Flash flood damage outside Cache Creek fire hall, Saturday, May 23, 2015.
Image Credit: Devon Lindsay
Republished May 25, 2015 - 2:13 PM
Original Publication Date May 25, 2015 - 7:22 AM
CACHE CREEK - Following flash flooding that shut down the highway and destroyed many properties Saturday Cache Creek has been placed under a state of local emergency and several homes evacuated.
Mayor John Ranta made the decision Sunday afternoon. In total the heavy rainfall, which lasted for about two hours mid-afternoon on Saturday, May 23, displaced 126 residents and 60 homes had to be evacuated.
An evacuation order is currently in place for several homes along the Highway 1 on the east end of town, 1505 Stage Rd and 1055 Old Cariboo Rd. in Riverside Mobile Home Park. Monday afternoon two properties along Stanley Park Drive and one on Stage Road were added to the evacuation order.
An evacuation alert is in place for an area west of Bonaparte River and north of Todd Road and for several homes along Old Cariboo Road.
Emergency Support Services has set up a reception centre for those who are evacuated at the Cache Creek Community Hall at 1270 Stage Rd.
As a result of the extreme rainfall, a significant amount of sand, soil and debris was carried over roads and properties and into the creek system. The highway was closed for a brief period and several vehicles were stranded in the high water, which search and rescue teams say reached as high as eight feet along the creek, but there were no injuries or deaths as a result of the flash flooding.
The public works department is working to clear culverts and roadways, the village notes in a press release, and the sewer and water systems have not been impacted. While the fire hall was hit during the flooding it is now available to respond to emergencies.
An assessment will now be completed and the province approved disaster financial assistance for the community earlier today.
The village asks anyone who notices flooding in their area to contact the provincial 24-hour emergency coordination centre at 1-800-663-3456.
A severe thunderstorm watch is underway in the region and there is a 60 per cent chance of showers with a risk of thunderstorms again today, Monday, May 25, through much of the region, including in Cache Creek. Environment Canada is also calling for another chance of rain later in the week.
Properties under an evacuation order.
Image Credit: Thompson Nicola Regional District
To contact a reporter for this story, email Jennifer Stahn at jstahn@infonews.ca or call 250-819-3723. To contact an editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
— This story was updated at 2:12 p.m., May 25, 2015, with further details and additions to the evacuation order.
News from © iNFOnews, 2015