As the water level in Okanagan Lake continues to rise and as properties along the lakeshore are at risk, some uneasy questions are being raised.
These questions are about why the flooding has happened and why the province did not take proactive measures in late winter or early spring to minimize the effects of a flood.
Who was responsible, and why was a different decision not made?
The province is able to drain the level of Okanagan Lake, and if the lake level had been drawn down sufficiently, some have suggested flooding would not be a problem now — or at least it would not be as serious.
Raising these questions is an effective way to generate some heated responses and opinions.
But in the end, these questions also become an exercise in futility.
Asking these questions and attempting to answer them does nothing to fix the problem we are facing. Instead, this line of questioning only serves to fix the blame.
These questions do not and cannot change what has already happened over the course of this year.
Okanagan Lake remains full, and the water level is expected to rise by as much as another 27.5 centimetres in the coming days.
This is the reality we are facing this spring.
Whether the lake level could have or should have been drained earlier, the fact remains that we are now facing a serious flooding problem in Summerland and in other communities along Okanagan Lake.
Regretting past decisions will not change anything now. It will not lower the water level in the lake, and it will not undo damage to docks, public beaches and lakefront properties.
Blame will not dry out flooded crawlspaces or swampy yards.
Accusations are no substitute for sandbags.
During a time of crisis, the only appropriate response is to take action and work to control the problem as much as possible. The only appropriate questions are about how to help and what course of action is the most effective.
This is the time to fill sandbags, to set up dikes and to help neighbours who are affected by the rising water levels.
Such measures are helpful. Such measures can make a difference as we continue to cope with some of the worst flooding this valley has ever experienced.
Later, after the flood waters have receded, it may be appropriate to take a closer look at the conditions which have led to this year’s flooding.
This is not about pointing fingers. Instead, it is about considering the decisions made during the winter and early spring and discussing whether a different course of action would be wiser in order to cope with a significant flood in future years.
But now is now not the time to ask such questions.
The immediate questions facing us are much simpler. How serious is the flooding problem facing us, and how can we best provide help?
Many have already been asking and answering these questions.
As the water level has risen, neighbours have helped each other set up sandbag dikes. Volunteers from churches, schools and elsewhere in the community have given of their time to help those affected by the flooding.
They have focussed their efforts in fixing the problem, not in fixing the blame.
John Arendt is the editor of the Summerland Review.
