Flood threat moves from Shuswap to Kootenays

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KOOTENAYS (NEWS1130) – The flooding threat is moving from the Shuswap to the Kootenays today.

They could see as many as 40 millimetres of rain today, adding to rivers and streams already bursting with spring run-off.

In Sicamous, the water has stopped gushing down creeks around and now residents face the massive task of cleaning up after weekend flash floods.

Efforts to flush away the muck and debris clogging yards and basements in the Two Mile Creek and Swansea Point areas is being complicated by a water ban. It was imposed after a 20,000 litre gas tank toppled into Mara Lake during flooding that tore through on Saturday.

About 350 people remain out of their homes as crews work to rebuild roads and other infrastructure swept away in the torrent caused when a log jam on a river above Sicamous suddenly broke free.

In Kelowna, a local state of emergency has been dropped in for the rural Joe Rich area, but they are still keeping a close eye on the levels of Mission Creek.

An evacuation alert remains in effect for several properties in the area along Highway 33.

Crews have managed to move a trailer that was partly submerged in Mission Creek and could have been swept away, potentially bashing bridges downstream. But they say the creek continues to rage, and residents in the Joe Rich area are being cautioned to be ready to leave their properties on short notice if conditions worsen.

On the Lower Mainland, the river forecasters expect the lower Fraser River to drop slightly over the next few days but then rise closer to the weekend as another pulse of water pushes through.

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