Soldiers join flood fight in West Kelowna

WEST KELOWNA – Canadian military personnel have begun assisting with emergency flood measures in the Central Okanagan.

Some 45 members of the armed forces have begun assisting B.C. Wildfire Service crews and local municipal crews in Green Bay, the Central Okanagan emergency operations centre said in a press release.

The soldiers have been deployed based on priority needs, the press release says, and considerations such as protecting public infrastructure. They are being deployed out of a staging area in Vernon.

Okanagan Lake is now at 342.45 metres, just shy of full pool at 342.48 metres and is now expected to reach the levels seen in last year’s damaging flood.

The lake peaked at 343.25 metres on June 11 last year.

Lakeshore residents and property owners are now being advised to take the same flood protection measures as last year.

Sand and sandbag locations can be found here.

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