UPDATE: 6:30 p.m The City of Penticton has been declared a state of local emergency in response to Monday afternoon’s flooding, and a special contact line and reception center has been set up. More than 70 residents have already contacted with concerns about their properties experiencing water inflow. Three properties so far have been advised to be evacuated by Penticton Fire Department crews responding to the calls. Eight PFD personnel are in the community responding to these calls for help and rapid damage assessments, and according to Emergency Operations Center Director Anthony Haddad, they are currently keeping up with the demand. About 50 city staff and members of the RCMP are also in the field assisting at this time. An Emergency Support Services reception center has been set up at 199 Ellis Street for anyone whose property has been deemed uninhabitable. Sandbags have been made available at the city’s public works yard at 616 Okanagan Ave., free to the public, and anyone needing help or guidance can contact the hotline at 250-490-2307 ext. 7. The EOE will remain open throughout this weather event, which may not be over yet. “This is not a typical July in the city of Penticton, this storm came out of nowhere. We knew something was coming but not to the extent it did,” Mayor John Vasilakis said at a press conference Monday afternoon. “I would like to remind the public to be very, very careful. Stay out of the creeks because they’re pretty high at this point. There’s a lot of water on our roads and they’re very dangerous. . . Another storm could be coming in a little while and We want you all to take precautions to make sure your family is safe and stay home if possible instead of being out in the world.” See the full briefing issued Monday afternoon by Haddad and Vassilaki above. UPDATE: 3:10 p.m The City of Penticton is urging all residents experiencing flooding or who are concerned about the safety of their homes to contact 250-490-2307 ext. 7. The city’s Emergency Operations Center is responding to inland flooding from the storm event and is bringing in rapid damage assessment teams as well as public works to assist residents and assess impacts to public infrastructure. Sandbags are available for residents at the Public Works Yards Building at 616 Okanagan Ave. There were also reports of dangerous driving conditions on Penticton roads. Drivers should watch for pooling water, gravel, debris and large rocks. Public works crews clear streets on a priority basis. DriveBC reports that there is flooding on Channel Parkway between Fairview Road and Duncan Avenue and that motorists should expect delays. Chelsea Powrie Johnson Road at Farrell Street in Penticton, July 4 Photo: Mike Biden Flooding Monday July 4th on Wilson Street at Green Avenue. ORIGINAL: 2:35 p.m A brief storm of heavy rain in Penticton saw many local roads flooded. A Castanet reader captured the scene at Warren Avenue and Government Street. An entire lane of the road was flooded, and the pavement was flooded. Reports of similar situations in other areas of the city have also been sent to Castanet. The rain, which began shortly before 2pm Monday as part of a storm system heading north, is less intense as of 2:30pm. A severe thunderstorm warning remains in effect for the area.
