'It was like a river running through the park': Lower Nicola residents recall scrambling for dry land

For a few hours, residents at a mobile home park in the Lower Nicola near Merritt, B.C., were stranded, as water breached a nearby highway.

"Within half an hour, the park was underwater. It was like a river running through the park and people werescramblingto get theirbelongingsand their pets out of the park," said resident Julie VanKoll.

The Thompson-Nicola Regional District issued an evacuation order for the mobile home park and several other properties in the area on Sunday.

Highway 8, just a few metres away from the park,closedon Sunday nightin both directions 10 kilometres west of Merritt, at 10 Mile Bridge, because of rising water levels.

There is no estimated time of reopening.

• Thompson-Nicola Regional District declares state of emergency
• Flooding causes closures across southern B.C.

Firefighters from the B.C. Wildfire Service laid down sandbags as quickly as they could to stop the fast moving water.

But most driveways and yards were washed out.

Tyler Chypyha's backyard was flooded with more than half a metre of water. He and his wife and two small children decided to stay in a hotel.

But not everybody was willing to leave.

Joseph Theriaultsaid he has noplans to pack up, even though water to the areas has been shut off.

"I'm going to stay and keep an eye on things," he said, sittingon his driveway with his wife, watching the water go by.

Six residences were also evacuated in one of the Lower Nicola Indian Band reserves.

The Nicola-Similkameen school district closed down Nicola Canford Elementary on Monday and Tuesday, while school buses were not running beyond Guichon Creek bridge.