FLOOD WATCH 2017: Vernon family grateful to strangers as creek threatens home | iNFOnews | Thompson-Okanagan's News Source
Subscribe

Would you like to subscribe to our newsletter?

Current Conditions Mostly Cloudy  6.2°C

Vernon News

FLOOD WATCH 2017: Vernon family grateful to strangers as creek threatens home

Friends and family help sandbag Ted and Shannon Walker's home on BX Creek in Vernon, Friday, May 12, 2017.

VERNON - Vernon resident Shannon Walker’s week from hell was made a little easier thanks to friends, family and complete strangers.

Shannon and her husband Ted live on 20 Street along the normally calm and peaceful BX Creek. Last Friday, May 5, it turned into a raging current.

Shannon says it’s been exhausting, both emotionally and physically, trying to protect the home from rising waters.

“It’s frustrating and helpless. It’s tough watching the water rise and you don’t have much chance to get a hold of it. It’s been overwhelming,” she says.

Members of the community chipped in to help Ted and Shannon Walker build sandbag dikes on their property along BX Creek in Vernon, Friday, May 12, 2017.
Members of the community chipped in to help Ted and Shannon Walker build sandbag dikes on their property along BX Creek in Vernon, Friday, May 12, 2017.

The Walkers spent all of Thursday night, May 11, building a wall of sandbags around their home, adding to what they already established last Friday when the creek first began to spill.

They’ve had some help from the City of Vernon, which dropped off sand and sandbags. They also have family and friends helping out, some of them taking time off work to do so.

“I can’t say enough about the Vernon community. We’ve had complete strangers come up on their lunch hours and bag. It’s been awesome,” Shannon says.

As of midday on Friday, the family figured they had enough sandbags and didn’t require further assistance from the public — for the time being.


To contact a reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston or call 250-309-5230 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. 

 

News from © iNFOnews, 2017
iNFOnews

  • Popular kamloops News
View Site in: Desktop | Mobile