(Editor’s note: The first paragraph of this story has been updated since its publication on June 6.)
Highway 3A along Kootenay Lake’s East Shore is expected to be closed through noon tomorrow, according to the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure’s road conditions website, www.drivebc.ca. The road was closed last night after heavy rainfall over the previous 48 hours caused a washout near Gray Creek.
This was the second major traffic disruption on the fringes of the Creston Valley today, after a traffic accident on Kootenay Pass stopped traffic for a few hours near Highway 3’s Salmo-Creston summit, which reopened shortly after 8 p.m. (For up-to-date road conditions, visit drivebc.ca.)
Earlier this evening, the Regional District of Central Kootenay (RDCK) Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) moved to Level 3 status in response to several problem areas in the region.
“Level 3 indicates positions within the Emergency Operations Centre will be staffed on an ongoing basis until potential flooding threats have passed,” stated the press release.
In the Creston Valley, EOC staff and emergency personnel are focused on Crawford Creek, where “a dyke just west of the village centre has been experiencing water piping and some overtopping. Further dyke section failures could impact some residences; as a precautionary measure, a declaration of a local state of emergency has been issued along with an evacuation alert for residents living in the alluvial fan area south of the dyke. This will impact approximately 25-30 residences.”
Elsewhere, EOC staff are looking at Slocan Valley West Road, where there is the potential for access to some residences on this road to be cut off if the Slocan River continues to rise, and Harrop-Procter Road, where a culvert has been compromised.
While the amount of rain is expected to lessen over the coming hours, the forecast remains unsettled for the next few days. Residents need to exercise extreme caution around and near creeks, streams and rivers now and for the coming weeks until runoff recedes.
To report concerns regarding flooding threats, contact the EOC at 250-352-8154 during regular office hours. Assistance is available 24 hours a day by calling the Provincial Emergency Program at 1-800-663-3456. Information on emergency preparedness, including proper sandbagging techniques, is available at www.pep.bc.ca.
