Ninety Highway 8 properties still evacuated, province says no estimated re-opening date for highway in sight

SPENCES BRIDGE, B.C. — Ninety properties around Highway 8 have been on evacuation order since Nov. 15 after the Nicola River flood destructed multiple roads in B.C.

Many residents don’t have a home to go back to, and with no reopening date for Highway 8 in sight, their temporary homes are starting to feel permanent.

Kim Cardinal and her husband Lorne have been living in Spences Bridge for almost two months. The couple was evacuated from their Highway 8 home after the Nicola River Flood completely washed it away.

“I feel stuck in Limbo, that’s why I think after Christmas I didn’t even come out of the cabin, I just went into a dark place,” Cardinal says.

On Wednesday morning (Jan. 12), the couple had breakfast at the Packing House Café, which has become a refuge for evacuees. It’s owned by Thompson-Nicola Regional District Director Steven Rice, who is also an evacuee. He says he wants the government to offer flood victims support for their mental health.

“The flood happened on Nov. 15. So, I’d say it’s long overdue,” Rice says. “Mental health doesn’t wait, it gets worse. People aren’t healing as the days go by and you don’t know where you’re going to live — and in Kim and Lorne’s case they don’t have a place to live.”

The TNRD has partnered with the Gold Country Communities Society to set up a resiliency centre in Cache Creek. The number one request from evacuees has been counseling.

“That’s being worked on right now. That’s definitely a need, especially as time goes on. we know there’s that need right now,” Gold Country Communities Society Executive Director Marcie Down says.

The Province says crews are working on Highway 8 to re-establish temporary access throughout the corridor — meaning evacuees still can’t access their homes by car.

The Chief of Cooks Ferry has been organizing helicopter rides for evacuees to grab their belongings, and she’s even hoping to have their vehicles airlifted to them.

“We’re in this pandemic. Concerns of infection start raising, and so, it’s to provide a safety. You have your own vehicle, it’s not being lent out,” Chief Christine Minnabarriet says.

Minnabarriet adds that rental vehicles can be costly for evacuees and getting their car back could give them back some independence while they wait to go home.

But for residents like Cardinal, “home” doesn’t exist anymore, and they spend their days waiting for answers.

“We’re still paying a mortgage. So, we don’t know, are we going to end up homeless after 30 years of owning a home, 30 years of paying taxes. We don’t know,” Cardinal says.

In an email to CFJC News, the Ministry of Transportation says Highway 8 is accessible through the four sites between Merritt and the Shackan Indian Reserve.

Work is progressing well at the Spences Bridge end of Highway 8, with local access established over Curnow Bridge. Repairs are ongoing at Rattlesnake and 3 Mile bridges, the province added.

It does not have an estimated reopening date for Highway 8.