For the Townsman
Residents and property owners in Cranbrook who have historically been affected by spring flooding, especially in low lying areas of the City are encouraged to plan ahead and take any necessary precautions should any flooding occur.
Staff from Public Works has been monitoring Joseph Creek consistently over the past week or so and although water levels are high, it is not considered to be in any danger of overflowing its banks.
"We are not in a flooding situation now, but we are asking people to think ahead and plan for the potential for some flooding to occur," says Chris Zettel, Communications Officer for the City of Cranbrook. "If you normally see some flooding of your home or property in the spring months, moving valuable items up from your basement, preparing some sandbags to have on hand to use quickly if needed and making other preparations ahead of any potential flooding is definitely a good idea."
For those who wish to have some sandbags handy as a precaution, both sandbags and sand is available beside the City Public Works yard on Cobham Avenue. Residents are encouraged to bring their own shovels to fill the sandbags.
In a perfect scenario, the City would like to see average daytime temperatures, cooler overnight temperatures and minimal amounts of rainfall. However, if daytime temperatures rise dramatically, as do overnight temperatures mixed with large amounts of rainfall and snow melt it is reasonable to expect some flooding.
Staff will continue to monitor the water level in Joseph Creek and monitor potential changes in the weather over the next couple of months.