Kelowna welcomes Merritt evacuees

It is not yet known how many evacuees Kelowna may play host to, as flood waters force the entire evacuation of Merritt.

Residents were being asked to stay with friends or family, if possible, or head to Emergency Social Support (ESS) reception centres in Kamloops and Kelowna.

It comes as high waters crippled the city’s wastewater treatment plant and cresting rivers made streets impassable.

At the Parkinson Recreation Centre, a few dozen evacuees sat waiting for support.

Sandra Follack with the Kelowna Fire Department and Emergency Operations Centre said about 50 evacuees had arrived in Kelowna by 3 p.m. Monday, with more expected.

“They are still in a little bit of shock,” she said of those who had arrived. “This was something that happened overnight and when it happens at night, you don’t really see much. When they were leaving today, there was a little bit of concern.”

ESS team members were in the process of setting the evacuees up with a hotel, food, and clothing, if need be, for the next three days.

Follack did not anticipate lodging concerns, saying the city currently has a significant number of vacancies.

Communication was being made difficult, with network outages in many impacted areas around Merritt. However, Follack said teams were “working through it” to make sure everyone got the help they need.

She anticipated everyone from Merritt who needed help would arrive Monday night. However, she said the team is prepared to reopen the ESS centre again Tuesday , if need be, and continue to provide support.

Evacuees should register online at ess.gov.bc.ca or call 1-800-585-9559 for more information.