Clean-Up from Weather Event To Continue Throughout the Week

Tuesday, November 16, 2021, Updated 1:30 p.m. – The Sooke Potholes and Sunriver Nature Trail will reopen at 2:00 p.m. today.


Tuesday, November 16, 2021 – The District of Sooke saw an unprecedented amount of rain overnight and during the morning on Monday causing flooding and downed trees.

Sooke Road at Impala and East Sooke Road at Beecher Bay were closed for most of the day yesterday. Roads re-opened to single-lane alternating traffic around 2:30 p.m. Sooke Road reopened in both directions around 6:00 p.m.

Sooke Potholes and the Sunriver Nature Trail were also closed as the Sooke River breached the bank, causing dangerous conditions. Peaking at high tide around noon on Monday, it is anticipated water levels will take several hours to recede. Crews will inspect the parks for public safety, including hazardous trees, before they are re-opened. A timeline for the re-opening of the parks is not known at this time.

The District activated its Emergency Operation Centre to better coordinate its response. Medical support services were extended to include additional ambulance attendants and re-routing of lower acuity patients to the West Coast Medical Clinic while access into and out of Sooke was limited. Coast guard and air ambulance were identified to respond to urgent medical emergencies. Additionally, the sandbag station located at the Parks Yard at 2070 Kaltasin Road was opened and hours were extended until 6:00 p.m. Further, preparations were made to accommodate a warming centre in the event residents may have been displaced due to flooding from the living spaces of their homes.

“Safety of residents is always the priority during weather events and in emergency situations like we saw yesterday,” says Mayor Maja Tait. “There is a lot going on behind the scenes to ensure residents are supported through a variety of scenarios from medical aid to flooding and downed trees. I am grateful to the team actioning these supports and to residents who reached out to one-another and made sure their neighbours were okay.”

A District-wide power outage lasted for several hours with approximately 900 homes remaining without power overnight and into the morning. At this time, BC Hydro is reporting that crews have been assigned to the approximately 5 homes that remain without power.

The budget meeting scheduled for Monday evening was cancelled and has been rescheduled for Tuesday, November 23 at 6:00 p.m.

Homeowners who have been impacted by flooding are reminded to contact their insurance providers.

Clean-up from the storm will continue for the remainder of the week.

To report concerns such as continued flooding, downed trees or excessive branches and debris in public spaces, residents can call the District at 250.642.1634.

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Media Contact:
Christina Moog, Communications Coordinator
250.643.1634, ext. 678
cmoog@sooke.ca