City Officials addressed those still in Merritt upset by services

The City of Merritt was put under a full evacuation order on Monday morning, still many in the community made the choice to stay, and now some are apparently angry with City Hall.

The city has been working to restore services to the community, however some who stayed behind are voicing their displeasure with the lack of services.

“We ordered everyone to leave Merritt for their own safety, until we could restore vital services. At this time, nobody in Merritt can turn on a faucet and get drinking water, and nothing can be treated in the wastewater plant. We have engineers coming into town this morning who will be able to inspect those systems, and tell us what work needs to be done to get them back online,” said EOC Information Officer Greg Lowis.

Lowis estimated around 1,000 residents stayed behind, but the number is believed to be shrinking.

“We know there are some people who have chosen to remain in Merritt, and are aggravated at the lack of services. Unfortunately, when those people chose to remain in a City that was under Evacuation Order, they chose to be here without drinking water, without waste water, and in some sections of the City without fire or ambulance response,” added Lowis. “At this time if people want basic municipal services, they need to be in Kelowna, in Penticton, in Salmon Arm. We advise people to confirm with drivebc.ca a safe route to an evacuation location.

The City is hoping to provide an update into the issues at the wastewater treatment plant later today or tomorrow.

“We have no capacity to provide City services to people who have chosen to remain at this time. RCMP have more than double their ordinary complement, and are patrolling to ensure the safety of property. Beyond that, engineers are inspecting our damaged infrastructure, and we are preparing the necessary work to restore essential services. Once it is safe to be in Merritt again, the Evacuation Order will be lifted, and people will be able to return home,” concluded Lowis.