Powerful storm felt across the city

VERNON – Cleanup and repairs are underway today following a major storm Tuesday afternoon in Vernon.

According to Environment Canada, 12 mm of precipitation fell that day. Locals certainly felt it as they drove through gushing water, noticed lifting asphalt on the street, and watched basements flood.

Tanya Laing Gahr, with the City of Vernon, says asphalt in front of the Vernon library was lifted by the storm water. The basement of the downtown Vernon fire hall filled with two centimeters of water, and classrooms in the Okanagan Science Centre also flooded.

Restoration crews are currently working to repair those city-owned buildings.

Meanwhile, Butcher Boys on 48 Avenue was also in the eye of the storm. Manager Brent Ohashi says he’s never seen flooding like it in his 15 years at the store.

“We had to close down from 3 p.m. onwards and lost some products due to water damage,” Ohashi says.

Staff came together, and Butcher Boys was able to reopen Wednesday. Ohashi says the flooding resulted in financial losses, but adds that’s what insurance is for.

There was lots of excitement Tuesday as people congregated at windows, snapped photos and shared the experience—including the rainbows—on Twitter. 

%%Embed1%%

To contact the reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston at chelston@infotelnews.ca or call 250-309-5230. To contact the editor, email mjones@infotelnews.ca or call 250-718-2724.