Town of Peace River Mayor Tom Tarpay says both businesses and residents have been greatly impacted by the flooding that swept through parts of the downtown core over the weekend.
“I would say there are about a half a dozen businesses that are significantly affected, about a dozen that had water infiltration… and maybe six residents were affected with water in the basement.”
A state of local emergency was declared in the town around 8:30 p.m. Saturday night after Pat’s Creek Culvert started to overflow near the Centennial parking lot. Officials at the time said they suspected an ice jam in the culvert was the culprit.
Tarpay says the heavily impacted businesses have gone as far as asking MLA Dan Williams for financial support from the province, as the deductible for flood protection in a town that has several waterways surrounding it is very high.
“It definitely is disconcerting, frustrating, and [I’m] certainly sympathetic to what they’re going through.”
Tarpay adds they’re still waiting for the Smoky and Heart rivers to go out, as the Smoky is just upstream of the Town of Peace River. He says they’re generally not a problem, but at the moment the ice hasn’t gone out, and they will keep a close eye on both waterways as they continue to clean up.