Flood Watch on the Skeena River

We are now on flood watch.  My husband and I went for a walk down the train tracks to Kitselas Canyon to see the power of the water flowing through there.  At his point in the river the Skeena River squeezes through the canyon.  The water sort of backs of from there because it is a rather narrow place in the river.  Our place is just up from the canyon, and we have felt the brunt of the backed up water in the past.  I've never been to the canyon at high water and was dying to go, so off we went.

Here is the Kitselas Canyon when I hiked up there about 5 months ago at low water.

This was the Canyon yesterday.  Notice the island in the middle up stream?

The water is really ripping through there.

Quite a bit of debris was coming down.  We sat and watched entire logs come through the canyon.  Some were sucked down and came up broken and I seen one whole green tree that disappeared under the water and didn't come back up.

Yesterday morning the river was at 10 meters as it had came up quite a bit in the night.  The dock needed to be moved up.

By about 4:30 yesterday evening it was at about 10.2 meters.  They pulled the dock up as far as it could be pulled.  We were informed that when the water reached 10.6 meters that the cable car would be shutting down.  Most likely by morning it would be time to leave if we were leaving.  This really had me stressed because my kids are out camping with their Grandparents and I have no way to reach them to bring the kids home.  I want to stay this time around, so I guess my kids will be having a few days sleep over at Grandparents houses.  I think the kids will be pleased.  I however am a little stressed.

This morning as of 3am the water was at 10.94 meters.  The water had reached this stage on the road in 2007  when I was told that if I was getting out that I had to go now.  The brings back memories and feelings seeing it there.  I left then and came back to disaster and no home then.  I am not leaving this time.

I'm thinking that anyone who did not get out last night, will not be leaving now until the water goes down.

The view from up on the Cable Car.

Turning around and looking at my house.  From my kitchen you can see the river flowing between the trees.

This is an Usk version of a traffic Jam.  Joking.  My husband is helping a neighbor tow his car that he's been working on to higher ground, and someone else is moving their cat to the hill.  This is the Cat and gentleman that sometimes pulls the docks and plows the roads in the winter.  He also runs the cable car and ferry.

Yesterday I moved up stuff in the yard that would float away if it does flood and today I will tie down the picnic table and move the rest of the stuff out of the basement.

It is my hope that we don't flood.  We had a hot day yesterday so I expect the water will still be coming up some from that, but the rest of the week is supposed to be cool.  So I'm hoping the melting slows down.  Tomorrow the new snow pack report is supposed to be released, and I hope that is down to more normal levels.  I just want this to be over with so we can get on with the rest of our summer.  I hate the waiting and not knowing.