High water affecting search for possible missing person in Kelowna

Rising water levels in creeks and streams have led to a local state of emergency being declared for Kelowna.

Some areas in the Okanagan community are threatened by rising water levels, including on Mission Creek, Scotty Creek, and the upper reaches of Mill Creek.

It comes as reports of a possible missing person have led to a search in the Mission Creek area.

The Kelowna RCMP and Central Okanagan Search and Rescue (COSAR) have been deployed but the conditions have not been favourable.

“We will be resuming the search. We are waiting for low water levels early this morning. We will be back at it shortly [in the] afternoon,” COSAR’s Ed Henczel said.

He says crews will be looking along the banks as well as by boat where the creek meets Okanagan Lake.

“Her vehicle has been there over 12 hours, she didn’t show up for work. We are just doing our part of the investigation, police are looking at the missing person aspect,” Henczel said.

Sandra Follack with the Central Okanagan Emergency Operations Centre says the levels at Mission Creek are being watched very closely.

“Mission Creek has experienced about 65 millimetres of rain, where it should have probably only had 20 millimetres of rain. So we are seeing low line flooding, we’re seeing significant amount of debris coming down off of the mountainside into the lake,” she said.

As of Wednesday, eight properties have been affected.

“So they’re the only ones that were affected, and we don’t foresee anybody else being affected, but we are keeping an eye on the different areas.”

The River Forecast Centre has placed parts of northern B.C. under a flood watch (red) as river levels have exceeded bankfull. Parts of the interior are under a flood watch (orange) and others remain under an advisory (yellow) (Courtesy: http://bcrfc.env.gov.bc.ca/)

As of Wednesday morning, there were no evacuation alerts or orders, and no reports of any homes being damaged.

However, there are a handful of road closures and those who have property in low-lying areas are being urged to be cautious.

Follack is reminding everyone to stay away from the creeks and the lakeshore as conditions are dangerous right now.

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Emergency Operations Centre staff are also providing sandbags to those who need it and people should prepare a 72-hour kit just in case things worsen in the coming days.

(Facebook/Emergency Management BC)

While there is no rain in the forecast for Wednesday, more precipitation is expected on Thursday.

By declaring a State of Emergency, the community is able to use certain powers including “acquire or use any land or personal property considered necessary to prevent, respond to or alleviate the effects of an emergency or disaster.”

The Village of Lumby, near Vernon, has also activated its Emergency Operations Centre in recent days due to its flood concerns. The Lumby Campground has been closed as a result, and residents are being told to grab sandbags from the curling rink to mitigate any property damage should the water rise higher.

With files from Mike Llyod