Municipal Hall

June 7, 2007 / 10:00 PM

This evening the District of Maple Ridge has issued an Evacuation Alert to residents at the following addresses:

• 23233 Kanaka Way (21 units)
• 23281 Kanaka Way (47 units)
• 23343 Kanaka Way (44 units)
• 11160 - 234 A Street (site under construction)

The listed addresses are all townhouse complexes other than the construction site listed. The reason for issuing the Alert at this time is that rising water in the adjacent Kanaka Creek, which is getting close to inundating Kanaka Way roadway, may impede access to the area. There is also a possibility that BC Hydro services could be affected if waters continue to rise. In total, there are approximately 300 people affected by this latest Evacuation Alert which is a precautionary measure. We do not anticipate any flooding of habitable spaces at this time. This does not impact the Planet Ice Complex operations and there will be no restricted access to this facility.

The BC River Forecast Centre is expecting that the Fraser River will rise to approximately 6.5 meters at the gauge at Mission by this coming weekend, down from earlier forecasts of up to 7.5 meters. The Evacuation Alerts are a precautionary measure that involves members of Maple Ridge emergency services distributing written information door-to-door in the areas affected. An Evacuation Alert advises residents and businesses in an affected area to prepare to leave their homes or businesses if conditions become more extreme.

People in Maple Ridge are encouraged to watch the District's website for the most up-to-date conditions or phone the Call Centre at 604-467-7475, seven days a week 8:00 am to 8:00 pm.