Ended… Paddlewheel Park closed as City issues Local State of Emergency…

Ended as of June 7, 2021.

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The City of Prince George is issuing an evacuation alert for the residents of Farrell Street near Paddlewheel Park due to a high risk of flooding from the Fraser River. As a precaution, Mayor Lyn Hall has signed a Declaration of Local Emergency.

The BC River Forecast Centre is predicting the river level at South Fort George could reach between 9.6 to 9.8 metres this weekend. Currently, the Fraser River at South Fort George is at about 9.2 metres. Home basements on Farrell Street may start to experience flooding when the rivers begin to exceed about 9.0 metres.

Members of Prince George Fire Rescue are hand-delivering evacuation alert notices today to homes on Farrell Street. Sand and sandbags are available to the residents of Farrell Street and are positioned at the North end of the Street.

The City of Prince George issues evacuation alerts to notify residents of an imminent risk to their property and their personal well-being. Emergency vehicles may also be unable to access private property.  Should the City issue an Evacuation Order, residences under alert must be evacuated immediately.

Residents under alert are strongly advised to have an emergency kit readily available to enable them to quickly leave their properties in the event of an evacuation order. Please visit the Province’s PreparedBC website for information about how to prepare one of these kits. For up-to-date information about river forecasts, please visit the BC River Forecast Centre website.

Park and trail closures

Last month, the City announced the closure of sections of the Heritage River Trail and Cottonwood Island Park due to rising water from the Nechako and Fraser Rivers. The Heritage River Trail is closed from the trailhead east of the riverboat launch to Taylor Drive north of Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park. All three bridges in Cottonwood Island Park are closed, as is the road into the canoe launch.

Paddlewheel Park is also now closed.

All other riverside parks, including Nechako Riverside Park, McMillan Creek Fishing Park, and Hazelton Park remain open at this time.

Staff are continuing to monitor the river levels. The City encourages residents to use caution whenever walking near the rivers, particularly during periods of increased water levels.

For further information about the City of Prince George Emergency Response Operations, please visit www.princegeorge.ca/emergency.

Written and released by City of Prince George