Evacuation alerts issued for Slocan Valley
By Regional District of Central Kootenay
The Regional District of Central Kootenay (RDCK) has issued evacuation alerts for residents and visitors in areas of the Slocan Valley due to the potential flooding. The alerts affect Indian Point Road and Slocan Valley Road West. Local firefighters will hand-deliver the alert to affected households.
The affected areas are identified in the evacuation alerts posted on the Evacuation Information Page on the RDCK website: http://www.rdck.ca/EN/main/services/emergency-management/evacuation-order-and-alert-page.html. Maps of the affected areas are provided.
At this time residents or visitors within the area are not required to evacuate. However, the RDCK advises people to remain vigilant and be prepared to leave the area at short notice. This alert may be followed by an immediate evacuation order should conditions worsen.
“We are issuing this evacuation alert as a precaution, because we anticipate that water levels on Slocan River will rise and potentially threaten homes in the area,” said Andrew Bellerby, the RDCK Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) Director. “We are advising everyone to be prepared to evacuate if required. The situation might change quickly, depending on how much rain we get over the next few days. We will provide updates as things progress.”
What residents can do to be prepared:
- Sandbags and sand that residents can to use to protect their properties can be accessed at any of the locations listed on the RDCK website: www.rdck/befloodprepared.
- If you have livestock or pets, take this time to prepare your animals for possible evacuation.
- If you are not physically able to evacuate yourself, contact the EOC public inquiry line at 250-352-7701 now, so authorities are aware of your circumstances.
- If you have questions about how to prepare for an evacuation, where to get sandbags or other questions relating to emergency preparedness, contact the EOC at 250-352-7701.
- Report flooding emergencies by calling 911.
- Report any new hazards, such as potential flooding or debris flows, to the 24-hour toll-free provincial emergency number at 1-800-663-3456.
- Sign up for the RDCK Emergency Notification System to receive instant notification of evacuation orders. Go to www.rdck.ca and select “Emergency Alerts” from the home page, or go to the notification system sign-up page at https://rdckemergency.connectrocket.com.
- For information about emergency preparedness for floods (including sandbagging) and evacuations, please visit www.rdck.ca/befloodprepared or the PreparedBC website.
