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