The Okanagan Indian Band says it’s continuing to monitor Whiteman Creek, plus five other creeks in the Westside area.
As of Saturday morning, evacuation orders issued earlier in the week are still in effect for residents of Falcon Avenue plus some beachfront properties and nearby homes in Parker Cove
The creek overflowed its banks on Monday and quickly wreaked havoc before receding on Wednesday. The band said close to 100 people were forced from their homes.
An evacuation alert is in place for residences alongside Falcon Avenue.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the band said it appreciates offers of help from volunteers, but that it currently has more than enough assistance.
“Volunteers could be exposing themselves to potential hazards while impeding the work of OKIB emergency management crews,” said the band.
To date, the band said it has more than 100,000 sandbags filled and deployed, and that additional sandbags are not needed.
However, it also said five other creeks are rising and resources may be required at those locations.
“Emergency management staff are diverting resources away from the Whiteman Creek flood and preparing for rising creek levels at five other locations on the Westside,” said the OKIB.
“With 20,000 sandbags in reserve, emergency management staff have plenty of resources.”
Along with plenty of sandbags, the band said it delivered 279 dump-truck loads of sand and that work crews are continuing to clear log jams along the creek.
Work is also being done to dredge the creek, with the goal of removing log jams and debris before potential heavy rain in the next 72 hours.
The band noted that police will be patrolling the evacuation area and ensuring people are adhering to the evacuation order.
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