Search and rescue crews have resumed what they called a “difficult” search Wednesday afternoon for a woman who went missing near an overflowing waterway in Kelowna, British Columbia.
Members of the family of 31-year-old Chelsea Cardno told CBC News that they were also searching the area, but the banks of the river flooded the creek are too volatile to allow a close approach.
Kelowna is one of two inland communities that are still in a state of emergency due to the risk of floods; the other is Sparwood, in the Elk Valley.
The city of Kelowna announced state of emergency late Tuesday as Mission Creek rose above its shores, flooding many roads, yards, and basements.
On Wednesday, Kelowna’s RCMP and Central Okanagan Search and Rescue (COSAR) said they were looking for a woman who went missing near the river on Tuesday.
Mountains says Cardno was last seen walking her dog near the Greenway Mission along the creek.
Chelsea Cardno was seen with her German Shepherd JJ. She is described as 4’11 “tall and weighs 108 pounds. She was last seen wearing a blue or gray hat, a bright red fluffy jacket, tracksuits and black army boots. Search and rescue teams are looking for her near the fast-moving Mission Creek ( Kelowna RCMP)
Her cousin Tanya Rudolph spoke to CBC News as she and five other family members searched the area on Wednesday.
“The water is very high and very fast,” she said in an interview. “It went down a bit, so we were hoping to get some signs or something, but we came back empty-handed.”
“I don’t want to do this”
Rudolf describes Cardno as “laughing” and “enjoying life”, saying she was out for a walk with her German Shepherd when she disappeared.
“You definitely don’t want to do that,” she said of the family’s search effort. “We are doing well.
COSAR said it had conducted ground, water and air searches for Cardno and told CBC News it had launched a “search” of the area on Wednesday afternoon after the river level dropped using drones, ground searchers and a boat at the mouth of the river. .
Debris is seen floating on Mission Creek in Kelowna, British Columbia on Tuesday. A state of emergency remains in the city. (Brady Strachan / CBC)
“We will go through and search the areas we did last night,” said COSAR search manager Dwayne Tresnic. But he said fast-moving water prevented seekers from walking safely along the river or driving a search boat in the river itself, making it “difficult for us to search.”
Tresnic said that during a search late Tuesday, crews rescued a “highly hypothermic” kayak whose boat capsized in stormy waters.
In a written statement, Kelowna RCMP Const. Mike Della-Paolera called on people to stay away from Mission Creek and the area being searched during the local state of emergency.
Sandra Folak, coordinator of the emergency program for the Central Okanagan Regional District, said it had not rained much in the city during the night.
The EOC is asking the public to leave debris washing the shore of Mission Creek flooding as water levels fall, as this helps prevent further erosion of the shore. Boaters are also asked not to wake up near the shoreline. pic.twitter.com/E3mkJDLfiN
– @ CO_Emerg
However, she said the forecast for rain on Wednesday afternoon and night remained worrying.
“The water saturation in the mountains is high,” she told CBC News.
“Any amount of rain that we receive at the moment can cause streams of debris that will support streams or cause floods on land.
Emergency crews were outside on Wednesday morning to inspect bridges, dikes and reservoirs in the city.
“Over the next few days, between less rain and melting snow, we should be fine,” Folak said. “We just have to watch the levels as they go up.”
Folak said he expects the city’s local state of emergency to remain in place for several more days.
🚨 Residents of affected areas who may be concerned about their properties can pick up sand and sandbags at the Capital News Center, located on the corner of Gordon and Lequim roads. https://t.co/CQ8KYLXtcW
– @cityofkelowna
Parts of the Elk Valley are on the alert
In Sparwood, in the Elk Valley, a local state of emergency remains in place, with two mobile home parks and several other properties on alert for evacuation due to rising Elk River levels.
The flood warning issued for the river through Sparwood and Fernie has been lowered to a high flow warning.
The BC River Forecasting Center says flows remain high due to the recent storm, but the river is not expected to reach a flood stage.
Efforts to collect sand were shown in Fernie, British Columbia, on Tuesday after flood warnings were issued in the region. The mayor said residents should be vigilant. (Ange Qualizza)
“We took a break from the forecast yesterday,” said Ange Kualitsa, mayor of Fernie, a town in the Elk Valley who was proactive with the sand on Tuesday.
“We were lowered from 25 millimeters of expected rain to 10 millimeters of expected rain and clear skies scheduled for today.
However, Qualizza said a storm is expected on Friday that could sharpen fast-flowing rivers and streams in the area.
She urged residents to stay out of the trail system and monitor water levels on Wednesday.
Other signals
The Center for River Forecasting has also downgraded other flood hours in the southeast, while clocks remain in place for the northern and southern regions of Thompson, the Shusuaup region and sections of the Queensnel River east of Lake Williams. .
Despite the general easing, Emergency Info BC says local floods in the south of the province have triggered evacuation signals in rural Grand Forks, current signals west of Tulamin and Harrison Mills west of Hope, and issued a localized flood warning. from the village of Lumbi in North Okanagan.
The flood warning, published more than a week ago, remains in effect for the Liard River and its tributaries between Fort Nelson and Lake Watson in northeastern BC.
The flood warning is the most serious in a three-tier warning system used by the forecast center and means that a flood is expected.
On the other hand, flood monitoring means that river levels are rising and flooding may occur. The High Flow Notification is the lowest of the three levels issued by the River Forecast Center.
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