TRAIL, B.C. — Six properties in southern British Columbia have been ordered evacuated after the rising Kettle River breached a berm and cut off access to the homes.
The Regional District of Kootenay Boundary says the order was issued Tuesday as the river topped what district officials describe as an "illegally constructed berm."
A statement from the district says some of the six homes have been damaged but there have been no injuries to the 15 affected residents.
The homes are near Grand Forks, which was hit by catastrophic flooding that inundated most of the community in 2018.
Seven other properties in rural locations around Grand Forks are also threatened by the surging Kettle River and evacuation alerts have been issued for those homes.
Heavy rain added to the problem, but the district says the Kettle River has peaked and other waterways, including the West Kettle and Granby rivers, are nowhere near levels reached two years ago.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published May 19, 2020
The Canadian Press
