Dozens of Merritt, B.C., residents have defied evacuation orders over fears about looters, as floodwaters have filled the town with sewage-contaminated water and already caused one bridge to collapse.
One of those families was rescued from a rooftop Tuesday afternoon, as North Shore Rescue crews flew by helicopter from the Lower Mainland to help. In an Instagram post, the volunteer group said they rescued a family of three and their dog who were surrounded by water.
On Tuesday morning, residents woke up to a three-centimetre blanket of snowfall over the town, which has a population of about 7,200 but was largely empty in the wake of an evacuation order, save for a few holdouts, recovery crews and engineers.
“More than half the town’s gone, it seems like an opening door for come take what you want,” said Darsell Poittris, describing being up for half the night watching out for looters.
“Every (accommodation) we called was sold out so where do you go? I’d rather be in my house having these issues and in my car with my animals and my kids.”
The B.C. RCMP told CTV News authorities haven’t had any reports of looting taking place and officers are patrolling to ensure the safety of people and property, but the rumours and concerns persist.
"You got bad people out there that are looting, unfortunately,” said resident Sean Cainey, who described widespread confusion and an information vacuum.
“I have one of the lowest properties on the street, thankfully the water stayed on the other side of the road. That's why I decided to stay, to be here to help everybody I can and inform people of everything.”
- with files from CTV -