A sudden, intense rainfall on the afternoon of Sunday, June 30 caused heavy flooding in the community of Savona, west of Kamloops, and closed Highway 1 for several hours.

The beachside Canada Day celebration scheduled for July 1 was cancelled, as residents assessed the damage and continued with the clean-up.

A storm system that swept through the region in the late afternoon of June 30 brought heavy rain, which caused overland flooding at Savona, on the south shore of Kamloops Lake. Water, rocks, and debris flowed across Highway 1, the adjacent CPKC track, and Savona Access Road.

"Straight stretch [of Highway 1] by Watson Drive was like a river pouring over highway," one person posted.

Highway 1 was closed to traffic from mid-afternoon until just after 9 p.m. Savona Access Road was closed to all but local traffic; a message from Savona Fire & Rescue on the evening of June 30 noted "Local traffic only in Savona, the Savona access road is in poor condition. Please lower your speed and do not use the access road if you don't have to."

CPKC halted all train traffic through the area until the tracks could be inspected. 

One resident posted on Facebook "We are flooded. Can't get in basement. Neighbours all helping," while another posted "I have a river under my house."

The Thompson-Nicola Regional District (TNRD) described the flooding as "significant" in a news release, and asked any residents whose homes were unoccupiable to contact TNRD Emergency Program Coordinator Mike Knauff at (250) 318-6080.

The regional district also confirmed that neither the Savona Library nor Savona Elementary School were affected by the flooding. Portions of Savona Access Road, Buie Street, and Watson Drive appear to have been the hardest hit. 

Officials say the flood impacted at least 20 homes in the community of Savona, but no injuries were reported. Thompson-Nicola Regional District activated its emergency operations centre Monday.

Amanda Ellison, a spokeswoman for the regional district, says some homeowners have called in to report that their homes have been damaged, and in other cases "eyes on the ground" have seen homes that may have been affected.

The highway has since reopened but drivers are being warned to reduce their speed through the area and watch for working road crews.

A statement from the Interior Health authority says some Savona-area residents were reporting sewage smells around their homes following the flooding.