GRAND FORKS, B.C. — Flood weary residents in southern British Columbia are being told to brace for round two as rising temperatures accelerate the melting of high elevation snowpacks.
The Regional District of Kootenay Boundary says about 3,000 residents remain under an evacuation order due to the threat of a second flood, with rivers expected to rise by mid-week to levels close to those experienced on Thursday.
The district is urging property owners in hard hit Grand Forks to keep sand bags in place and be prepared to leave again at a moment's notice.
Members of the public are also reminded not to enter evacuation order zones, even with boats, because of serious safety concerns.
The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen said on Sunday that the Similkameen River was projected to reach historic levels by Friday, potentially pushing several feet of additional water back into Osoyoos Lake.
Some dikes failed when overtopped by floodwaters last week and crews are repairing them in priority sequences, as well as pumping water from low-lying neighbourhoods close to the dike breaches, the regional district said.
About 100 properties have been evacuated in the area and another 600 are under evacuation alert. All rural electoral areas and several municipalities are under states of emergency.
Crews have been using digital assets, GIS technology and aerial surveys to map damaged areas and compile data about flood impacts.
Premier John Horgan has said this may be a "one-in-one-hundred-years" flooding season and the provincial government will review its options for further supporting impacted communities Monday morning.
