More than 300 Merritt properties under evacuation order as homes considered ‘uninhabitable’

Evacuation orders and alerts have been rescinded for numerous Merritt, Princeton, Keremeos and Cawston area properties but some are now under an order as their homes have been deemed "unsafe" to return to.

An evacuation order that impacted 56 properties in Petit Creek west of Merritt has been lifted, after the Thompson Nicola Regional District determined flooding no longer poses an imminent risk to safety. However one lone property on Cleasby Road remains under evacuation order.

Evacuation orders were also rescinded in the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen. On Dec. 3, after an aerial tour of the Tulameen River and Similkameen River was conducted and date was gathered from the ground, the regional district lifted orders for properties in Princeton, rural Cawston and rural Keremoes. Property owners in Tulameen and Colemont have also been given permission to return.

In Merritt, most homeowners in phases three and four of the city's return home plan were able to return to their properties yesterday but a new evacuation order was issued Dec. 3, as more than 300 properties are "uninhabitable, unsafe, do not have natural gas, do not have water, do not have sewer, do not have electricity, or a combination of these situations," according to the city's press release.

Evacuation alerts have been rescinded in Princeton, rural Cawston, rural Keremoes, Tulameen and Colemont.

The Thompson Nicola Regional District also lifted orders for properties in Area I, Area M and and Area N, but reminds the public that many other evacuation alerts remain in place.

READ MORE: Do clearcuts contribute to B.C.'s flooding?

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