This week’s warm weather and a forecast for rain has emergency officials in the City of Kimberley closely watching local waterways and encouraging residents who are in flood-prone areas to be aware and prepared should conditions worsen.
“We are already seeing a rise in local streams and the chance of localized flooding will increase if we get the rainfall that is forecasted toward the tail end of the weekend and into next week,” said Kimberley Fire Chief Rick Prasad.
One neighbourhood that is particularly susceptible to high water events is Morrison Subdivision, which is currently only open to local traffic.
“Because of the potential for changing conditions, we are going to provide some general flood preparedness information door to door to residents in Morrison Subdivision today to help ensure they have the information they need to be prepared,” said Prasad.
Morrison Subdivision residents and a group of volunteers are currently placing sand bags on properties in the neighbourhood as water levels continue to rise.
City Councillor Darryl Oakley, who is helping with preparations, says that the private driveway culverts in Morrison Sub are at a low angle, which causes the Kimberley Creek to breach.
“It’s a warm day today, 24 degrees, and another warm day tomorrow, and then we will see some rain, so we are trying to prepare the neighbourhood by placing sand bags along the houses and properties,” said Oakley.
A self-fill sandbag station has been set up at Centennial Hall for anyone wanting to do sandbagging on their properties, however shovels are not provided.
Information will also be posted on the City of Kimberley’s website and social media channels along with the Fire Department’s Facebook page for the rest of the community.
Oakley added that at this point, the flooding is not declared an emergency.
“We’re just prepping,” he said. “The City manager has all of the equipment lined up if the water does go overland again, as it did in 2012.”
“We will be watching conditions closely over the coming days and will continue to keep the community informed,” adds Prasad. “In addition to encouraging residents in flood-prone areas to be prepared, we also want to stress to all residents the importance of staying away from local waterways as conditions can change quickly. Our goal is to ensure everyone stays safe.
For a copy of the Kimberley flood preparedness handout, or the latest emergency information, visit www.kimberley.ca.
