Water levels have 'not yet peaked' in areas at risk of flooding: Central Okanagan officials

Amid a local state of emergency, officials in the Kelowna area are warning residents that the flood risk isn't over.

The Central Okanagan Emergency Operations Centre warned a day after the state was declared that the forecast for the coming days is "unsettled."

In a statement Tuesday, Central Okanagan Regional Emergency Program co-ordinator Sandra Follack said five to 10 centimetres of rain are in the forecast through Wednesday, and the water levels are being closely monitored.

"As we are in the annual freshnet season, water levels have not yet peaked in the Okanagan Lake," Follack said.

On Monday, residents of areas near three creeks in the Kelowna area were told to have an evacuation plan in case conditions worsened.

Some of those along Mission Creek, which connects to Okanagan Lake, were already dealing with flooding, and a rescue crew thinks a missing person may have been swept into fast-moving body of water.

As those involved in emergency operations monitor conditions, they ask the public to fight the urge to pick up debris that has washed up on shore.

They said leaving items there will help protect the area from further erosion.

Boaters are asked to be alert and slow down when necessary, as much of the debris was carried from Mission Creek and other tributaries into the lake.

"Once the risk of flood has passed, we will advise the public when it is appropriate to begin clean up," Follack said.

Residents of low-lying areas who are concerned about flooding on their property can pick up sand and sandbags at Whiskey Cove in Lake Country, or Capital News Centre in Kelowna.

The public is reminded that 911 is for emergencies only. Flooding concerns or non-emergency issues should be reported to the local public works department.

A local state of emergency is also in effect in Sparwood, where two mobile home parks and several other properties near the Elk River are on evacuation alert.

But a flood warning for the river that runs through Sparwood and Fernie has been downgraded. The River Forecast Centre says the water level is high, but the river is no longer expected to spill over its banks.

The centre also downgraded warnings issued for areas elsewhere in the province. It's monitoring rivers and creeks in the north and south Thompson regions, Shuswap and an area near Williams Lake, but those warnings are now watches, and in southeastern B.C. no major flooding is expected anymore.

With files from The Canadian Press