Flood Threat Continues To Rise In Vanderhoof

By 250 News

The flood situation in Vanderhoof continues to worsen due, in large part, to the weather and the amount of rain received in the region.

So far, no residents have been forced from their homes.  But Vanderhoof Mayor Len Fox says the road leading into a subdivision on the north side of the Nechako River currently has more than 30-centimetres of water on it, so emergency officials are looking at what can be done to keep the approximately 100 residents in their homes.

"So we’re looking at other alternatives other than evacuation at this point in time," says Fox.  Things like "alternate access, can the road be raised up?"  He says pumping is not an option because the ground water is at the same level as the river.

Fox says, right now, "That is the most serious issue that we have to deal with, but we envision there will be more of those come Sunday.  We’ll be meeting again Friday morning at 10 o’clock and taking a fresh look at things.

Sunday is when the predicted flow of the Nechako River is expected to hit 775 cubic metres/second.

"We are dyking to accomodate flows of up to 800 and we’ve been doing that for several days," says the Mayor.  But, he says, ground water is causing problems.   "We are getting ground water raising to the point that Riverside Park by Sunday will probably be totally covered over."

Vanderhoof residents with any concerns can phone an emergency hotline at 567-7755.  And Fox says, "If you want to talk to anybody, we’ve moved the emergency centre into the mezzanine at the arena because we didn’t have enough space any longer at the municipal office."

"This could end up being for a sustained period of time so it’s going to take patience and cooperation from all residents to protect their properties and to help us in identifying where they need help."

Fox says the last time the Nechako hit this flow level was back in 1976 and the river could exceed that record on Sunday.

Email | Print | Facebook | Twitter | Digg | Del.icio.us