B.C. landslide fears prompt evacuation alert

JOHNSONS LANDING, B.C. A tiny British Columbia community where four people were killed in a landslide almost five years ago has been warned of another possible slide.

An evacuation alert has been issued for residents of Johnsons Landing on Kootenay Lake in southeastern B.C. after reports that Gar Creek was running muddy and materials on a slope above appeared to be shifting.

A slide from Gar Creek in July 2012 released a torrent of mud and debris, killing a man, his two daughters, and a German woman in a separate home.

It also destroyed or damaged several homes in the community.

Anitra Winje, spokeswoman for the Regional District of Central Kootenay, said crews flew over the area Monday and determined that about 500 cubic metres of debris had sloughed off a high slope, with some of it rolling into the creek.

The flood didn’t cause any injuries or structural damage, Winje said, but residents were asked to stay away from the creek and the evacuation alert was issued as a precaution.

The alert involves between 50 and 60 homes, but many of them are seasonal, Winje said.

She said residents in about 10 occupied homes have been warned that they may need to leave at a moment’s notice.

A reception centre has been set up in the nearby town of Argenta and counselling is available to residents, she added.