As Merritt enters the fourth week of being affected by the flood and atmospheric rivers, residents are eager to get back home and restore the city.

While some residents have started returning to their homes, others are still unable to do so. In recent press videos, Deputy Mayor Kurt Christopherson offers some resources for Merritt citizens, and anyone else who wants to help.

“If you need support because your house is uninhabitable, please come and see the ESS (Emergency Services Support) Team at the resiliency center, they can help you to apply for extraordinary evacuees support,” he said.

Christopherson added the Resiliency Centre, located at the Merritt Civic Centre, will help connect people who needs supports to a variety of organizations and non-governmental agencies.

Some residents who have returned home are in need of assistance to clean up the affected areas as they’ve noticed a lot of debris. For some of them, this is the first time that they’ve been home since the flood on Nov. 15.

“Residents needing clean up assistance can [also] request some work by calling Crisis Clean up or Samaritains Purse,” Christopherson added.

People outside of Merritt who are looking to donate or help out are being told to contact the Nicola Valley Foodbank and the Canadian Disaster Relief.

As for the people who back home already, the entire city of Merritt is also on a boil water advisory. It means people have to boil tap water for a minimum of 60 seconds before using it for drinking.

“The water must pass a drinking water standard,” Christopherson said, noting City staff are working hard toward ensuring the safety of its water, though it is unclear when this process will be completed.

More information on resources available can be found on the City of Merritt website.

Contact info and hotline numbers:
Emergency Support Service (ESS): 1-800-585-9559.
Resiliency Centre: Located at the Merritt Civic Center (1950 Mamette Ave.)
Crisis Cleanup Hotline: (844) 965-1386
Samaritans Purse hotline: 1-866-628-6565.