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Kamloops  

Residents return to flood-ravaged Merritt, some wondering if city will recover

'Comeback' time for Merritt?

The devastation in Merritt after last week's flooding has some in the community wondering whether it will ever recover.

About 1,500 Merritt residents were able to return home on Tuesday, after the entire city was evacuated when the Coldwater River flooded through the community. The river spilled its banks on Nov. 14, and the City of Merritt was placed on evacuation order early the next morning.

Merritt resident Cherylle Douglas said she has been waiting out the evacuation order in her trailer in the Walmart parking lot.

“We can't go back there yet. It’s unstable,” Douglas said.

“We do have a yellow tag, but that only means that the outside is OK from what they could see.”

Not everyone in Merritt returned home to devastation.

Jack Burnham, a Merritt resident who was allowed home this week, said he knows he was one of the lucky ones.

“We're one of the fortunate ones that have water and sewer,” Burnham said.

“And [we’re] feeling pretty grateful.”

Most of Merritt is still evacuated.

“[I'm a] little bit weirded out that a big part of the town isn't allowed back in yet,” Burnham said.

“When you think about part of the town being covered with mud and people not there, it's a little surreal.”

Douglas said she’s lived in Merritt for 18 years and doesn’t know if the city will ever recover from last week's flood.

“I don't know how many [residents] are going to come back,” Douglas told Castanet Kamloops.

“I don't know if this town can make a come back from this.”



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