With cooler temperatures overnight and no rain, water has started recede temporarily near Cawston.
Several rural roads that intersect with creeks including Manuel Creek (which comes from Barcello Creek) and Blind Creek overflowed their banks over the weekend some over roadways and some into fields and surrounding homes.
Related: Water woes in South Okanagan-Similkameen
Doe Gregoire, who lives on Ferko Road called in help to sandbag around her home as the overflowing Manuel Creek started to erode soil around the posts of her deck and the addition on her house.
“I’ve lived here since 1984 and that creek has never gone over it’s banks,” she said. “It’s a good four-feet down.”
About 10 of her friends came over for about two hours Saturday to help sandbag.
“It was a team effort and I can’t thank them enough,” she said.
Forrest Nelson, who leases a property to grow vegetables on near the intersection of Ritchie Drive and Lowe Drive said he’s been working to build up the banks where the Manuel Creek meets Blind Creek.
He used some topsoil from his vegetable field and built a berm.
“I didn’t think it would hold it, but it did,” he said.
If the berm wasn’t there a portion of his field would now be flooded. If the berm brakes it’s possible it might flood his field along with the orchard next to it.
On Sunday, after the Regional District Okanagan-Similkameen declared a State of Local Emergency for Cawston, resources like the BC Wildfire Service were utilized.
Members of the wildfire service came out to sandbag the creekside so water was no longer going across the road.
Related: Help needed sandbagging in Cawston
Nelson wasn’t sure if that was a good idea or not as the water was just getting trapped.
“If anything gets stuck in that culvert, it’s over,” he said.
Work also occurred on the farthest part of Lowe Drive on Blind Creek reservation as the creek overflowed its banks over the roadway.
George Bush, director for Area B (Cawston), said a lot of work into flood relief efforts on the weekend.
“They worked fast to take care of things and everyone did a great job,” Bush said.
Bush said work on the dike in Cawston continued Monday but crews were expected to be done within a day or so.
“I’m feeling better that the dike has gotten repaired. The creeks will go down and now we’re starting to look to the river. If the dike didn’t work we’d be looking at a big problem,” he said.
The dike last malfunctioned in the 1972 causing massive flooding, but the big flood occurred in the 1940s creating massive damage to a large part of the community.
Bush said he’s hopeful warm days and cool nights will occur and “no rain.”
“If we don’t get any rain till July that would be just fine,” he said.
The Review will continue to update this story so check back regularly for more details. If you have any pictures of flooding post them to the Keremeos Facebook page or email editor@keremeosreview.com.