Swollen rivers levelled off Saturday, giving a brief reprieve to flooded areas in northwestern British Columbia, but officials warned more rainfall or warm temperatures could bring more trouble.

Hundreds of people were still being kept away from their homes on Saturday, but forecasters said cooler temperatures and a lack of rain had allowed the rivers to stabilize.

As flooding recedes in northwestern B.C., officials expressed concern Saturday over a huge volume of snow waiting to melt.
(CBC)

B.C. Public Safety Minister John Les said 60 per cent of the snow pack remained, which could cause more problems for the area if it melts.

"This still might not be over yet," he told reporters Saturday after surveying the damage by helicopter with his federal counterpart, Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day, also an MP for the province.  

"While we want to move on and get beyond this, let's just be mindful that there's still an awful lot of snow to melt."

In anticipation of the flooding, the federal government previously handed over $16 million in aid for the entire province, but Day gave no hint of new emergency funds for the beleaguered region.

"It's always a gut-wrenching thing to see, when homes are not just at risk, but when they're overwhelmed, people are evacuated and in some cases losing their homes," Day said.

"But it’s very inspiring to see people pull together."

The Bulkley and Skeena rivers were flowing at record levels near Smithers in the northwest of the province, but should peak Saturday, officials said. About 80 homes remained under evacuation order.

To the south, in the Fraser Valley, the Fraser River was expected to crest sometime this weekend, but remain below the levels registered during the floods of 1972 — not enough to cause major flooding this time around.

Waiting game in Terrace

Residents in Terrace were forced to pile sandbags and pump water this week as they scrambled to protect their homes before seeing signs the water was receding.

However, the city wasn't out of trouble by Saturday, with neighbourhoods still under water and more than 100 homes remaining evacuated.

Officials said the Skeena River could remain at flood levels well into next week and that could keep people away from their homes.

Terrace resident Graham Geeraert said he was relieved to see the waters subsiding, but believes that needs of B.C.'s north were once again being neglected.

"The government down south tends to ignore us," he told CBC News Saturday. "They seem to have all kinds of money for new things down there — new bridges and new highways — and meanwhile the infrastructure up here is deteriorating."

The flooding forced some farmers in the Fraser Valley to move their livestock to higher ground.

Sid Stoker, a dairy farmer from Deroche, said he has a half-hour drive to get to his cows.

"I got out of the commuting workforce when I decided to become a full-time farmer and now I'm a commuter again, he told CBC Newsworld.

On Friday, water levels on the Skeena River dropped enough to allow officials to lift an evacuation order for Braun's Island near Terrace in the evening. About 50 families were able to return to their homes.

Snow pack melting slows

Officials didn't expect the flood threat to be over until the end of June.

Cooler-than-seasonal weather has put the brakes on snowmelt, said Allan Chapman, a spokesman with the River Forecast Centre.

Highway 16 east and west of Terrace remained closed due to flooding. Supply trucks were using a logging route to transport goods, but it's a four-hour detour on a narrow road and there was still a gasoline shortage in parts of the community.

Upstream in nearby Smithers, things could get worse before they get better, Keith Stecko, emergency program co-ordinator for the area, said on Friday.

"The flow and how the river has been rising over the past couple of days have broken the records in this area here," he said. "We're looking at another four to five days [of high water levels]."

With files from the Canadian Press