Solicitor General Takes Tour and Ice Jam Experts On The Way

Saturday, December 15, 2007 04:01 PM

Nechako River as it meets the Fraser River.

Prince George B.C. – Public Safety, Solicitor General John Les toured the flooded areas of Prince George today and says the situation is serious.

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Les says there will be compensation available through the Disaster Financial Assistance Program, but isn’t able to say if workers forced off the job because their work site has been flooded will receive compensation for lost wages.

(At right, Prince George North MLA and Minister of Agriculture Pat Bell, stands by as Public Safety and Solicitor General John Les, addresses questions from media / photo opinion250staff)

Employees from the Ministry of Forests and Range, and the Ministry of Transportation are now assisting in sandbagging and offering relief to those who have been on the job nearly 24 hours a day since the flood started early Monday morning.

Three ice jam experts have been contacted and are expected to be in Prince George this evening. They will be looking at all possible options for dealing with the ice jam which is now 6km long.

Earlier today, residents of Delhaven were ordered to leave their homes, and evacuation alerts were issued to all businesses on First Avenue, and on 2^nd and Third Avenues east of Queensway.

There are environmental issues says Les, as the Esso card lock has underground fuel tanks. “They did the right thing, they filled the tanks and had them capped, so they won’t float.” Les says so far, there has been no word from Federal Fisheries about a possible environmental threat to the Nechako River.

Les and colleagues, Shirley Bond, Pat Bell, and John Rustad, took an aerial tour as well, and Bell says things mau be looking up. “There is an open channel, so maybe there is a way to get the water to follow that channel” says Bell. Of course, the ice jam experts will be the ones to give the final word on how long the situation is expected to last, and what options may be available.

One of the experts is from UNBC, another is coming here from Bella Coola, and the third is Dave Anders from Edmonton. Anders did a report following the last ice jam on the Nechako in late 1996. He is very familiar with the river.

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