VIDEO: 290 homes in Princeton under evacuation as flooding causes chaos

Rhonda Caron posted the following photos to Princeton BC & Area Issues Facebook page of the current flooding situation. Rhonda Caron posted the following photos to Princeton BC & Area Issues Facebook page of the current flooding situation.
Debris floats down Fenchurch Avenue in Princeton. Photo Andrea DeMeer
Vehicles are underwater in Princeton. Photo Andrea DeMeer
Rhonda Caron posted the following photos to Princeton BC & Area Issues Facebook page of the current flooding situation. Rhonda Caron posted the following photos to Princeton BC & Area Issues Facebook page of the current flooding situation.
Rhonda Caron posted the following photos to Princeton BC & Area Issues Facebook page of the current flooding situation. Rhonda Caron posted the following photos to Princeton BC & Area Issues Facebook page of the current flooding situation.
Rhonda Caron posted the following photos to Princeton BC & Area Issues Facebook page of the current flooding situation. Rhonda Caron posted the following photos to Princeton BC & Area Issues Facebook page of the current flooding situation.
Rhonda Caron posted the following photos to Princeton BC & Area Issues Facebook page of the current flooding situation. Rhonda Caron posted the following photos to Princeton BC & Area Issues Facebook page of the current flooding situation.

Princeton has declared a state of emergency after the surging Tulameen River breached its banks in many areas throughout the town.

Two hundred and ninety homes were hurriedly placed on evacuation order late Sunday night, Nov. 14.

“It came up so fast,” said Mayor Spencer Coyne. “It’s changing every minute now,” he added, in an interview at 12:50 a.m. Nov. 15.

In a chaotic situation, two municipal wells have been shut down and a boil water advisory will be issued.

The flooding on Fenchurch Avenue impacted a lift station, which normally conducts sewage, through a pipe beneath the river. The breach has potentially contaminated the water supply, said Coyne.

The town’s public work’s department, on Harold Avenue, is under water. “We can’t even get to it,” said Coyne.

The Spotlight will update this story as more details are available.

Do you have something to add to this story, or something else we should report on? Email:andrea.demeer@similkameenspotlight.com


 
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BC FloodfloodingSevere weather