Entire town of Princeton on evacuation alert, no drinking water or gas

More than 1,000 properties in the town of Princeton are on an evacuation alert Wednesday because the water is not safe to drink, and gas has been cut off after extreme flooding overwhelmed infrastructure.

Roughly 300 properties were already evacuated after the Tulameen River breached the dikes, sending fast-flowing water coursing through the streets in the low-lying part of town Sunday.

While crews have been working non-stop to try and keep the town’s pumps from failing, Mayor Spencer Coyne says no relief is in sight.

“We’re having issues with our sewer system. and we’re having continuous issues with our water system. The water system adds some complexity to the problem because it means we don’t have fire protection, and the water in the majority of the town is not drinkable,” he says adding there’s a significant hole in the main water line.

“We are losing water at a rapid rate and we can’t get our reserve reservoirs back up. And our pumps are kicking off because we’re running over time. We need the water level to go down more. Right now the water level is in a place that what we’re pumping out, it’s just filling up. Those pumps need a break.”

All Princeton properties within town boundaries are being placed on evacuation alert because of inability to provide safe drinking water, natural gas. This comes as those evacuated from low-lying parts of town are being reminded it's still much too dangerous to go back in. pic.twitter.com/29os9dWvyq

— Lisa Steacy (@lisa_steacy) November 18, 2021

At a town meeting, donations of bottled water and heaters were handed out to residents.

“It’s a real team effort, the community is coming together and it’s good to have that,” Coyne added.

While effort is being made to encourage volunteers, city workers, and first responders to get some rest, he says the urgency of the situation offers little reprieve.

“It’s nonstop. We’re trying to send people home to rest. But, ultimately, if something happens, we have to be there to deal with it. Our crews are working when they have to work and then some. They’re getting tired but morale is still high.”

While it has been snowing “off and on,” Coyne says it hasn’t been cold enough for it to accumulate.

‘I hate to say it, I try not to be negative’: Mayor critical of Farnworth’s response to disaster 

Coyne says he has received a call from the Prime Minister’s Office, and feels like the community is being supported by the province.

But he isn’t at all happy with Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth’s comments the day after flooding forced people to flee their homes, and closed most major highways.

“I was hurt by it, I’ll say that.”

During Monday’s press conference Farnworth, facing questions and criticism about the way the province handled the catastrophic storm before it hit and while it was wreaking havoc on communities and roadways, defended the response by saying the responsibility to communicate lies with local governments.

“That’s the right way and the appropriate way to deal with these kinds of situations, because the experts in that local area know where the problem spots are,” he said.

Asked again the next day why the province didn’t use the Alert Ready warning system, Farnworth said the alerts issued were adequate.

“Alerting took place in terms of the flood warnings and streamflow advisories that went to local communities. DriveBC was outlining weather conditions on a regular basis, in terms of the condition on our highways and closures. There were significant warnings in terms of weather and the rain that was coming”

RELATED: ‘Princeton always steps up for Princeton’: Community comes together amid flooding, evacuations

The comments about local government, to Coyne, seem like “passing the buck.” Further, he felt like the implication was that people like him hadn’t done enough.

“This is not the fault of municipalities, this is not the fault of any local government, and I felt like he was insinuating it was our fault,” he said.

“I’ve been helping fill trucks with sandbags, and I’ve been flagging the traffic that they sent through [Princeton], and everything else. I’m putting in hours from four o’clock in the morning ’til whenever. I mean, the first night I got one hour sleep.”

When B.C. declared a provincial state of emergency Wednesday, Farnworth was again confronted with criticism about not using the emergency alert system.

“These decisions need to be made by experts on the ground and not by experts on Twitter,” he said.

Coyne says he prides himself on staying positive, and isn’t overly focused on Farnowrth’s initial comments — but they still sting days later.

“That to me was not the appropriate response. We’re supposed to be working together for the citizens of British Columbia. I hate to say it, I try not to be negative. That, to me, was was a hurtful thing to say.”