PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. — A flood warning has been issued for a river near Prince George, B.C., after it rose nearly 35 centimetres in a day.
The B.C. River Forecast Centre, which assesses water supply, flood risk and predicts flows in provincial waterways, upgraded the warning for the Chilako River early Friday.
The river and its tributaries southwest of Prince George are expected to continue to rise, possibly into the weekend, the forecast centre reported.
The Regional District of Fraser-Fort George issued evacuation orders late Thursday for 40 properties on part of Upper Mud River Road near the Chilako River, 30 kilometres southwest of Prince George.
Evacuees are being sheltered at two hotels in Prince George.
"The rate of water rising was quite high," said Renee McCloskey, a spokeswoman for the regional district.
The river rose to levels last seen during a 2018 flood, which prompted the evacuation order.
"The concern is more about the access in and out of the area as opposed to homes," she said. "It's really about that road access in and out and being cut off."
Some property owners have decided to stay despite the order, she added.
Two properties near Quesnel were ordered evacuated by the Cariboo Regional District Thursday when water-saturated ground and flooding caused a landslide, but no one was hurt.
Flood warnings remain posted by the forecast centre for the Nazko and West Road rivers, the Cariboo and Chilcotin regions and waterways around Williams Lake, Quesnel, Alexis Creek, Anahim Lake and Cache Creek.
The rising water levels have also led to road washouts across the Cariboo region, with roads around Horsefly, McLeese Lake and Nazko closed due to the rising water.
In 150 Mile House, Cariboo officials were maintaining evacuation alerts posted earlier in the week for 29 homes on Boreland Creek.
The forecast centre's daily update says Boreland Creek was flowing at levels seen only every 50 to 100 years, but analysts also reported levels were holding steady.
The Village of Cache Creek remained under a local state of emergency, 10 properties were evacuated and a village spokeswoman said 15 more homes were added Friday to the dozens already on alert.
"It is quite stressful," said Paramjit Parihar, the owner of the Cache Creek Motor Inn, which was given an evacuation order earlier this week. "We're going through the coronavirus and then this happened."
Part of the creek has risen on to his property, he added.
Close to 500 people around the village had been advised to be ready to leave on short notice.
"It's pretty frustrating just watching your land fall apart," said Taylor Hanson, a Cache Creek resident who was issued an evacuation order on Monday night.
Taylor and her husband Josh have lived on the property for four years and have experienced flooding in three of those years.
"Before that, this had never happened before," said Josh. "One of my neighbours has lived on his property for more than 30 years and he's never seen it like this."
Adding to their woes, the flooding exposed the village's main sewer line, prompting excavators and workers to tear up their yard.
"The yard is unrecognizable," said Josh.
Bonaparte River near Cache Creek was flowing at a rate that occurs only every 20 years, and the forecast centre said river levels are expected to climb through the weekend.
"While there are early signs that river levels may be approaching or at peak levels, showers and ongoing snowmelt into the weekend should keep river levels high and may lead to additional rises," the centre said.
It advised the public to stay clear of fast-flowing rivers and away from potentially unstable riverbanks during the high-streamflow period.
— By Beth Leighton and Nick Wells in Vancouver.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 24, 2020.
The Canadian Press
