The state of local emergency in Cache Creek will continue for at least another week as the Village assesses the damage from the May 23 flood.
At least three trailers and possibly two houses were destroyed; many other residences have been severely damaged but are deemed salvageable.
The evacuation order for the Riverside Trailer Park and most other areas of town was lifted on Thursday after a slope analysis on Valleyview Drive and along Old Cariboo Road confirmed that all of the debris on the hills had been washed away in the flood, leaving only bedrock behind in many places.
The damaged residences have been categorized with visible red, yellow or green cards that indicate the amount of damage in the residence.
The red cards indicate structural damage that needs to be fixed before they can be lived in; the amber cards indicate the owners can live in them while they carry out repairs although they may be without services.
“I think we are recovering nicely,” said Mayor John Ranta. “The priority is repairing infrastructure so if we have another big rain, we’ll be ready.”
“Cache Creek suffered a once in a hundred year rainfall event,” he added. “Environment Canada confirmed that.”
Ranta said they are will be looking at stream stabilization in the coming week, and a hydrologist will have a look at Lopez Creek to see if there are remediation actions required.
“We believe the water course has been changed to a certain degree,” he said, “but we can’t touch anything next to the streams.”
The province’s Riparian Act requires that vegetation adjacent to fish-bearing rivers and streams be left untouched.
He said the repaving project for Old Cariboo Road is still going ahead. He sees an opportunity to make it better if the province agrees that the road bed may have been damaged in the flood and makes money available to dig a new foundation for the road.
He urged the flood victims to submit the two page disaster assistance form.
“There may be some shortfalls in anticipated funding” for homeowners, he acknowledged. “That’s why the Village is also raising funds.”
You can donate at the Village Office or online at www.cachecreekvillage.com .
