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State of Local Emergency declared in Elkford and Area A
States of Local Emergency have been declared for the District of Elkford and Regional District of East Kootenay Electoral Area A after a rapid rise in the Elk River and Boivin Creek.
Over 130 mm of rain has fallen in the previous 24 hours in the Elkford area, causing a rise in the level of the Elk River and Boivin Creek.
The Elk River has crested over the dike south of the Elk River Bridge on the Fording River Highway and is flooding along the east side of Highway 43. The Elk River Forest Service Road north of Elkford has also been washed out. Continued monitoring of the bridges along the Elk River and Boivin Creek will continue overnight. Appropriate detours will be established as required and an evacuation order has been issued for areas affected.
Environment Canada officials have advised that a further 40 – 60 mm of rain is expected over the next 24 hours.
Elkford residents are being asked to stay away from rivers, creeks and bridges until deemed safe.
“The flow in the Elk River over the past 24 hours has increased dramatically and we are noticing the downstream effects and increase in debris load. We have declared a State of Local Emergency for all of Electoral Area A so that we are ready to mobilize resources quickly should we need to,” says Emergency Operations Centre Information Officer, Loree Duczek. “Localized flooding along an old dike in lower Hosmer and floodwaters in the Cokato Road area near Fernie have also prompted us to issue an evacuation alert in those areas.”
An evacuation alert informs residents of the threat of a potential or impending danger. It is intended to give people time to gather things and prepare themselves so that they are ready to go should the situation worsen and an Evacuation Order be issued. If an Evacuation Order is issued, it means people must leave the affected area immediately.
“We encourage people within the evacuation alert areas to put together important papers (like insurance papers), medications, valuables, supplies for children and pets, and other important items so that in the event things progress and they are asked to evacuate, they are ready to go,” explains Duczek. “We need to stress that at this time, we have only issued an alert and it is a great time to take steps to be prepared.”
For more information on the stages of evacuation and tips on how to prepare in the event of emergencies, visit www.embc.gov.bc.ca.
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