Residents in 16 Crawford Bay homes were allowed to return home this afternoon after an assessment of Crawford Creek allowed an evacuation order to be lifted.
A hydrologist, a geotechnical engineer and Regional District of Central Kootenay (RDCK) staff visited the area earlier today to inspect Crawford Creek, which partially failed yesterday, requiring residences and businesses to be evacuated. An evacuation alert remains in place while work begins to shore up breaches in the dike, and an 80-metre section of concern will be monitored throughout the night.
The most serious breaches will be filled with rock, clay and earth from a neighbouring property and nearby stockpiles, said an RDCK press release. Areas of water piping and overflow will also be addressed, in an attempt to decrease water flow and levels.
"Residents, particularly those within the evacuation alert area, should use vigilance and be aware of the potential danger that still exists," said the press release by Bill Macpherson, public information officer with the Regional District of Central Kootenay’s Emergency Operations Centre. "Rivers, creeks and streams — and their banks — are dangerous throughout the spring runoff period. The heavy rains of the past 72 hours and the forecast for more precipitation in the coming days reinforces this danger."
Residents experiencing a flooding emergency or needing to evacuate should contact the Provincial Emergency Program (1-800-663-3456) for assistance. Proper sandbagging techniques and other emergency information can be found at www.pep.bc.ca.