Canadian Army soldiers fill sandbags in the Green Bay neighbourhood of West Kelowna, Friday, May 17, 2018.
(JOHN MCDONALD / iNFOnews.ca)
May 24, 2018 - 9:30 AM
VICTORIA - Soldiers called in to help with flooding in British Columbia are preparing to return home.
The B.C. government says it has amended its request for federal assistance with the flood response as the situation improves.
About 300 Canadian Armed Forces personnel arrived in B.C. from Edmonton last week after rising water forced more than 4,000 people from homes around the province.
The majority have now been allowed to return, although about 500 properties are still under evacuation order and residents of more than 6,500 properties have been warned that they may need to leave at any time.
David Campbell with B.C.'s River Forecast Centre has said that enough snow has melted to reduce the risk for many areas that have seen significant flooding, but large melting snowpacks could still overwhelm the Thompson and Fraser rivers, and waterways in the Kootenay region.
Emergency Management BC says a group of more than 100 B.C.-based troops will stay posted in Chilliwack to help with flood-response efforts in the Fraser Valley, if needed.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2018