Thousands forced from homes in B.C. due to historic flood

UPDATES: Interior braces for more flooding as weather warms up

Thousands of British Columbians have been forced from their homes bywhat some officials are calling a once-in-200-years flood.

Swollen rivers in B.C.'s Interior have spilled their banks, leaving valleys dotted with small lakesand changingwhat is normally the province's prime ranch country into otherworldly, mirrored paddy fields.

In some places, roads have been washed outand the ground under electricity poles has beenso erodedthat power lines have come down.

The convergence of extremely heavy snowpacks, sudden downpours and unseasonably warm temperatures have all been factors in the historic flood.

Chris Marsh, emergency operations centre director and program manager for the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary, says rain has been a particular problem in the eastern area of the region.

"Over the last 24 to 36 hours we've experienced significant rainfall, up to 50 millimetres in some spots and in some of the drainages in this area, and that's caused the rivers to rise significantly over the past 24 hours," Marsh said Thursday.

• 'We just didn't have a hope': B.C. flood victims struggle with rising water levels

Evacuation orders were issued Thursday for about 1,500 properties covering a large area along the Granby, Kettle and West Kettle rivers, as well as in the Carmi region southeast of Kelowna.

Forecasters say there's still a lot of snow in the Monashee Mountainswhich feedthe rivers, and have issued several flood warnings.

WATCH: Footage of rising flood levels across B.C.'s Interior.

Thousands ordered to evacuate as waters rise in B.C.'s Kootenay-Boundary region.

6 years ago

Duration 0:41

Officials say river levels approaching those of the disastrous flood year of 1948.

Residents have tried to make the best of the situation, hurrying to save what they can as water levels rise.

Volunteers and residents in Grand Forks, a town of 4,000 at the confluence of the Granby and Kettle rivers that was hit hard by flooding, banded together to stack sandbags and pump water.

Resident Steve Horkoff said the flooding is higher than in the disastrous flood year of 1948, when most of southeast B.C. was under water, entire towns were destroyed and lives were lost.

"I was just a little guy but I remember the water on Second Street," Horkoff said.

"This is higher. And if we get another couple days [of this]it'll be a little rough."

Current Conditions:

Kootenay Boundary region

• Just over 2,700 residents have been ordered out of their homes in the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary due to "imminent danger to life and health due to flooding," according to Frances Maika with the district.
• The order applies to all low-lying areas near the Granby, Kettle and West Kettle rivers, and other areas under an evacuation alert yesterday.
• ResidentsinBeaverdell, Midway and Grand Forks have been told to leave their homes immediately by using Highway 3 or Highway 33.
• The River Forecast Centre hasissued flooding warnings for the Kettle, West Kettle and Granbyrivers and surrounding tributaries in the Boundary region. There is also a high streamflow advisory for West and East Kootenay.

Okanagan-Similkameen region

• At 11 a.m. PT on Thursday,54 properties in the Okanagan Falls area were under an evacuation orderdue to flooding along the Shuttleworth Creek.
• Highway 3 remains closed in both directions, 14 kilometres west of Keremeos, because of flooding from the Similkameen River. There is currently no estimated time of opening.
• The village of Keremeos has declared a state of emergency.
• Osoyoos issued evacuation orders for properties in the Solana and Harbour Key areas of the town.
• The River Forecast Centre has issued flood warnings for Mission Creek in Kelowna.
• Flood watches are posted for a number of rivers, including the Similkameen.

Thompson-Nicola region

• Some people in the Lower Nicola area are expected to return home this afternoon after being under an evacuation order for several days.
• The Thompson-Nicola Regional District issuedan evacuation order for the Lower Nicola trailer park and three homes on Marshall Road on Sunday; one property on Marshall Road remains under the evacuation order.
• After briefly reopening to local traffic, nearby Highway 8 was closed again in both directions Thursday morning at 10 Mile Bridge, 10 kilometres west of Merritt.

WATCH: Drone video captured on Mondayshows the condition of the highway.

• In Upper Nicola,four RV parks on the Upper Nicola Reserve Lands are under an evacuation order, as the level of the Nicola lake is rising and expected to breach very soon.
• In the nearby community of Ashcroft, 10 residents are unable to leave because several culverts have been washed out near Barns Road. The area has been deemed unsafe for travel, according to Michelle Nordstorm, from the region's emergency operation centre.