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An evacuation order for a number of properties following a landslide in the small village of Zeballos on northwest Vancouver Island is expected to remain in place through Friday, as forecasters warn of further heavy rain for the region.
The order covers 10 addressed properties on Pandora Crescent and Maquinna Avenue, and a number of vacant lots, in the village of around 125 people.
It came after the local Strathcona Regional District told CBC News that “debris from a landslide has affected the area” on Nov. 6.
Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) issued an orange rainfall warning for west Vancouver Island on Monday, forecasting 150 to 200 millimetres of rain beginning Tuesday morning.
Bonnie Logan, the regional district’s acting manager of emergency services, told CBC News that the area has been without power for multiple days, which was causing challenges.
“We can’t start doing any mitigation measures until that area has been thoroughly assessed by the geotechnical engineer,” she said.
“And unfortunately with these incoming storms, we just haven’t had a window of opportunity to do that.”
Logan said the road through the village was open, but stopping was not allowed and people should only travel as necessary.
She said the regional district was monitoring the situation as they waited for the next storm to hit the area.
In an update on social media, the regional district said any update on evacuation orders and alerts would be provided on Friday after the storm systems have passed through.
ECCC said the next storm is expected to arrive early Tuesday morning, and would persist for a day.
“Even though the heaviest rain eases by Wednesday morning, moderate precipitation is expected to continue until Thursday morning,” the orange rainfall warning for the area reads.
An orange warning indicates major or widespread impacts, with the forecaster warning that localized flooding was likely and some roads may be impassable due to the storm.
It comes as thousands lost power across B.C. due to a series of storms over the weekend.
Mayor was just sworn in
Bob Berthelotte, who was recently sworn in as mayor of Zeballos, said his property was in the path of the debris flow on Friday morning, and his barking dog alerted him to the situation.
“I was still able to walk down, and my poor dog went out to go to the bathroom and she was right on the edge of that torrent that was coming down the hill,” he said.
“And I very gently walked up, picked her up and said, ‘Come on in,’ so she wouldn’t be whisked away.”
Berthelotte said Monday that he’s waiting for the power to come back on to assess the situation, and it was the first widespread evacuation order for the area since a wildfire eight years ago.
He said that despite the state of emergency in the village, and just stepping into the role as mayor, the existing relationships in the town were making the emergency response easier.
“Me being a resident there for this long, I’m not just the mayor, I’m also a neighbour and a friend,” he said.
“So when something happens, we’re all there for each other, which is a little bit of a blessing.”
