Nearly 100 Parksville Qualicum Beach residents are dealing with the aftermath of massive Monday (Nov. 15) flooding that forced them from their homes.
At the Cedar Grove RV Park and Campground in Qualicum Beach, manager Helen Skow considered it fortunate that RVs and trailers were spared serious damage.
“Everybody’s trailers are fine,” said Skow, who co-manages the property with her husband. “There are no severe damages, just on the road. Not to the RVs.”
Skow said since they began working at the campground, located near the Little Qualicum River, they have never experienced this type of flooding.
“We have taken in water in the past but not as much as yesterday,” said Skow. “We had about 35 people and they were told to leave.”
The Dashwood Volunteeer Fire Department had its crews out to assist residents out of the trailer park.
The evacuees were taken to the Qualicum Beach Civic Centre, where they are registered and provided at least 72 hours accommodation at area hotels. As of Tuesday morning, they were not allowed to return immediately, until the Regional District of Nanaimo officials assessed the damage and determined that it was safe.
READ MORE: Residents evacuated from Qualicum Beach, Parksville as flood waters rise
Pathfinder Camp Resorts (formerly Parry’s RV Park) on Martindale Road in Parksville, was also on recovery mode. The water has subsided and the officials were assessing the situation.
Arrowsmith Search and Rescue crews were deployed to the area to help the stranded residents. They evacuated 11 people, with seven of them extracted using a helicopter that was able to land on an area in the trailer park.
ASAR manager Ken Neden said the helicopter was needed due to the unusual high volume of water that the area was getting.
“It was a bit higher this year than previous times we’ve been there,” said Neden. “The concern was that the current was really strong.”
Shout out to Parksville Fire for providing decontamination and to Cloverdale Paint for their washroom access and warming coffee during flood evacuation yesterday in Parksville. Wonderful community support for our members while on task! #asar #bcsara #pvfd #cloverdalepaint pic.twitter.com/eNnzTAMFht
— Arrowsmith Search and Rescue (@ArrowsmithSAR) November 16, 2021
The RDN reported that on Monday during the flooding, 91 people in total were evacuated from areas close to the Englishman River and Little Qualicum River. In other areas, 14 people were evacuated from those residing near the Nanaimo River.
An update will be provided at the RDN website at rdn.bc.ca/emergency-alerts and via social media this afternoon.
The RDN emergency call centre is open Tuesday until 4:30 p.m. Anyone with questions regarding flooding in the region can call 250-390-0940.
