North Okanagan

Photo: Amy Jackson-Shelling

A house on Shuswap Ave. is protected by sandbags

Duteau Creek is causing concern for Lumby residents and as waters continue to rise, homeowners are doing what they can to protect their homes.

Between 500 to 600 sand bags were filled Sunday and deposited along the creek’s banks with the help of ten Forestry Fire Fighters. Eighteen Forestry Fire Fighters and an excavator are now working to monitor the flow and watching for debris possible traveling downstream, to ensure culverts and sand bags remain functional.

“I’ve seen it lots worse than that,” said Ernie Driscoll, a Lumby resident whose house borders the swollen creek. “This is the worse now that I’ve seen in half a dozen years though maybe. I’ve seen this area turn into a total lake. They are out there rowing a boat.”

“When I first bought the little old shack, twenty-two years ago I was working to fix it, cause that’s what I do for a living, it took me about six months to make it fit to live in,” said Driscoll, “and then the water started coming over my neighbor’s fence. I thought Holy moly, what did I buy here, but it never got to me. This one is not as bad.”

The Village of Lumby has brought in and distributed five truckloads of sand for residents to utilize should they need to protect their properties. They are monitoring the conditions on an hourly basis and will notify residents immediately of any changes.

While some areas of flooding had a swift current, other areas like the Salmon Trail off Hwy 6 became a flooded-field playground for children seeking respite from the heat, despite the closure signs prohibiting entering the area.