Entire city of Merritt being evacuated due to flooding

Barricades are going up to prevent people from entering Merritt Monday afternoon after flooding forced the evacuation of the entire city.

“As of 4:00 PM on Monday, November 15th, access into the City of Merritt will be prohibited for the safety of civilians,” says a statement from the city, adding barricades wil be “manned by personnel including RCMP who will ensure that nobody enters the city.”

As of 4:00 PM on Monday, November 15th, access into the City of Merritt will be prohibited for the safety of civilians. Learn more about the restriction here: https://t.co/bqlU6y6F7n pic.twitter.com/nrq95txeH4

— City of Merritt (@CityofMerritt) November 15, 2021

All the city’s water has also been shut off due to flooding-related contamination.

“The water is undrinkable, even if boiled. We strongly urge residents not to consume any water,” says a tweet from the city.

Earlier in the day, all residents were ordered to flee the community due to heavy rains and flooding.

“The floodwaters have now inundated two bridges across the Coldwater River, and floodwaters prevent access to the third,” reads the statement from the City.

People have been told to leave and stay with family or friends outside of Merritt. Those who do not have anyone they can stay with are being directed to an evacuation centre in Kamloops or Kelowna.

“If you have any support available in either location, go there,” reads the City’s statement. “If you do not, residents of odd-numbered houses please proceed to Kamloops, residents of even-numbered houses proceed to Kelowna.”

The Kamloops evacuation centre is located at McArthur Island (1655 Island Parkway). People in Merritt are told to go north on Highway 5 to get there.

The Kelowna evacuation centre is located at 1480 Sutherland Avenue. People in Merritt can get there by driving along Highway 97C East.

Evacuees can register online or contact 1-800-585-9559 for more information.

People with mobility issues and those without access to a car can get a bus out of town by meeting at the Nicola Valley Memorial Arena.

An Evacuation Order has been issued for the entire City of Merritt. Read the full media release here: https://t.co/z6YSc3y9Tl pic.twitter.com/NHEOvKygdu

— City of Merritt (@CityofMerritt) November 15, 2021

The City earlier asked that all gas stations stay open so people can fuel up their cars before they leave Merritt.

Merritt resident Jonathan Woodcock says he woke up to his son saying his home was flooding. Woodcock has a truck and was able to get through, but says to everyone else the area was impassable with more than two feet of water.

“From one side of town to the other there is a good section that’s underwater,” he said Monday morning, adding Merritt has had flooding before but it’s normally in the spring and never this high.

“Everybody’s trash cans are floating around…pallets, wood, all kinds of debris are floating around,” he said about the unsafe conditions.

He told CityNews he saw police officers wading through the water and ensuring people were told to leave if their properties were threatened by the floods.

Leona Marie Antoine was ordered to evacuate and was able to move important documents from the Scw’exmx Tribal Council to the third floor of the building before she had to evacuated from the Merritt area. (Courtesy: Leona Marie Antoine)

Jonathan Woodcock, who lives in Merritt, says he woke up to his son saying his home was flooding. Woodcock has a truck and was able to get through but says to everyone else, the area was impassable with more than two feet of water.

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