Southern Lakes residents brace for flooding

Area residents and emergency measures officialsin the Southern Lakes area of the Yukon are rushing to stay ahead of rising watersthat could reach all-time high levels within weeks.

Some of those living along the Marsh Lake waterfront have already seen their properties and even some roadways submerged under 10 centimetres of water or more.

Emergency officials are asking for more people to help residents with sand-bagging and other preparation work, especially before roads become impassable.

"We're seeing that the roads are starting to flood; the access roads to people's properties, and in a couple of places the main thoroughfares on Army Beach and South McLintock," said Mike Larsen, the Marsh Lake emergency coordinator,while helping out with sandbagging efforts on Tuesday.

"I'm no expert on how much you can put on a flooded road, but I would like to get the sand and the bags on this side of the flooded roads as quickly as possible, so we don't have to do it by boat."

The Southern Lakes,upstream along the Yukon River from the Yukon Energy Corp.'s Whitehorse Rapids hydroelectricity station, include Marsh Lake, Schwatka Lake and Tagish Lake.

Lake levels likely to keep rising

As of Monday, levels on Marsh Lake were at just over 656.5 metres, surpassing the peak levels reached in 2004, according to forecasters with the power utility. They predict levels at the lake will keep rising, peaking around Aug. 13 at just under 657 metres.

The lake is considered to be at its full supply level at about 656.2 metres.

As residents scrambled Tuesday to move sandbags into position, waves are already lapping at the previousones put in place. Larsen saidat this point, something as little as a strong wind or a fast-moving boat could breach the fragile sand bag dikes.

"We were putting sand bags under a front deck and around a house because the wave action is starting to hammer at the house," he said.

Over the weekend, risk assessors with the Yukon government visited the Carcross, Tagish, Lake Laberge and Marsh Lake areas to discuss flooding concerns and preparations with residents.