UPDATE 3:19 p.m.

A groundswell of water from Thursday's rainstorm forced the evacuation of eight people from an Armstrong seniors facility Friday.

The basement of Pioneer Square has several centimetres of water in it as nearby Meghan Creek could not contain the increased flow from the downpour.

Noreen Guenther, regional manager for Kaigo Senior Living Group, said the facility has flooded three times in the last five years.

In 2017, several feet of water filled the basement causing extensive damage to the Willowdale Drive facility.

Several homes along the short street were flooded by rising creek waters.

There was not as much water this time, and Guenther said all of the seniors are safe, but she wonders what can be done to prevent another incident.

“This is telling us this is not a one off; this is not a one-in-100-year event and we've got to look seriously at our plans moving forward.”

Armstrong Mayor Chris Peiper said the city has been working since last year's flooding to prevent a repeat, but a wall of red tape has slowed progress.

“We've been working with various ministries over the last year to try and get approvals. We've had to do an environmental assessments, we've done that, but the while bureaucracy of getting permission to do something is absolutely catastrophic,” said Peiper.

“It's a system that is broken. Local governments have to be able to take control of their own areas. I'm not blaming anybody, I am blaming a system that is broken. We're making progress, but progress is slow.”

Peiper said city officials will be keeping a close eye on the creek and the weather.

“We will have an extra crew on all weekend to try and make sure no flooding happens,” he said.

ORIGINAL 12 p.m.

A local state of emergency has been declared for Armstrong due to flooding in the community. 

The City stated in a press release large volumes of water are collecting in low lying areas as a result of recent heavy rains. 

Flooding has also led to the evacuation of Pioneer Square, a retirement community. 

"There are currently no road closures but the City asks residents to use caution around creeks as fast-moving water may cause erosion and instability of bank edges."

Sand and bags are currently available for self-filling, at no cost, at the Public Works Yard located at 2950 Patterson Avenue.

It is the responsibility of residents to protect their buildings and properties from flooding.

Residents whose homes are impacted by the flooding should call City Hall 250-546-3023. 

Meanwhile, Enderby is again providing free sand and sandbags to local residents in the City of Enderby and Area ‘F” of the Regional District of North Okanagan to protect private property from flooding.

Sand and sandbags are located outside of the Public Works Yard at 2308 McGowan Street in Enderby.  Residents should bring a shovel to load the sand into the bags. 

The City of Enderby reminds residents that it is their responsibility to protect private property from flooding.

Residents should take extra caution around creeks and streams due to the increased potential for bank instability and swift currents.