A truck drives on a flooded roadway at Harbour Key to deliver sandbags. (Richard McGuire photo)
The level of Osoyoos Lake surpassed 916 feet above sea level on Thursday evening and as of 2:15 p.m. Friday, it was at 916.39. That’s still shy of the 917.06 reached in the major flood year of 1972, but it’s getting close.
We took a tour around town on Friday morning to get some photos of residents and volunteers in action as they fill and place sandbags in areas that are flooding.
The town issued an evacuation order Thursday night for a number of homes on Harbour Key and Solana Key and many of those streets are now submerged. As of Friday morning, water was starting to creep onto Lakeshore Drive.
The beach is completely submerged along Hotel Row down to Cottonwood Park and some hotels, such as the Coast Osoyoos Beach Hotel are seriously impacted by the flood, which has reached into their lower level.
(Richard McGuire photos)
A truck makes a splash as it drives out of Solana Key. A number of homes on Solana Key and Harbour Key were put under evacuation order Thursday night. (Richard McGuire photo)
Many homes on Harbour Key were evacuated Thursday night. Streets are flooded. (Richard McGuire photo)
Many volunteers were at the boat trailer parking filling sandbags on Friday morning. Operations were moved from where they were Thursday as that part of the lot is now under water. (Richard McGuire photo)
Many volunteers were at the boat trailer parking filling sandbags on Friday morning. Operations were moved from where they were Thursday as that part of the lot is now under water. (Richard McGuire photo)
A pallet and some sandbags make a temporary bridge at Harbour Key. (Richard McGuire photo)
A FortisBC truck slowly makes its way down the flooded street at Solana Key. (Richard McGuire photo)
A truck makes a splash as it drives out of Solana Key. A number of homes on Solana Key and Harbour Key were put under evacuation order Thursday night. (Richard McGuire photo)
Goodman Park is completely submerged. The ducks seemed pleased. (Richard McGuire photo)
Residents and volunteers were busy sandbagging along Lakeshore Drive Friday morning as water climbed to the roadway. (Richard McGuire photo)
Osoyoos Lake Park on Lakeshore Drive is now closed as water covers virtually the entire park and is coming up onto the road itself. (Richard McGuire photo)
Water was coming up onto Lakeshore Drive Friday morning. (Richard McGuire photo)
Oldtimer Tony Zelko last year pointed to the spot on this building where the water reached in 1972 — just below the bolt on the right. The water was only about six inches below that point on Friday morning. (Richard McGuire photo)
This utility building at the bottom of Lakeshore Drive is well sendbagged as the water keeps climbing. (Richard McGuire photo)
Cottonwood Beach is completely under water. That debris that has collected is floating in water — it’s not on land. (Richard McGuire photo)
Cottonwood Beach is completely under water. That debris that has collected is floating in water — it’s not on land. (Richard McGuire photo)
Water completely covers the beach on Hotel Row. Here it comes right up to the trees at Poplars Motel. (Richard McGuire photo)
The Coast Osoyoos Beach Hotel no longer has a beach and the lower level is flooded. (Richard McGuire photo)
A barbecue bobs in the water at the Coast Osoyoos Beach Hotel. (Richard McGuire photo)
Two volunteers transport sandbags in a canoe behind the Holiday Inn Friday morning. (Richard McGuire photo)
The lower level of the Holiday Inn is protected with sandbags, but the water keeps rising. (Richard McGuire photo)
Water under the bridge in Osoyoos is now much too high for most boats to pass underneath. (Richard McGuire photo)
