Making Progress On Flood Clean Up

By 250 News

Industry Spokesman ,David Jewesson, talks to reporters (photo courtesy City of Prince George)

Prince George, B.C. -  Later this morning,  local politicians will be taken on a tour  of the areas hit hard  when the Nechako river spilled over its banks. 

Work to complete the installation of gabion dikes in the River Road area, is expected to be complete today.  Then the City can install pumps to get rid of water that is lying in some areas along River Road.

David Jewesson, the spokesman for the industry group has high praise for the City crews who have been setting up the dikes, and cleaning up the debris. “I have to say the efforts by the group at City Hall, from the Mayor right on down, have been stellar, they did a great job, and industry is very happy with what’s been going on.”

Jewesson says there are still two concerns for industry,” One is we still have low water,  right now, down near Foley Crescent area, that’s affecting some businesses right now, both Lakeland and Winton along with some businesses on Foley Crescent, so the big focus right  now is to  put a dike in there and get that water pumped out as soon as possible.  Other  industries are now in the mode of clean up, in the aftermath , believe me there’s just  as much questions and concerns in that area as there was with the flood.”  He says industry needs to know if their buildings are safe enough to go in to.

As for long  term solutions,  Jewesson says  industry wants to part of the decision making process “Industry wants to maintain a voice and to  provide  input to the City as to trying to make sure this doesn’t happen again , and I think that would be more  effective flood barriers,  long term, permanent flood barriers, and that, I think, is the focus of the group going ahead.”

The City has also installed water gauges to keep track of the flows.  The overnight cold, has created some more ice pans that are piling up at the edge of the ice jam.  City Utilities Manager, Marco Fornari says the jam expands a hundred yards then collapses a hundred yards, so there has been no overall growth in the jam.

Trucks that were with the snow removal crews were on the River Road and McAloney Road areas overnight.  That is in addition to the contractors who were hired to assist in the debris removal.

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