Flood Watch

Our mighty Fraser River is rising and getting a little too mighty for my comfort. The record snowfall of the past winter which has been sitting atop the mountains for months, has now begun to melt and run down stream to make its way to the ocean.

Some northern communities have already flooded this week. Officials expect the water from up North to find its way south by the weekend. The river here is already very high and if it pours down or gets really hot again, it will rise very quickly. Many homes are on standby to evacuate. Fortunately, our home is up the hill, so we should be fine.

Yesterday we went to our wharf to see for ourselves the water level. "HOLY COW" I said when I saw it. It is up so high!

The water is less that 6 feet below the wharf in this photo taken yesterday.

The small photo from last month shows very little water under the wharf. Click any photo to view full sized.

The water is a good 12 feet higher than normal.

In the small photo taken a month ago, the poles the dock is moored to, tower above my daughter, with about 12 feet above the water surface.

In this larger photo, taken yesterday, The dock is almost level with the upper wharf! The ramp, usually steeply inclined as a means to traverse from dock to wharf, now lays flat on the dock. The lower dock has been closed to the public as it is very dangerous water just now.The dock has risen almost to the same height as the wharf.
The tugs are moored by the poles, which normally tower above them.

But today, The top of the poles is lower than the windowsill of the tugs.
The water looks so smooth in this photo. But when you watch it, it is moving very fast. Loads of debris is floating down the river. Whole trees and huge logs have become like torpedos cruizing the water. In New Westminister, thay have closed the promenade for the weekend. Officials are worried that these "torpedos" will bang into the moorings and cause possible structural problems. If the rain holds and the weather stays cool we should be fine.