Evacuation order on Sentinel Mountain reduced to evacuation alert
By Castlegar Source
In consultation with the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations (FLNRO), the Regional District of Central Kootenay (RDCK) will be reducing the evacuation order for a property on Sentinel Mountain to an evacuation alert. The property owners were able to return home as of 9:00 AM today, but are advised to be ready to evacuate again if required.
The RDCK has removed the Declaration of a State of Local Emergency for Area I that was in place following a mud slide last Wednesday. Remediation work was completed yesterday by the FLNRO that made it possible for the evacuated residents to return home.
“Contractors were brought in to do work on the affected area, including cross-trenching to divert any water away from the property,” said Andrew Bellerby, Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) Director. “They have reduced the risk of another slide, but the residents should be prepared to leave if we determine there is danger in the vicinity—whether from further ground instability or from work being done over the coming weeks to repair the forest service road.”
The mud slide occurred the morning of April 18 on Sentinel Mountain and blocked Highway 3A approximately four kilometres north of Castlegar. The event lead to the Declaration of a Local State of Emergency in Area I and an evacuation order for the single property that was at risk. The RDCK activated its EOC to support all agencies involved, including the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure and FLNRO. Clean-up of the slide happened on Thursday, and the highway was subsequently opened for regular traffic.
“I’d like to thank everyone who lives in or travels through the affected area for their cooperation as we work with our provincial partners to bring things back to normal,” said Bellerby. “We know that incidents like mud slides or floods can happen with freshet. I encourage all residents to take steps to prepare themselves and their families in case something like this occurs where they live.”
To sign up for the RDCK Emergency Notification System (for location-specific orders to evacuate or shelter in place), go to www.rdck.ca<http://www.rdck.ca/> and select “Emergency Alerts” from the home page, or go to the alert system sign-up page at https://rdckemergency.connectrocket.com<https://rdckemergency.connectrocket.com/>.
For general information about emergency preparedness and evacuations, please visit the Emergency Preparedness page of the RDCK website (http://www.rdck.ca/EN/main/services/emergency-management/emergency-preparedness.html) or PreparedBC (https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/emergency-preparedness-response-recovery/preparedbc).
Incorporated in 1965, the Regional District of Central Kootenay (RDCK) is a local government that serves 60,000 residents in 11 electoral areas and nine member municipalities. The RDCK provides more than 160 services, including community facilities, fire protection and emergency services, grants, planning and land use, regional parks, resource recovery and handling, transit, and much more. For more information about the RDCK, visit www.rdck.ca<http://www.rdck.ca/>.
