The residents of British Columbia’s southern and central Interior are facing a potential evacuation if floodwaters move in. Flood warnings, watches and advisories have been issued for about half of the province, with the Boundary and Thompson regions currently at the highest risk.
The cause of this flood is heavy rain following a week of record temperatures that melted the snowpack leading to swollen rivers, creeks, and mudslides.
Almost 900 properties in the village of Salmo as well as its surrounding neighboring communities of Erie and Ymir, properties in Grand Forks, and in the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary have been issued evacuation warnings. Similarly, a small number of homes along Whiteman’s Creek have been evacuated by the Okanagan Indian Band where fast-moving water is undercutting the banks.
To aid the people in these communities, the province has deployed over 200,000 sandbags to prevent further damage. Furthermore, the Ministry of Transportation has placed equipment and materials at key locations and is keeping a close watch on infrastructure that may need reinforcement