WATCH (above): Dangerous and deadly slides are something British Columbians have become only too familiar with. Linda Aylesworth has more.
The devastating mudslide in Washington state serves as reminder that it was less than two years ago when a slide in B.C. killed four people.
The victims were buried in a destructive landslide that rolled over three homes in Johnsons Landing in the West Kootenay area in July 2012.
And as history suggests, it may be only a matter of time and weather before ground shifts again in a populated area in B.C.
“We have to be aware that we do live in a country with this wet unstable topography where we are going to get landslides,” Dr. John Clague, SFU Earth Sciences said.
The problem with these types of landslides is they are hard to predict. But scientists can determine which area’s are most at risk.
In B.C., one risky area is the Chilliwack Valley.
“There are rural populations in the lower part of the valley up to about Slesse Creek,” Dr. Clague said. “And there’s actually a subdivision up there called Slesse Park and that’s an area of instability.
“I don’t know that people that live in Slesse Park understand there is an element of risk. It’s not maybe a risk that they’d willingly accept if they knew.”
~ with files from Linda Aylesworth
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