Following the devastating floods in Cache Creek, Mayor John Ranta says the village needs to hire a recovery service officer to take some of the pressure off of senior staff.
The conversation surrounding the floods has moved to improving the village’s disaster response. City councilor members and residents are suggesting bringing back the same position they had in 2015.
Ranta says Cache Creek would benefit from having a recovery manager to help address the variety of devastation in the community.
“This is the worst flooding we have seen in the 50 years I’ve been here. We’ve been able to recover in the past, but now, we need more options.”
On May 31, there will be a community hall meeting called the Cache Creek Recovery and Resilience Open House to ask questions about the future of climate disaster planning.
Emergency operations officer Wendy Coomber says there will be several agencies and local service groups who can help the people and businesses affected by the flood.
“I encourage people who have questions, who have suffered damage, or who are just curious to come out on Wednesday,” said Coomber.
On April 30, Cache Creek was placed on a state of emergency, which extended until May 27. The village is still finishing its clean-up from the floods and will shortly move into recovery.
Residents affected by the flood have until August 14 to apply for financial assistance funding from the B.C. government. After that, the province will cover 80 percent of recovery costs, and residents affected are eligible for up to 400,000.
“Mother nature does not consult with the government before it strikes,” said Coun. Christina Martini.
Coun. Martini encourages residents to heal but also to remain prepared.
For updates on flood information in Cache Creek, visit their Facebook page by clicking here.
