Last weekend’s landslide in the Shuswap is still having a major impact on many area residents.
Concerns about the possibility of another mudslide has prompted a new evacuation alert and over 100 properties are still cut off because of the slide, which came down across Sunnybrae Canoe Point Road.
Last Saturday, the Columbia Shuswap Region District issued an evacuation order for 13 properties near the landslide. On Thursday, they added an additional evacuation alert for seven properties.
Area officials say those on evacuation alert should be prepared to leave quickly.
Emergency Operations Centre director Ben Van Nostrand said the evacuation alert was issued because of concerns that melting snow at higher elevations could help trigger another slide in the area.
The evacuation order and alert are expected to remain in place until at least Monday.
“We are conducting another survey of the area on Monday with our geotechnical expert. Monday afternoon we are going to reconvene…and at that point we may look at lifting the alert and the evacuation notices. Until that work is done, they will remain in effect,” Van Nostrand said.
Since the slide came down across the road, more than 100 properties to the east have also been cut off. It’s been almost a week since residents there were able to drive out of the area.
“It is just frustrating,” said Sylvia Wright, one of the residents cut off by the landslide.
“We are lucky compared to some people because we have no damage and we are in a relatively safe position, but it is just worrying. What is going on and when we can get out?”
The Ministry of Transportation said crews are currently working to reopen the road. After the slide, debris needed to be cleared away and a culvert needed to be installed to deal with water running across the road. The road is not expected to reopen until next week at the earliest.
In the meantime, some are using boats to get around the closure and pick up supplies.
Last weekend’s slide damaged three homes and sent residents fleeing.
The slide is also believed to have killed one resident. 75-year-old Roy Sharp remains missing.
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