The Kitimat-Stikine regional district has added Usk to its list of areas now placed on an evacuation alert.
Rising temperatures have accelerated snowmelt, causing more water than usual at this time of year to flow into the Skeena River and raise its flow level.
“At this time residents are not required to evacuate, however, people resident or present within the area are requested to prepare to leave the area with very short notice,” a notice from regional district emergency operations director Lina Gasser indicated this morning.
“This alert may be followed by an immediate order to evacuate should conditions worsen. We are asking residents on the north side of the Skeena River at Usk to register with Emergency Support Services at 250-641-0336.
Usk is divided by the Skeena River into North Usk and South Usk with the latter east of Terrace on Hwy16.
Service to North Usk is via a reaction ferry when the river is low and stable enough or by passenger-only cable car when the Skeena runs high.
This is the third evacuation alert of this morning. Old Remo and New Remo, also separated by the Skeena, are also now under alert.
New Remo is approximately five miles west of Terrace on Hwy16.
In the meantime, the provincial river forecast centre is predicting increasingly high flow levels alongside the Skeena River.
Sandbags are available for filling behind the Thornhill Fire Department on Hwy16 in Thornhill.
And now, with continuing hot and dry weather, the fire safety index in Thornhill has been moved from green to yellow which denotes a moderate risk.