Residents of Oak Hills Trailer Park have been evacuated due to flooding. (Photo Credit: KamloopsBCNow.com)
Residents of Oak Hills have been evacuated and are waiting to hear what to do now after heavy rainfall led to flooding in Westsyde.
Residents of 40 homes in the Oak Hills Trailer Park and from 20 other homes in the area have been evacuated, and evacuees are gathering at the Emergency Reception Centre at the Interior Savings Centre Parkside Lounge.
The City of Kamloops is directing all Oak Hills residents to register at the Interior Savings Centre.
Approximately 40 other nearby homes have been put on alert in case they have to leave on short notice.
Photo Credit: KamloopsBCNow.com
Residents are worried about where they will stay tonight, as well as the current situation of their homes, and they have not been provided with an update as they wait at the reception centre.
“Nothing so far,” said resident Karen Slinger. “They gave us water and a number and said they’ll get to us. They’ll put us in a hotel or something. We’re looking for housing, we need a place to stay.”
Slinger said she has lived in the trailer park for 20 years and she has never seen anything like this.
“The water was up almost to my hips walking through it, halfway up to my car, and coming up the ramp of my trailer. It rained for about half an hour.”
Photo Credit: KamloopsBCNow.com
Resident Lenise Truenne said she is also concerned of where she will stay, especially because her husband has mobility problems due to an infection.
“I guess it’s going to be in a hotel or motel somewhere because he can’t sleep on the floor,” she said.
Truenne is a long-time resident of Oak Hills, and she said this is the first time she has seen such flooding.
“Oh it was bad. It was three feet in water. The police were walking in water up to their knee caps. My son had hip boots on and he was still getting wet,” she said. “This is the first time for me and I’ve lived there since ’78.”
Kamloops Bylaw officers and emergency support staff are providing water and other supplies for affected residents at the Interior Savings Centre. (Photo Credit: KamloopsBCNow.com)
City officials do not know how long the flooding will take to clean up, but they are working to find places for the evacuees to stay in the meantime.
"Anyone who is unable to go home this evening, our emergency social services team is working with them to find hotel accommodations," said Tammy Robertson, City of Kamloops Emergency Operations Centre Information Officer. "We are anticipating somewhere in the neighbourhood of potentially 100 people that may be displaced."
Heavy equipment, including vactor trucks, are on the scene to move water. BC Hydro is also on scene and has shut off power to the park to allowing City crews to safely reach and respond to high water areas.
Culverts plugged by debris have been cleared and catch basins are draining, resulting in water reductions.
Photo Credit: KamloopsBCNow.com
The public is asked to avoid Westsyde Road unless it is absolutely necessary and limit travel to local traffic. Reports of storm watchers are creating unnecessary congestion in the area.
Two lanes on Westsyde Road are now open, one in each direction.
Crews will continue to work through the night to ensure the safety of residents in the area, and security companies will be on site to secure the evacuated homes.
A thunderstorm warning is no longer in effect.
Photo Credit: KamloopsBCNow.com
A Kamloops resident recorded the rainfall in Kamloops on Tuesday, and you can see Westsyde get hit with heavy rain.
