emergency
Evacuation order partially lifted for Cache Creek
CACHE CREEK - After nearly a week of being out of their homes, most residents who were under evacuation order in Cache Creek can return home. Dozens of people were displaced this past week when a severe storm system moved through the town, dropping heavy rain and causing flash flooding throughout the village on Saturday,...
No need to worry, the emergency you see is just a test
KAMLOOPS - RCMP and administrators at Thompson Rivers University are advising students, staff members and the public there will be a full-scale live emergency operation scenario on campus Thursday, May 14. Cpl. Cheryl Bush, a spokesperson for the Kamloops RCMP, said university staff and police spent two years planning the 13-hour exercise scenario which will...
Vernon firefighters come to aid of entrapped person
VERNON - Emergency crews freed two people trapped in a car after an accident Tuesday morning. According to Vernon Fire and Rescue Services, there was a two vehicle accident just after 8 a.m. in the 4300 block of 32 Street. The driver and passenger in one of the vehicles involved were trapped inside until firefighters...
Demobilization of Lumby flood response taking months
VERNON - Cleaning up the aftermath of the Okanagan’s largest flood protection response doesn’t happen overnight, it takes months. North Okanagan Emergency Management crews are still demobilizing gabion baskets—bags filled with gravel and used for dyking—from Lumby. The gabions were deployed at the beginning of May as part of Operation Duteau, a partnership with the...
Evacuation alerts lifted for Apex and Jura mountain fires
PENTICTON - Evacuation alerts have been lifted for Apex and Jura mountain fires thanks to slow, steady rain falling in the South Okanagan and the hard work of wildfire crews. Evacuation alerts for the following homes have been cancelled as of Thursday morning, according to the RDOS: For the Apex fire: 146, 108, 22, 26,...
ARCHER: Appreciate local history before it’s lost
There’s an old adage that says “You never know what you had until it’s gone.” Yes, it’s a bit tacky to use cliches but it may be worth taking a closer look at the people and places in your life and recognize them before they go up in smoke. Earlier this week, Keremeos lost one...
UPDATE: Wildfire burning southwest of Oliver
OLIVER - A wildfire southwest of Oliver has damaged two buildings but no homes or residents. The fire located 8 kilometres southwest of Oliver near Mount Kobau was called in at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday and is 8.2 hectares in size as of Wednesday morning. The fire is 100 per cent contained. There are currently 14...
Changes coming to 911 service
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – Starting this fall, the first person you talk to when you dial 911 will not be in your city. Emergency calls placed from the Regional Districts of Central Okanagan, North Okanagan, Okanagan-Similkameen, Thompson-Nicola, Columbia-Shuswap, Squamish-Lillooet (North), Central Kootenay, East Kootenay and Kootenay-Boundary Regional Districts will be answered through E-Comm, the emergency communication centre...
TRU adding even more emergency phones despite low crime rate
KAMLOOPS – Thompson Rivers University is spending thousands of dollars on new emergency phones on campus without any metrics on use and a perpetually low crime rate. The university has recently replaced and added 28 more two-button phones with hot lines directly to campus security or 9-1-1, bringing the total to 38—far more than several...