By Canadian Press

Rain continues to fill run-off swollen southeast B.C. rivers, raise flooding concerns

Jun 14, 2022 | 10:11 AM

VANCOUVER — A small community in the southeast corner of British Columbia is the latest to declare a local state of emergency as heavy rain and a late spring thaw combine to swell rivers across many parts of the province.

The District of Sparwood has declared the emergency and posted evacuation alerts for two mobile home parks and several properties along the Elk River after nearly 52 millimetres of rain deluged the community.

Flood warnings have been issued by the River Forecast Centre for the Elk River and the Liard River in northeastern B.C., while flood watches are in effect for many waterways from near Quesnel in central B.C., south to the United States border.

High streamflow advisories cover the Thompson, Okanagan, Similkameen and Boundary regions of B.C., as well as the extreme northwest corner of the province and the Fraser River from Quesnel to the ocean.

The City of Fernie, which also borders the Elk River, is building up dikes and sandbagging along the river, but it says in a statement that despite sustained rainfall, river levels are at what would be normal for a spring freshet.

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Other B.C. areas under evacuation alert include the community of Six Mile, north of Nelson, properties along the Tulameen River, several homes near the Fraser River in Kent, and 27 units in a Sicamous mobile home park that is at the base of a slope considered extremely likely to slide sometime in the next two years.

Environment Canada says rainfall and snowfall warnings, as well as nine special weather statements, remain in effect across southeastern B.C., but could ease later as the storm moves east.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 14, 2022.

The Canadian Press