Cache Creek Mayor John Ranta is looking to declare a local state of emergency after a flash flood tore through town, driving 50 people from their homes.
鈥淚t was just unbelievable how fast it happened,鈥� Ranta told The Province after an intense burst of Saturday afternoon rainfall turned the Thompson Country community鈥檚 streets into raging river.
鈥淏ut the people of Cache Creek are resilient, and we鈥檒l get through this.鈥�
Ranta will meet with emergency officials Sunday afternoon to decide how best to help out the dozens of displaced residents, as the raging Bonaparte River moved houses and mobile homes off their foundation and swept cars and garages away.
An intense stationary low brought the deluge to Cache Creek, a hailstorm to Merritt, and has significant portions of the province Sunday under severe thunderstorm watch - including Arrow Lakes, Boundary, Nicola, North Thompson, Okanagan Valley, Prince George, Shuswap, and South Thompson.
鈥淎bout 50 people registered at the community centre,鈥� Hanta said of the two-hour deluge that had homeowners under high alert. 鈥淚鈥檓 meeting with emergency officials this afternoon, and we鈥檙e going to look at declaring a state of emergency.鈥�
Ranta is grateful his home survived - 鈥淭he street in front of my home was a river, and there was a creek behind my house鈥� - but acknowledges he was one of the lucky ones.
鈥淚鈥檓 in a lot better shape than a lot of people.鈥�
At one point Saturday evening both Highway 1 and Highway 97 had to be closed in both directions in the flood-ravaged community.
