Floods & Fires Produce Hefty Bill

Floods and fires have been costly this year in Lake Country.

Mayor James Baker says the District’s share of flood damage in the spring — and the Okanagan Centre fire last month — will be $338,000.

“The main hits we took were with our intakes for our water systems. When the creeks flooded, they took out a lot of our infrastructure. And overland flooding from the torrential rains took out some of our roads,” Baker tells Kiss FM.

Due to states of emergency being declared in both incidents, the province will cover 80 percent of the $1.8 million in recovery and emergency work costs.

Baker says council plans to use reserves to cover their share.

According to the District, the flooding cost $1.69 million, and the fire July 15 that destroyed eight homes on Nighthawk Road, cost $149, 502.