After being ordered out of their homes Monday night, some Old Fort residents say they are frustrated by a lack of communication from the Peace River Regional District.
An evacuation order was issued at 7 p.m. Monday after Old Fort Road, the community’s only access for about 150 residents, was closed due to a risk of a landslide. The B.C. Ministry of Emergency Management says the landslide has reached a width of 400 metres.
The PRRD posted the evacuation order online, but some residents say they were left in the dark because not everyone uses social media.
CJDC-TV News spoke with two residents who said the district did not send an emergency alert. One resident says he does not understand the decision, noting he receives alerts whenever a water station closes for maintenance.
CJDC-TV News reached out to PRRD chair Brad Sperling for comment on the evacuation alert and what may have gone wrong, but he did not return the call.
Fifty properties were placed under evacuation order, and residents were giving two hours to pack and leave their homes. North Peace Search and Rescue went door to door to warn residents who were not aware of the situation.
The PRRD says there is no safe access to the community and some residents may still be in the area. “Conditions continue to be assessed, and guidance is being provided based on safety,” the district said.
The B.C. Ministry of Emergency Management says in a statement the “complex slide” is in the same area where the ground has shifted in 2018 and 2020. In 2018, an evacuation order remained in place for a month, and in 2020, for two weeks.
The current order will stay in place until at least Thursday but could be extended after a geotechnical assessment.
In the meantime, 75 residents have registered at the Pomeroy Sport Centre to receive emergency support from the City of Fort St. John. The city will continue to provide food and shelter until the order is rescinded.
Some residents say they knew a landslide was possible, adding to their frustration. They say they could see the land shifting and cracking as the snowpack began to melt.
One resident says the affected road was built for a previous evacuation and adds he would like a proper road built to allow safe travel in and out of Old Fort.
Others say more could have been done to prevent the landslide or better prepare for the evacuation.
The PRRD has also declared a state of local emergency and says emergency services access to Old Fort has been shut off.
With Files from The Canadian Press.