Evacuation orders and highway impacts as officials forecast heavy rains for Friday, weekend

Communities in B.C.'s southern Interior are bracing for the worst as officials warn heavy rainfall could worsen conditions that have already led to evacuation orders and highway closures throughout the region.

A Friday statement from the Ministry of Emergency Management says people in at-risk areas should be ready with a plan and grab-and-go bags filled with essentials should they need to leave their homes.

Severe thunderstorm watches for the Boundary and Okanagan regions have also been issued by Environment Canada, who says heavy downpours are likely to cause flash floods.

A lower-level bulletin covers the neighbouring West Kootenay region, where Environment Canada says heavy rain could contribute to mudslides and flooding. The rain is expected to persist through Saturday night.

The Okanagan Indian Band has placed several properties on evacuation order in the neighbourhood of Parker Cove on Okanagan Lake, west of Vernon, where the band says floodwaters from Whiteman Creek have eroded land and undercut trees.

Evacuation alerts in Salmo, communities in Central Kootenay

The Regional District of Central Kootenay issued an evacuation alert Friday for 892 properties in the village of Salmo and communities of Erie and Ymir.

The district's emergency operations centre issued the alert due to potential flooding of Erie Creek, the Salmo River and surrounding tributaries.

Dawna Croghan-Hammond, who lives on the outskirts of Salmo in Area G, says she is currently under evacuation alert.

Her acreage backs onto the Salmo River; right now, she says, the river is breaching its banks.

"It's not the first time it's [flooding] happened, but it's still always a concern," she said, adding the community is working together to provide support and she's already been offered a place to stay.

"We've got an amazing community ... Everybody basically just bands together and helps each other out."

The entire regional district is under a flood watch.

Evacuation alerts have also been issued for properties in Duhamel Creek in Electoral Area F.

An evacuation order is also in place for one property in Vallican, west of Nelson, due to a landslide.

More homes evacuated, on alert in Cache Creek

In Cache Creek, about 80 kilometres west of Kamloops, emergency operations spokesperson Wendy Coomber said while water levels had decreased from where they were Wednesday, the community was still preparing for a turn for the worse.

"Any sort of rain would be disastrous at this point," she said in an interview with CBC News Friday morning. "The water is just waiting for an excuse to come up again."

Mayor John Ranta said what's normally a babbling brook had become a raging river and barriers hadn't kept floodwaters at bay. At least one home has been destroyed, he said, and several businesses devastated, including the community's fire hall which had water rushing through it.

An update posted to the village's Facebook page on Friday says 21 properties have been evacuated, with more on alert as floodwaters cut through the downtown.

Coomber added this week's floods come just as the community is remembering Clayton Cassidy, who was fire chief in Cache Creek when he went missing after being last seen on May 5, 2017.

His body was found near a washed-out bridge, having been swept away by flood waters.

"He gave his life to his community," Coomber said. "We pause and we remember him."

Flooding forecast and impacted highways

B.C.'s River Forecast Centre has issued flood warnings for the Boundary Region, including the Kettle and Granby rivers that run through Grand Forks.

A flood warning has also been posted for the Lower Thompson region, including Cache Creek, Criss Creek and the Bonaparte and Deadman rivers.

Low-level flood watches cover the Kootenay region, the Similkameen, Okanagan and Salmon rivers, and the middle Fraser River, including its plateau around Quesnel and Williams Lake.

High streamflow advisories have been issued for the Coquihalla River, the Nicola and Shuswap rivers and their tributaries, the upper Fraser River and the surrounding areas, and the Skeena region, including the Bulkley River.

Highway 99 northwest of Cache Creek is on single-lane alternating traffic due to flooding at Hat Creek, west of Highway 97; as is Highway 1 and Highway 97 at Cache Creek.

On Thursday, a mudslide forced the closure of an 80-kilometre stretch of Highway 3 between Salmo and Creston, which re-opened Thursday afternoon, according to DriveBC. A stretch of the Kootenay Pass on Highway 3 was also closed in both directions about 15 kilometres east of Salmo due to flooding, and has since opened to single-lane alternating traffic.

Grand Forks preps for 200-year flood event

The B.C. government has also said "moderate flooding'' was likely in Grand Forks starting Friday.

On Thursday, Emergency Management Minister Bowinn Ma said, "Unfortunately, it is likely that some of these communities are going to see conditions get worse in the immediate short term before they get better."

Sandbags and other barriers have been deployed to communities that are at risk, Ma said, adding the province is aware of evacuation orders and alerts across B.C., but warns "it is a dynamic situation that is quickly evolving.''

Grand Forks Mayor Everett Baker said he's confident the community's downtown is prepared for a 200-year flood event as rain begins to fall in earnest in the community.

So far, 11 properties in the city are under evacuation order while another 34 have been placed on evacuation alert due to flood risk.

The city of about 4,100 residents, not far from the Canada-U. S. border, endured a major flood in 2018 — where Baker said his daughter's home was affected, giving him both a personal and professional perspective on the stress of dealing with catastrophes.

"Myself and council and our city staff decided this time that we were going to try to be as proactive as possible and get out the protection that we can sooner than later,'' he said. 

"I have great confidence in our flood mitigation program that will do the job it needs to do in the downtown core and protect industry,'' he said, watching the rain come down from his office window on Friday.

"Is it enough? I guess Monday morning will tell that story.''

He says the province has supplied the city with temporary dams and sandbags, which were being installed with the help of a crew from the B.C. Wildfire Service.

Wildfire risks

Cliff Chapman, director of provincial operations for the B.C. Wildfire Service, said crews have been working around the clock to tackle 55 fires that are currently burning.

He told a news conference Thursday that 131 fires have been recorded in B.C. since January, a little higher than the 10-year average, but that the burned area is less than half the average.

Effective Friday at noon, Category 2 open burning — including the use of fireworks, sky lanterns and burn barrels — is banned in the Peace Forest District, the Fort Nelson Forest District and the Robson Valley Fire Zone, in order to reduce wildfire risk.