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Cache Creek flooding closes highways

Highways 1 and 97 were closed Saturday night and Search and Rescue called in as flash flood dumps 10 inches of rain in an hour.
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Hail storm/flash flood in Cache Creek on May 23. Torrents caused severe undercutting on Stage Rd. as well as the loss of curb and gutters.

On May 23 between 4-6 pm the Village of Cache Creek experienced an unprecedented amount of heavy rainfall.

This precipitation produced an enormous amount of water and debris that was washed down from the surrounding hills into the Village, and subsequently washed onto several streets and highways 1 and 97. The highways had to be closed to ensure safety of motorists travelling towards and into Cache Creek.

Area creeks broke their banks and diverted from their normal path onto sloping streets, creating rivers of water, mud and debris flowing through several areas of the Village.

Several homes were heavily damaged and tactical evacuation was necessary to get residents away from the affected areas and to safety.

Kamloops and 100 Mile House Search and Rescue were activated as there were initial reports of people being swept away in the flood, but police say these reports have since been proven false. To date, no human casualties have been reported.

On May 24 at 4:40 pm, Cache Creek Mayor John Ranta issued a state of emergency for the Village, followed by an evacuation Alert and also an evacuation Order for four different sites within the Village.

The Village of Cache Creek officials, with support of the Thompson-Nicola Regional District area manager and resources have activated an Emergency Operational Centre (EOC) out of the Village Office.