Evacuation order rescinded for Crawford Creek, Duhamel Creek, and Salmo/Ymir
June 1, 2020
Nelson, BC: The Regional District of Central Kootenay (RDCK) has rescinded the evacuation order for Crawford Creek (Crawford Bay) in electoral Area A, Duhamel Creek (Nelson) in electoral Area F, and Salmo/Ymir in electoral Area G. The original evacuation order for the area was issued over the weekend; however, overnight our creeks and rivers have begun to recede and flow rates have reduced throughout the region allowing the order to be lifted. The area remains under evacuation alert.
Residents will be allowed to return to their homes, but are reminded to practice extreme caution. The potential impact in the area from flooding can include contaminated flood water, debris, and riverbanks either undermined or undercut. Be aware of any hazards when returning to your property and proceed with caution. If you have any issues with public roads, power lines, or gas lines, please contact Yellow Road and Bridge 1-888-630-1420, BC Hydro 1-800-224-9376 or Fortis BC 1-800-663-9911 directly.
It is important to note that while the waters have begun to recede, the event that occurred this past weekend will have had significant impacts throughout the region. This includes the possibility of debris floods and flows, landslides, logjams, culvert blockages and general erosion along banks, so it is necessary for residents to be aware of the potential danger and practice caution. Any communities checking on water systems or water boxes need to be aware of all danger. Some areas will even still be flooded.
“The storm system that passed through our region this weekend caused havoc on our water systems, but has cycled through and water levels in our smaller creeks and tributaries are back to pre-storm levels, while the Slocan River and Salmo River, our larger systems, will continue to decrease throughout the day,” said Chris Johnson, RDCK Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) Director. “It is important for everyone to exercise extreme caution near streams, creeks, and rivers as it is difficult to fully understand the extent of the changes or damages to our systems.”
Due to extreme heat and snowmelt, followed by severe thunderstorms and precipitation this weekend, the RDCK faced unprecedented water levels in rivers and creeks throughout the region with over 500 homes evacuated. Expectation is with cooler temperatures and no precipitation in the immediate forecast, water levels will continue to recede. Everyone is advised to stay away from riverbanks and fast-flowing water.
For information about support after being impacted by such an event please monitor the RDCK website for details.
For more information about evacuations and emergency preparedness, along with other resources, please visit the RDCK website or the PreparedBC website. The RDCK EOC public enquiry line is 250-352-1572.
Incorporated in 1965, the Regional District of Central Kootenay (RDCK) is a local government that serves 60,000 residents in 11 electoral areas and nine member municipalities. The RDCK provides more than 160 services, including community facilities, fire protection and emergency services, grants, planning and land use, regional parks, resource recovery and handling, transit, water services and much more. For more information about the RDCK, visit www.rdck.ca.
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For further information, please contact:
EOC Information Officer
Regional District of Central Kootenay
Tel: 250-352-1572
Email: eocinfo@rdck.bc.ca
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The content on this page was last updated June 1 2020 at 2:43 AM