The City of Campbell River has issued a do not occupy notice for a home next to a property on Park Road that was severely damaged by a mudslide Jan. 21.
The home had remained on evacuation order after the order was lifted for two other nearby properties last week. Lifting the evacuation order allowed people to return to those properties, but they remain on evacuation alert. The homeowners whose property was in the path of the slide have received a do not occupy notice Jan. 26.
“The City has been in regular contact with the people from the four homes that were evacuated after the bank gave way,” says city manager Deborah Sargent. “At first, we connected them with emergency social services and helped them safely access their properties when possible. Now, we’re doing what we can to ease the disruption by providing information as they work through insurance claims and take next steps to protect their property. People can access the property, but the two do not occupy notices for the buildings cannot be lifted unless and until it is safe to do so. The property owners will need to arrange for a qualified professional to confirm what needs to be done to ensure that the condition of the slope presents no imminent risk, and they may have to make improvements to enhance the safety of the slope.”
The City has posted a geotechnical engineer’s assessment of the slope on its website and provided copies to the households affected by the initial evacuation order.