There are only minor instances of localized flooding reported so far this year, but the Regional District of North Okanagan is encouraging residents to take note of flood prevention and property protection measures as a precaution.
Flooding is a common, naturally occurring event in B.C. and North Okanagan property owners are responsible for any measures required for flood protection on private property. General flooding can occur when water levels in lakes, creeks, or rivers rise as a result of heavy snow melt, run-off or rain in the spring and early summer seasons.
“PreparedBC and the Province of British Columbia offer various educational tools on flood preparedness,” said Alastair Crick, RDNO’s manager of protective services. “In an effort to be proactive, we highly encourage residents to educate themselves.”
Sand and sand bags will be available at the following locations for any resident in the Regional District of North Okanagan electoral areas who require them to protect their property from spring high water swelling. Please note that all aspects of the sandbagging process are the responsibility of the homeowner. These materials have been provided strictly for flood protection purposes.
•For the City of Enderby and Electoral Area F – City of Enderby Public Works yard locatedat 2308 McGowan Avenue.
•For Electoral Areas B and C – At the North side parking lot of BX Swan Lake FireDepartment located at 5764 Silver Star Road/East Dedecker Road.
•For the Village of Lumby and Electoral Areas D and E – Across from the arena on Shields Avenue.
The Regional District of North Okanagan would also like to advise that any person, or machine working adjacent to creeks, streams and rivers use extreme caution and safety measures. Fast-moving water may cause erosion and bank instability.
Residents can receive instant updates on flooding conditions by subscribing to the RDNO e-mail list at http://eepurl.com/dnntbr.
A search online for “preparedbc sandbagging” will find instructions on how to build proper water defences.
For more information visit PreparedBC at www.gov.bc.ca/preparedbc.
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