He's lived in his Okanagan Lake home for 44 years, and never seen anything this dramatic.

Gabion dams set up on the beach next to Mill Creek separate Fred Berhner's home from the rising lake by just a few feet.

“In 1990, it was close to this, but this is by far the highest we’ve seen it,” said Behrner.

The flood-protection barriers kept the water away from his property, but he woke up Thursday morning to find water in the crawl space.

The lawn is getting spongy, and groundwater is creeping in.

“This is the first time in all those years I have put a sump pump in,” he said.

At least 15 docks that broke free in Tuesday night's wind storm have washed up in front of Behrner's property.

“We don’t know what the weather is going to do," he said. "It’s a bit nerve wracking."

He's thankful for wildfire crews coming in to assist with sandbagging, and he even lent them his wheelbarrow to help out.

“We just have to contend with it and see how fast the snow comes and how fast the water goes. It’s trying times.”