A family of two people, a dog and a cat have evacuated their home Sunday morning after an ice jam on the Bulkley River pushed water and ice onto their property and the road to their driveway.
The Smithers Fire Department, including Raven Rescue member Walter Bucher and others geared up in dry suits, and RCMP responded to a call about rising water. They left after assessing the situation and giving Regional District of Bulkley Nechako contact information to the couple, who are staying with friends.
The Regional District has been warning people to stay away from the river after an ice jam formed last weekend downstream of Dohler Flats. The Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations said the jam is 17 kilometres long as of New Year's Day.
Ministry staff is monitoring the situation, which has already caused low level flooding. The province said the cold temperatures mean the ice jam will likely continue to grow, causing water levels to fluctuate with the freezing.
The District released the following information to help residents prepare for an evacuation:
Residents in the area are asked to prepare your family and your home!
- Watch the river. Ice jams can result in water levels changing very quickly.
- Be prepared with an emergency supply kit, including at least three-day’s supply of food and water for each family member. Include a windup or battery-powered radio, flashlight and batteries, prescription medications and important papers. Also, prepare a grab-and-go emergency supply kit to leave the area, if necessary.
- Ensure each member of your family has warm clothing and waterproof footwear readily available.
- Make arrangements for your pets and any livestock.
- Prepare to follow instructions of emergency officials.
- Get information about electrical safety at www.bchydro.com/safety/ .
- Get more detailed information on how to prepare yourself and your home here.
- Items that may cause contamination such as pesticides, weed killers, fertilizers and other such items should be moved to higher levels.
If you are evacuated:
- Always follow the instructions of local emergency officials.
- Take your grab-and-go emergency supply kit with you.
- Do not walk through moving water. Water may be deeper than it appears. It only takes 60 cm (2 ft.) to sweep a car away and as little as 15 cm (6 in.) of moving water can cause you to fall.
- Leave a note on your door saying where you’ve gone and register with the local reception centre.
- In case of severe flooding risk, stay tuned to local radio stations for instructions from local officials.
For further information or to report a change in conditions contact:
- Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako at 1-800-320-3339 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday
- Emergency Management BC at 1-800-663-3456 after hours, weekends, and holidays.