Evacuation order lingers for Keremeos residents displaced by slide

Dozens of Keremeos, B.C., residents remain out of their homes waiting for the evacuation order put in place for their RV park to be lifted.

Engineers are preparing a report, the Regional District of the Okanagan-Similkameen said in a Thursday press release. On Tuesday, Jan. 17, a technical team requested by the RDOS joined experts from the provincial Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure to assess the slide area. The risk assessment for the impacted property is still underway.

1:42 Keremeos RV park sustains damage from rockslide

“Everybody’s unit here was shaking,” Eagle RV resident Kyle Heller said in a Wednesday interview.

“It was pretty scary when it was coming down, hearing those thuds across. I (saw) it impact the highway, took out the Quonset right in front of me, the fence, there was a lot coming down.”

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Heller said he was told it could be up to 30 days before he was back in his RV.

0:41 Rockslide west of Keremeos closes Highway 3

An Emergency Support Services reception centre is open at Victory Hall, 427-7th Ave. in Keremeos.

The reception centre has been activated to support residents on evacuation order. Evacuees can visit the reception centre in Keremeos before 3 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 19, or call RDOS ESS at 250-486-1890.

Highway 3 has now been reopened.

“Every effort is made to protect the safety of the travelling public; it is our top priority,” said the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure in a statement.

“Highway 3 reopened safely Tuesday afternoon after the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure conducted a geotechnical assessment to determine the risk of further rockfall impacting the highway.”