Residents along the Fraser River have been told to be ready to evacuate at a moment's notice.
At 9:15 p.m. on Saturday the B.C. River Forecast Centre upgraded the high streamflow advisory on the Fraser River to a flood warning. Prince George Fire Chief John Lane said fire crews went door to door on Farrell Drive and sections of Lansdowne Road warning residents to be ready to leave. Approximately 10 homes have been given evacuation alerts.
"It has not yet begun to flood any of the homes on Farrell or Lansdowne. They are our lowest-lying areas and unless the river gets quite high, in the order of 10 metres, it doesn't tend to effect any other areas," Lane said Sunday morning. "The water is almost up the base of the concrete pad at the gazebo in Paddlewheel Park. [But] there is no water on the road or anything like that."
According to the river forecast centre, the level of the Fraser River at the South Fort George monitoring site rose from 7.97 metres to 8.75 metres between 4 a.m. and 5:40 p.m. on Saturday.
At 8:50 a.m. on Sunday, Environment Canada posted the river level at South Fort George as 9.36 metres - well above the average level of just under seven metres for this time of year.
"The river currently is still rising, but it is rising more slowly than it was yesterday," Lane said.
Light, but ongoing, rain upstream on the Fraser and along tributaries like the McGregor River was blamed for the rising water levels.
Lane warned residents to avoid approaching the river bank, because flood waters can erode banks from underneath. The water is cold, murky and very fast.
"It's awesome in the true sense of the word. The size of the debris going by is incredible," Lane said.
Boating, swimming or any other recreational activity on the Fraser or the Nechako River is not recommended, he said.
"The Nechako is certainly running high and fast, but it is not flooding anywhere."
