Highway 97 through Cache Creek remains closed as of Thursday as it is completely unusable due to flood waters.
According to Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Rob Fleming, the road is unsafe and vehicles would get stuck if they attempted to drive.
Fleming spoke in Victoria on Thursday, saying the province was in Cache Creek evaluating the flood damage and is working with civic officials to remove debris in places where the water has receded.
“We want to move quickly to open the highway, but we need the water levels to drop and then we must inspect the road to make sure it is safe,” he said.
The province says it is working with communities to ensure there are no supply shortages, despite the highway closures.
Provincial flood assets including sandbags, sandbag machines, temporary retaining walls, emergency flood barriers, were deployed to the area last week in anticipation of the potential flooding.
However, with rain and high temperatures in the forecast, the expectation is the flooding will get worse.
Fleming said the province is preparing for a larger flood event and ensuring that people have food and water as well as protection for the property.
“The provincial government is aware of this crisis that is unfolding and paying close attention to what steps we can take to get things back to normal after this extraordinary snowmelt that has caused these significant problems,” said Fleming.
For residents still residing in Cache Creek, BC Wildfire crews arrived in the village on Thursday to sandbag along the Bonaparte River.
READ MORE: Aerial view of destructive flooding in Cache Creek
@Jen_zee
jen.zielinski@bpdigital.ca
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