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Residents brace themselves for high water as temperatures climb

“We know it’s going to happen and the water is going to come down.”
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Firefighters and residents from the Osprey Lake area have bagged and placed 1,000 sandbags so far.

Small communities and rural dwellers are bracing themselves for floods, as the temperatures rising dramatically this week are expected to produce a quick melt of the snowpack.

According to Area H Regional Director Bob Coyne areas like Tulameen, Hayes Creek and Erris are very prepared for what may happen next.

“Last year’s fire was a real wake up call for people and people are really taking the potential for flood very seriously this year. We have an unusual snowpack, we have a late spring and the potential is very much out there.”

The area’s snowpack is at least 152 per cent of normal.

Coyne said the onus is on property owners to take precautions, arrange sandbags if necessary, and move valuables away from flood areas.

“We know it’s going to happen and the water is going to come down, so we have the opportunity to make preparations.”

Volunteers with the Princeton Exhibition Association are organizing and advertising space available at Sunflower Downs for rural residents who may need to evacuate pets and livestock.

“We’ve got lots of room that we can use at this point,” said the association secretary Dawn Johnson. The fairgrounds can accommodate horses, cattle, chickens, turkeys and small livestock like goats.

“We’ll also be taking anyone who wants to bring a pet such as a cat or dog.”

The volunteers are welcoming humans too.

“If anyone has some kind of camper vehicle they can also park themselves on the grounds. They may not have open campfires and we have no electricity, but we have water and we have showers and the usual sanitary requirements,” said Johnson.

While the fairgrounds has been designated as an animal evacuation area for about 20 years, it was first put into use last summer during the wildfire.

“That was our test run and we did very well,” she said.

All accommodations at the fairgrounds are free of charge, and livestock and pet owners are encouraged to make plans to care for their own animals.

“We’re also hoping that anybody that does bring pets and livestock has food for them. That’s always an issue.”

For more information call Johnson at 250-295-6063.

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Residents near Osprey, Link and Chain Lakes have been ready for high water for over a week.

One thousand sandbags were filled and placed recently in five strategic areas, according to Hayes Creek Fire Department Chief Rob Miller.

The effort involved 15 firefighters, 27 other community volunteers, a Bobcat and four tractors.

“It’s still winter up here,” said Miller. “But with the snowpack 50 per cent over last year, and last year being a big snow year, the creeks will be roaring pretty soon.”

Miller had fulsome praise for the teamwork that produced the results.

“We have a great community out here at the lakes.”

In Tulameen, fire chief Jody Woodward is keeping a close eye on the river as well as Otter Lake.

“We have sandbags set up at the firehall and sand is available behind Reicharts,” she said.

After experiencing flooding for the past five years, the situation is “part and parcel of every spring” for local residents, she added.

“This is something that is occurring more and more.”

Woodward urged residents to move equipment and vehicles away from water channels.

“As the RDOS explained it’s pretty much up to the homeowner to be prepared to the best of their abilities,” she said.

“Also staying away from high water marks, watching children and pets around the river and edges is very important.”

She warned residents also need to be aware of flooding’s effects on the water table.

“That’s a normal occurrence out here because whenever the lake and river rise it does affect the water table and the septic fields. That’s part of living in a flood plain, so people have to mind how their septic systems are working and they may have to use bottled water.”

In a social media post Dave Stringfellow, Erris Fire Department Chief, stated the following:

“We are anticipating higher than normal flood waters in our area and in preparation of potential flooding, the Erris Fire Department has sand and sand bags at the Erris Fire Hall that are ready to be deployed as needed throughout the community. If anyone in the Erris area has any concerns regarding potential flooding either on their property or at the roadside / ditches / culverts, we encourage you to contact the Erris Fire Department at 250-295-3603 for assistance.

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andrea.demeer@similkameenspotlight.com

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Andrea DeMeer

About the Author: Andrea DeMeer

Andrea is the publisher of the Similkameen Spotlight.
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