Village rescinds evacuation order, alert still in place
Residents of Goldenrod Avenue have had their evacuation order lifted by the Village, freeing them to return to their homes.
The order was announced in a special edition of the Village Update Tuesday afternoon, and was confirmed at a special meeting of Council last night.
Chief Administrative Officer Ross Blackwell, who has been appointed Director of Operations for the duration of the state of local emergency, said that while the order has been lifted, an evacuation alert remains in place for the homes on Goldenrod Avenue, along with two properties on Crystal Falls Road and three at the end of Brunswick Beach Road.
While an order means people are in immediate danger and must leave a specific area, an alert status means that residents are still expected to be ready to leave their home on short notice.
In his report at the special meeting, Blackwell said that there are at least two outstanding issues to resolve before the alert can be lifted. He said that a debris jam still exists in the waterway uphill of the Glendale Road bridge, which has the potential to affect the homes on Crystal Falls Road.
He added a second jam of logs and other debris is downstream of the highway bridge, with the potential to impact the three homes on Brunswick Beach Road. Blackwell said that the Ministry of Transportation and Transit (MOTT) is working to clear this log jam, which is in the Ministry's right-of-way. However, he noted that the province does not fund cleanups of devastation left around affected properties following landslides.
Since the landslide, Blackwell says that the "creek corridor" of Battani Creek has re-routed itself, leaving a potential for an impact on the Sea to Sky Highway, and he says the province is assessing the option of realigning the creek to discharge into Magnesia Creek further up the slope. He said Lions Bay is not involved in this undertaking but "presumably will be advised."
BC Hydro continues to work in the area, and has informed Blackwell that they will be re-electrifying the line leading to the homes in the area. He said he doesn't know the exact timing, but has been assured it is a priority.
Mayor Ken Berry said that Council is working on a letter of thanks to go out to the more than 41 separate municipalities and agencies that worked to support the rescue and recovery efforts after the landslide.
Editor's note: Some readers were not notified of a story published earlier today remembering Barbara and David Enns. The story can be found HERE.
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