Princeton is bracing for the worst, but is hoping for some easing Wednesday night into Thursday morning as two rivers around the town rise throughout the day and more water is expected.
Mayor Spencer Coyne explained that he was trying to stay optimistic because staff had done everything they could to prepare for a wave of weather.
“River levels are rising on both sides of town. We don’t have gauges on the Similkameen side, but it is significantly higher than it was earlier this morning. The Tulaming side is now about seven and a half feet, we are told Tulaming It’s still raining, so there will be more rain,” he said.
At noon Wednesday, Highway 3 east of Princeton was closed due to renewed flooding.
Residents who were released home are now under evacuation orders again, with much of the town now on evacuation alert.
“We’ve put a large number of communities on evacuation alert just because there’s a lot of water everywhere,” Cohen added.
In response to rising water levels, the town hired local contractors to repair damage to the levee from the first flood, and the Canadian Armed Forces then helped stack sandbags and flood barriers on top of the levee.
“We feel very confident. There’s nothing we can do to prepare at this point. It’s in Mother Nature’s hands.”
“It’s not just Princeton itself, but the entire region and the people along the Tulaming and Simi Cummings, please get ready for tonight and tomorrow morning,” he said.
“I don’t think we’ve seen the peak downstream yet, and we need to be ready to go any time. So even if you haven’t heard of it, if you’re on the river, be prepared to do the right thing, when necessary time to leave.”
The mayor will also post a video on the Princeton Township’s Facebook page Wednesday afternoon with an update on river and flood information.
Post time: Feb-27-2022