Half of Tulameen evacuated
Half the homes in the small community of Tulameen were ordered evacuated Sunday, while residents of the other half were told to be ready to leave at a moment’s notice, as the flood situation in the Similkameen worsened.
The evacuation order covered 148 homes in the town on Otter Lake about 30 minutes northwest of Princeton, where an emergency reception centre had been established.
“Right now we’re seeing a lot of water moving through that area,” said Cameron Baughen, an information officer in the emergency operations centre established by the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen.
“Traditionally this is an area of high water table. We’ve seen these kind of flooding incidents in the past.”
The high water levels are likely attributable to the hot days causing snow melt and the rain that followed Sunday contributing to the rise of Otter Lake, Baughen said.
Meanwhile, officials also declared a local state of emergency Sunday for the community of Cawston, but did not issue any evacuation orders or alerts there.
“There is an increased threat of flooding and debris flow from uplands creeks that may threaten life, safety and cause significant property damage,” the RDOS said in a news release.
The same uplands areas also threaten rural Oliver, which has been grappling with flooding for weeks now.
A total of 17 homes in the Sportsmens Bowl area north of town are under an evacuation order due to flooding in Park Rill Creek, while 147 more properties remain on an evacuation alert. Officials are trying to get the upper hand by pumping overflow water directly into the Okanagan River.
Pumping is also taking place at Green Lake, where 17 properties are under an evacuation alert.
As of Sunday, local states of emergency remained in effect for community of Willowbrook west of Oliver and along Aeneas Creek north of Summerland.
Several other homes in the region have been evacuated due to mudslides or concerns about slope stability above.