Defence minister visits Okanagan, flood evacuation orders lifting in Boundary

GRAND FORKS (NEWS 1130) – The federal defence minister travelled through the Okanagan today where he was briefed on the military’s flood relief efforts as waters continue to recede across much of southern BC.

Evacuation orders continue to be lifted in places like Grand Forks, where the Regional District of Kootenay-Boundary says a majority of evacuation orders have been rescinded or downgraded to alerts as of late yesterday.

About 2,000 people have been allowed back onto about 1,000 properties in the region, leaving 556 addresses on evacuation order and just over 900 people still waiting to return home.

District fire chief Dan Derby says inspections will continue today.

“Our goal is, by end of day Monday, to have as many people home as possible,” he tells NEWS 1130.

“We have 47 firefighters who have been trained to do rapid damage assessment on all the structures and businesses.”

However, even if people are allowed to return to their properties, there’s no guarantee they’ll be allowed into their homes. Coloured placards have been posted on front doors indicating whether or not structures are safe.

“A green placard means the structure is safe to occupy. A yellow placard means restrictions are in place and the structure must undergo inspection from a certified trades-person qualified to remove the restriction,” reads a statement from the RDBK. The district’s Francis Mika says there’s also a red placard.

“[Red means] the structure is unsafe to occupy–that’s major shifts in foundation, or other different effects of flood water where that home is just not a safe place to be.”

In the Okanagan-Similkameen, Zoe Kirk with the local emergency operations centre says they are using drones to reassess 1,900 properties under evacuation alert or order today. With lakes still high, she also has a warning for tourists.

“We just ask those with power boats to exercise respect and caution. There’s some debris floating in all the main stem lakes in the Okanagan,” she says. “It’s one thing to have a lake that’s high, it’s another thing to have a power boat go by and add another nine or 12 inches of wake to that, so we’re just asking people to be mindful.”

Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan arrived at Lake Okanagan this afternoon, speaking with military operations staff and meeting with some of the roughly 300 soldiers assisting in flood relief efforts during his visit.

Many have been working in the Grand Forks region while others have been posted alongside BC wildfire contractors and municipal staff in West Kelowna to install flood protection measures and protect public infrastructure.

In Metro Vancouver, the Fraser River has remained below the six-metre level as measured at the Mission gauge, meaning local evacuation orders in areas not protected by dikes have not been required.

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