Canadian military helping Central Okanagan crews in flood preparation
News Release No. 29 Central Okanagan, B.C. — At 8 a.m. this morning, Canadian Forces personnel will be assisting Central Okanagan Emergency Operations in protecting local infrastructure from rising lake water.
The 45 members of the military will join municipal and B.C. Wildfire Service crews, as well as contractors in installing flood mitigation measures along the lakefront.
Based on priority needs, the military will be immediately deployed in West Kelowna’s Green Bay neighbourhood, followed by other areas most prone to flooding. Some of the considerations include protecting public infrastructure and foreshore areas that affect public assets.
The Central Okanagan Emergency Operations Centre would like to thank the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia for helping with this event.
Okanagan Lake currently sits at 342.45 metres and normal high-water level is 342.48. It is expected to rise to 2017 levels. Residents can monitor lake levels at wateroffice.ec.gc.ca and those in areas prone to flooding are asked to continue to prepare for high water. All measures used to protect property in 2017 should be implemented this year.
Sand and sandbags locations are available at www.cordemergency.ca/map
For up-to-date information, including active evacuation alerts and orders across the Central Okanagan, as well as flood-preparedness resources, visit cordemergency.ca.
For municipal information such as water quality advisories, visit their websites:
