Of Fretting & Freshets

The weather has warmed up the past few days here in beautiful, not quite so soggy, British Columbia. Sandals and fake tans are slowly resurfacing while we dream of sandbags and the Mission Gauge readings before being woken from our fretful slumber by the sound of helicopters checking the state of the dykes and riverbanks. We're in flood preparedness mode due to a very heavy snowpack still sitting atop our picturesque mountains.

We had the plumber in today to check our floor drain and give us backflow plugs to stop up and seal all the drains in our basement should we find ourselves inundated by water. Amazing to think a simple $30 plug can save you from ending up knee deep or worse in a pool of smelly unhealthy sewage soup. Husband and I dug out the emergency kit last week. Still need to tuck away some canned food and granola bars just in case. If this all sounds terribly paranoid, you should see the local telephone company building. Being the communication hub of the city, they've seen fit to wrap and sandbag all around the lower half of the building. It's just a 20 minute walk from here.

I'm starting to wish I managed to talk my husband into buying that canoe I've always wanted. Just picture us floating down the mighty Fraser River and heading for my aunt's place on the coast, furry felines & arthritic canine included. Well, maybe not a canoe but a very large inflatable yellow dingy with an outboard motor sounds nice just in case.

Wondering what a freshet is?

It's a sudden rise in the level of a stream or river, caused by heavy rains or rapid melting of snow and ice between the months of May and mid July.

The Mission Gauge reading was at about 3.5 metres today. We'll start to really worry if it hits 5.5 as that's when the river fills its banks.


Photograph - Flood of the Fraser River at Mission, 1948