Flood watches on in Similkameen, Thompson regions

VANCOUVER — The ThompsonNicola Regional District in British Columbia's southern Interior is telling residents to get ready for rising waters after cool weather delayed snowmelt for many weeks.

Kevin Skrepnek, the district's emergency program co-ordinator, says the snowpack remains "extremely high" in certain areas and that has elevated the flood risk, especially on the North and South Thompson rivers.

He says smaller tributaries in the same area could also be affected by possible heavy rain events and the regions that were damaged by last year's atmospheric river flooding or wildfires are especially vulnerable.

The district has deployed sand and sandbags at several locations in the area where flooding is expected.

Evacuation alerts have been posted by the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen for 18 properties along a stretch of the Tulameen River as the weatherdelayed spring freshet continues.

In northwestern B.C., emergency officials say as many as 20 buildings are flooded in three communities.

But a break in the weather has slowed rising waterways across the region.

The Regional District of KitimatStikine ordered the evacuation of the Terrace-area communities of Old Remo, New Remo and Usk on Sunday.

It also declared a local state of emergency as the Skeena River flooded low-lying areas, cutting access to the villages.

Roughly 300 people are affected and regional district officials say the river must recede enough to ensure safe passage before residents are allowed to return.

The City of Terrace has said the flood danger is declining and the risk to the city and surrounding communities is now very low, although Environment Canada is forecasting more rain through to next week.

The River Forecast Centre is maintaining flood watches for parts of the Skeena and Bulkley rivers in northwestern B.C., as well as the Dean River east of Bella Coola and the Liard River and its tributaries in northeastern B.C. from Fort Nelson to Watson Lake.

High streamflow advisories cover many other northwest B.C. streams and rivers and the central Interior south to the United States border.