Heavy rain creating flooding concerns in North Okanagan

LUMBY – Residents from Lumby to Spallumcheen are experiencing localized flooding today.

According to the Village of Lumby's deputy chief administrative officer Melanie Wenzoski, creeks are running high today, May 5, with swiftly rising, debris-filled water.

The worst hit areas appear to be along Duteau Creek and along Shuswap Avenue, where water is already spilling across the road.

Properties in the Faulkner Avenue and Bessette Street area are also affected.

The province has dispatched forestry firefighters to help fill sandbags, which are available for pick up in four locations: by the curling rink on Shield Avenue, at the west end of Faulkner Avenue, just past the four-way on Shuswap Avenue, and at the end of Heighway Crescent.

With a thunderstorm watch in effect and more rain in the forecast, Wenzoski says it looks like things will get worse before they get better.

Lumby resident Cheryl Price says there is so much water it’s “like a lake from the Coldstream Golf Course to the Salmon Trail.”

“It’s not looking very good,” Price says.

Flooding is an annual concern in Lumby, and in 2013, the Village experienced a torrent of water in the downtown core. 

Members of the public are rallying to help out their neighbours, with multiple residents volunteering to fill and position sandbags in the hardest hit areas.

“In a crisis like this, everyone pulls together,” Price says.

Meanwhile, the Township of Spallumcheen is experiencing localized flooding in the Powerhouse Road and Demorest Road area, as well as at the north end of Stepney Road.

"Please be advised that a portion of Powerhouse Road, between the 2100 and 2300 Block, has been closed to the public," states a release from the Township.

Public Works is on site to assess the flooding situation and will continue to provide updates via the Township of Spallumcheen website, when updates are available. Only local traffic is permitted in this area at this time.

Anyone who is concerned that water is threatening a structure on their property due to overflowing ditches should contact the Municipal Office at 250-546-3013. If water is not a threat to structures, the Township requests that residents wait for water to naturally dissipate as resources are limited.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston or call 250-309-5230 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.