The rivers are on the rise, but there is no threat of disastrous flooding on the horizon this year.
“It’s tradition,” says Hope Fire Chief Tom DeSorcy. “The river is going to rise.”
As the fire chief, DeSorcy also wears the town’s emergency program coordinator hat. As such, he’s in regular contact with B.C.’s River Forecast Centre. And so far, the expectation is that no “catastrophic” flood levels will occur this spring freshet.
“Not unless there are any extreme changes in the weather,” he added.
They measure the rivers in volume - cubic meters, specifically - and so far Hope is well within normal ranges of an average year. But if that were to change, there is a process that begins to notify the public and prepare for emergencies.
“We would activate our Emergency Operations Centre,” he said, and they would go door-to-door in areas that are known to flood, such as Wardle Street, Landstrom Road and Bristol Island.
The District of Hope gets fair warning if waters are rising, as there are gauges all along the Fraser River. The volume in Prince George takes about two days to reach Hope.
In the case of flood risks, they will also notify the public on the district website, the Fraser Valley Regional District website, and social media channels like Facebook.
But so far, he said, there is nothing to be concerned about.
“This is normal, it’s a seasonal thing,” he said. “There’s no cause for alarm.”
@CHWKcommunity
jessica.peters@hopestandard.com
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