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Sandbagging help needed in Lumby

Help is needed for sandbagging in Lumby, where one home has already been lost to flooding
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Lumby residents sandbag to try and protect their homes from flooding Friday. (Kimberly Bullas Bellanger photo)

Resources are being pulled together to hold back flood water but more help is needed.

The Regional District of North Okanagan has pulled together sand and bags at a number of locations and calls for assistance are being made in Lumby.

Rising water levels have now flooded one of the homes at the end of Faulkner Road in Lumby.

“There are still people down there desperately trying to save the rest of the homes,” said Kimberly Bullas Belanger in a Facebook post calling for assistance. “We aren’t able to keep up with the crew that’s down there right now as the water is rising fast and it’s getting bad.”

“While the work associated with the protection of private property, such as digging ditches or sandbagging, is the responsibility of the property owner or occupants, residents who choose to protect their property with sand bags can access sand and bags at no cost, for self-filling, at several locations in the North Okanagan,” said Alastair Crick, protective services manager.

The locations are the Enderby public works yard, the BX-Swan Lake fire hall, across from Pat Duke Memorial Arena in Lumby and the Coldstream works yard.

For residents in RDNO’s five electoral areas, water that is threatening a home due to overflowing ditches can be reported to the Ministry of Transportation’s contractor through its 24-hour emergency number: 1-877-546-3799.

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Creeks are swollen beyond control in Lumby and help is needed for sandbagging. (Cheryl Price photo)