PRINCE GEORGE 鈥� The City of Prince George declared a Level 1 emergency as the ice jam on the Nechako River reached the confluence of the Fraser River.
Level 1 means there is a 鈥渉eightened awareness鈥� in place, city spokesman Mike Kellett said.
If Level 2 is invoked, the city鈥檚 emergency operations centre will be staffed 24 hours a day.
The situation is being monitored around the clock and Emergency Management sa国际传媒 has been notified that assets such as gabion diking 鈥� large containers filled with sand 鈥� could soon be needed to mitigate potential damage.
As of Thursday morning, the river鈥檚 flow was estimated at 200聽cubic metres a second 鈥� twice the normal level for this time of year and one of the thresholds seen as a precursor to a repeat of the winter of 2007-08, when the river burst its banks. Homes and businesses along the river were evacuated as the jam grew to nearly 15 kilometres. A聽state of emergency lasted 64聽days before it was called off in mid-February 2008.
The bill for the emergency 鈥� including the cost of overtime and putting temporary diking in place 鈥� reached $4.3 million. The province covered 80 per cent of the total and the city the remaining 20 per cent.
