Possible flooding cuts B.C. highway near scene of recent flash flood

SICAMOUS, B.C. – As many as 100 flood-weary residents of Sicamous, B.C., are on alert once again as the Shuswap-region town braces for another emergency.

Officials are taking no chances after levels of Sicamous Creek suddenly dropped this morning, suggesting it may be blocked by trees in the hills above the neighbourhood of Two Mile.

That’s the same area inundated by flash-flooding when a torrent of debris was unleashed June 23, causing extensive damage to homes in Two Mile and nearby Swansea Point.

Highway 97A, about four kilometres south of Sicamous, has been closed about 350 kilometres northeast of Vancouver because of potential flooding.

RCMP Sgt. Carl Vinat says the highway closure and door-to-door warning in Two Mile are precautionary while an aerial inspection of Sicamous Creek is conducted.

Meanwhile, officials in southeastern B.C. say improving weather is speeding progress as crews work to drain an old tailings pond near the communities of Nelson and Salmo after the earthen dam around the pond began to crumble following recent heavy rains. (CHNL)