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Princeton editor stranded as floods ravage community

Rising waters have turned her road into a river
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Princeton Mayor Spencer Coyne stood in the rain directing traffic, Nov. 14. Photo Andrea DeMeer

Flooding in Princeton has left a Princeton reporter stranded in her home.

Andrea DeMeer, publisher and editor of the Similkameen Spotlight, is in her home, with power but without heat. The street where she lives has flooded and the water has pushed through the front door of her home. She is on the second storey of the house, above the high water.

She said the street in front of the home is like a river.

READ ALSO: Princeton devastated by flood

READ ALSO: Tulameen properties ordered to evacuate due to flooding

“All our vehicles are gone,” she said.

On Sunday, Nov. 14, it was raining heavily, “unusually so for this time of year,” she said.

During the day, she received reports about concerns in the community of Tulameen, west of Princeton.

Princeton experienced rising water in the evening, but at that point, nothing had breached. Then the water spilled over the dike, flooding the town.

“It happened really, really quickly,” DeMeer said. “The river came over the dike like a tsunami.”

Because she lives on the second floor, she chose not to evacuate when the order came. She said she would be able to do her work best from her home than from elsewhere during an emergency.

By the morning of Monday, Nov 15, the water level had dropped by around a metre, she said. However, because of the conditions outside, she is unable to leave her home.

“I’m going to do my best in telling the community what’s happening as I know it,” she said.

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Andrea DeMeer


John Arendt

About the Author: John Arendt

John Arendt has worked as a journalist for more than 30 years. He has a Bachelor of Applied Arts in Journalism degree from Ryerson Polytechnical Institute.
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