The Regional District of Central Kootenay issued five evacuation orders on Sunday because of severe flooding danger, affecting hundreds of households.
However, the most recent order given at 11:00 p.m. on Sunday for the Slocan Valley was rescinded at 1:00 a.m. Monday.
Ymir and Salmo evacuation
On Sunday evening an evacuation order was issued for the Ymir and Salmo area. About 250 households are required to evacuate that area immediately and check into a Best Western in Trail at 1001 Rossland Ave.
A map of the area covered by this evacuation and a list of specific addresses can be found here.
For this evacuation and the others listed below, the RDCK has stated, “Short-term assistance for immediate needs of food, shelter, clothing and emotional support is provided by Emergency Social Services volunteers through this centre. Volunteers will be able to help you find an alternate place to stay if needed.”
The RDCK has asked evacuating residents to have their pets cared for by others or to bring them in cages with adequate food and water.
Duhamel Creek evacuation
The RDCK has issued an evacuation order for dozens of properties in the Duhamel Creek area on the North Shore of Kootenay Lake. The addresses affected by the Duhamel Creek order are listed here.
Residents have been told by the RDCK to leave their homes and register at the Best Western in Nelson.
Broadwater Road evacuation
The RDCK has also issued an evacuation order for the Broadwater Road area near Robson. The addresses affected by the evacuation can be found here. A further list, because the evacuation area was expanded this evening, is here.
The RDCK has asked Broadwater Road evacuees to check in at the Sandman Inn, 1944 Columbia Ave, Castlegar.
Crawford Creek evacuation
This morning residents and visitors at about 50 properties in the Crawford Creek drainage area on the East Shore were asked to leave immediately and report to the emergency reception centre at Kokanee Springs Resort.
The specific properties under the evacuation order are listed here.
State of emergency
The RDCK declared a state of local emergency Saturday for the entire district with the exception of the cities of Nelson and Castlegar.
The alerts and orders were released after Environment Canada sent out a severe thunderstorm warning that included Arrow Lakes, Slocan Lake, and Kootenay Lake.
That warning called for strong thunderstorms through Saturday night followed by extensive rainfall Sunday.
“We are issuing the state of local emergency due to the significant amount of uncertainly pertaining to rainfall amounts and the potential for extreme isolated storm events,” said Chris Johnson, the RDCK emergency operations centre director.
“We are advising everyone that lives near a river, creek or stream to be prepared to evacuate if required on short notice. This situation can change quickly, depending on the weather over the next 12-48 hours.”
The evacuation alert covers all of the RDCK except for Castlegar and Nelson. Residents under the alert are being asked to be ready to leave at a moment’s notice.
Environment Canada’s warning also includes the Boundary, East Kootenay, Fraser Canyon, Nicola, Okanagan Valley, Shuswap, Similkameen, South Thompson and West Columbia regions.
Fore more information visit RDCK.ca.
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