Canadian Armed Forces arrive in Twin Lakes to bolster dike, protect homes

Members of the Canadian Armed Forces are in the Twin Lakes area — approximately 20 kilometres southwest of Penticton — to construct a sandbag dike and protect homes along the waterfront. 

The lake has risen rapidly over the past several weeks and forced the evacuation of nine properties. 

Craig Hunter, a homeowner who lives along the shoreline, said around 100 servicemen arrived on Tuesday, working through the night to move thousands of sandbags.

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"They worked until probably about 2 a.m. A lot of the work required the use of wheelbarrows because the berm was unstable and you couldn't drive equipment on it," he said.

"This was immense grunt work. They're heroes."

Hunter said without the help of the armed forces and the B.C. firefighters before them who started this dike, his home would be flooded in several feet of water. 

"I'm very lucky. My home would have been destroyed," he said.

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The dike is also protecting a pump house that delivers drinking water to the homes along the lake.

Hunter says he's not planning to leave, despite the fact that he's still under evacuation order.

"I'm looking forward to the quiet serenity this place normally has," he said.

With files from Brady Strachan