Flooding threatens Kelowna, wider Okanagan region

Residents of B.C.'s Interior are anxiously watching river and creek levels this weekend, as more rain is forecast with stream levels already high throughout much of the Okanagan.

Environment Canada is forecasting 20 to 50 millimetres of rain for B.C.'s Interior over Saturday and Sunday, and a continued contribution to river volumes from melting snow packs.

On Friday, the B.C. River Forecast Centre upgraded an advisory for the Shuswap River near Enderby to a "flood watch" level.

Gord Molendyk, an emergency co-ordinator in the North Okanagan and Shuswap region, said people living along the Shuswap River need to be prepared for the worst.

"It could come up quickly. So the emergency operations centre is advising property owners in those areas prone to flooding to move your livestock to higher ground," Molendyk said.

"If you're in an area that has flooded before, sandbag your property and we're saying be prepared to evacuate if necessary."

Molendyk says the area near the mouth of the Shuswap River at Mara Lake is of particular concern.

Kelowna, which is approximately 90 kilometres south of Enderby, has already experienced a troubling creek overrun this month.

On Thursday, residents of an apartment building in Kelowna had a close call after water from Mission Creek began pushing through a 30-year-old retaining wall and threatened to flood the entire complex.

The city declared a state of local emergency and residents were put under evacuation alert as crews worked through the night to save their homes.

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Flooding threatens Kelowna, wider Okanagan region