Donna Cook said she will not leave her rural Oliver property, despite being told she will have to evacuate when a planned breach of a roadway goes through to help mediate flooding.
She told government officials as much during a question and answer period of an information meeting in Oliver Wednesday, when officials made public plans to breach water on Gold Tower Road to washout the roadway in the next few days.
“Evacuation is news to me,” she said to a crowd of over 100 people at the Oliver Community Hall. “Communication to me has been very little. I agree that the water has to be let out of there but I also have to have a way to get out of my property and I also have to have a way to have some fire protection. I have a pretty good helicopter pad to get me out of there either head first or feet first.”
Related: Then and now: Oliver flooding swells over the course of a week
Officials explained the road was holding the water back and if it breached on its own it could cause more damage downstream and potentially put lives at risk.
Cook called the situation “unfortunate” and was disappointed ministry and regional governments didn’t work on the ongoing flooding issues in the area prior to this year as the snow pack is estimated at more than 150 per cent more than normal.
“We could have helped the situation a year ago, two years ago, in 2013. Nobody ever wants to take any advice in these departments,” she said, adding “This has to be fixed for other years. This can’t continue.”
Related: Pumps helping drop flooding levels in rural Oliver
Those sentiments were echoed time and time again by frustrated residents who asked questions to a panel of experts from the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, and the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen and several contractors hired to help with flooding issues.
Bill Newell, CAO for the RDOS reminded residents that the regional government’s role is to be reactive.
“When there is a disaster or emergency the emergency response plan kicks into place. We receive emergency powers, so we can go in with a excavator and clear out channels working with our colleagues with the province we get really quick approvals on those types of activities which we wouldn’t normally get,” he said.
Related: Inmates, machines adding muscle to Oliver flood fight
“I think we’ve heard enough tonight that we need a discuussion at the board on whether we want to develop a regional storm management plan and service so that would have to go back to the board of directors and that’s when we would go out for public assent and then we would tax you to raise money to be proactive.”
He said since the state of emergency was called on March 23 the RDOS has spent $2.5 million
Allen Lamb who was evacuated from his home in Sportsmens Bowl said he’s been working for 21 days with two bobcats and a backhoe trying to protect his property and help out his neighbours.
“I finally got to a point that my life and my wife is more important than my property,” he said.
The 75-year-old expressed frustration that residents can’t clean debris and work on creeks before flooding occurs and that there wasn’t a command centre in Oliver.
Beaver dams received a lot of blame in the Park Rill system from residents, some of whom claim more than 22 beavers have built dams in the waterway.
“Those beavers have been there for five years at least and I broke it by hand. And then I got a visit from two constables that say ‘Sir, you are digging in the creek,’ and I say yes I was digging in the creek because the water is coming to my property,” a resident that has lived in the area for 17 years said.
He added the creek hasn’t been cleaned properly for 10 years and is filled with beaver dams, silt and other junk. During the last few days he was helped by FLNRO to get an emergency permit to clean out debris in the creek.
“The water dropped six inches in 10 minutes,” he said.
Residents heard with warm weather expected for the rest of the week and rain anticipated for the weekend they should brace for worse flooding conditions.
“We’re expecting rain on Sunday. We have three working days to avert a big problem. We can only do so many actions before Sunday. When the command centre looks at this we try to make decisions that minimize damage to everybody. Terrible position we’re in right now, but we are trying to make it better,” said Conrad Pryce from FLNRO.
Terry Schafer, director for Area C (Rural Oliver), said the evening provided people a chance to vent and gave great information to those making decisions.
“Well people needed to vent and I actually heard some good solutions to the get the water moving. I know it seems like too little too late. I’m glad FLNRO is finally doing something.”
