Municipal Hall

May 10, 2007 / 12:00 AM

This week municipal emergency operations personnel from the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley learned in a teleconference with Provincial Government officials that weather conditions in other parts of the province have not been improving and therefore the threat of spring flooding remains.

In the teleconference, Emergency Operations staff from Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows were provided with the latest updates on Provincial preparedness including a briefing on snow packs and current and forecasted weather conditions. Snow that continues to accumulate in higher elevations in parts of the province and a rain storm that went through the central part of B.C. has increased water levels in some rivers. As a result, it is expected that the Fraser River will also begin to rise in the Lower Mainland by the beginning of next week.

This will not cause flooding in the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows area but is an indication that snow packs are ready to begin their melt and that warming weather along with rain will add to the high flow of water coming down the Fraser. Although the change in the Fraser will be noticeable over the next week, it is not expected to be enough to activate any local emergency measures. Weather beyond this week will determine if water flows will become a greater concern.

Residents and businesses are reminded to have their own emergency preparedness and recovery plans in place. For further information about emergency preparedness, go to either the District of Maple Ridge's flood page or City of Pitt Meadows website at www.pittmeadows.bc.ca/. 24 hour recorded flood information lines are also in place in Maple Ridge at 604-467-7475 and Pitt Meadows at 604-465-2471.