After weeks of rising water levels, Okanagan Lake has dropped slightly over the last 24 hours. It now sits at 343.244 metres after going down .07 centimetres from 343.250.
Bruce Smith with the Emergency Operations Centre says it's good to see but we're not in the clear yet.
“We’ve seen over the last couple of weeks what potential damage can be done by waves through the wind, which can and can’t be predicted because we’re at the mercy of mother nature,” he says “so people can’t afford to let their guards down, they should be checking and bolstering flood defenses.”
Melting snowpack is no longer a major factor driving water levels and it's now driven by rain and wind.
Some staff at the Emergency Operations Centre are beginning to plan for demobilization and recovery, but others continue to reinforce flood mitigation measures.
“Our public works crews with local government are continuing daily to check into the various flood protection measures they have in place and where necessary they’re repairing and bolstering just to make sure because the lake levels remain extremely high” said Smith.
Sand remains available at various locations in the Central Okanagan.
For the most up-to-date information on flooding, go to the Central Okanagan Emergency Operations Centre website, here.