Flooding hits Princeton as residents rush to save property

The heavy rainfall that caused flooding in B.C.’s Southwest hit the town of Princeton hard this past week.

Dozens of blocks were washed out and residents are throwing out belongings and mopping up after the Tulameen River overflowed.

Streets in the area are caked in mud and closed to traffic as suction trucks go about removing water from basements.

Out near Princeton and Manning Park, a truckload of supplies and food were brought in to help truckers as well. Most of the food made by volunteers at gurdwaras across the Lower Mainland and @khalsaaidca. #BCStorm @CityNewsVAN pic.twitter.com/63PAeJz87y

— Tarnjit Kaur Parmar (@Tarnjitkparmar) November 18, 2021

Lisa Brosseau saw it happen. She describes water running over the riverbanks and hearing a boom when it came rushing down the street.

“It came right over the banks. My dog is about 105 pounds and a year old, and he was frozen. I was like, ‘Oh no, we’re not freezing now. We have to run back,’ and the guys who were sanding were like, ‘It’s breached,'” she said.

Volunteers are going to homes offering to help with the cleanup.

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Mario Loutef says he lost everything and his house is full of mud and water. He says it happened quickly.

“I don’t know where to stop. I don’t know where it’s going to end,” he said. “This is a learning curve for me. We lost everything, the wife and I.”

Princeton’s mayor (who is not on Twitter) “hates to be negative,” but says Minister Mike Farnworth’s comments have been “hurtful.” It bothers him that province “passed the buck” to local gov’t when asked why province did not do more to warn ppl. Story: https://t.co/n9Q3YtXmkj pic.twitter.com/GQaCrmSJn6

— Lisa Steacy (@lisa_steacy) November 18, 2021

He has spent the past few days throwing his belongings into a pile outside of his home.

“By the time I got the wife out of the house, six inches of water were coming into the house,” he said.

Loutef says he also didn’t have any insurance and hopes the B.C. government provides some help to those affected soon.