Keremios, BC Residents are still dealing with the aftermath of a rock slide that caused serious damage about two weeks ago. With evacuation orders now in place, residents are finally returning to their homes.
on january 16 kerameosrocks fell down highway 3 And this Eagle RV Park and campground.
“I was in complete panic, I was in a panic,” said Eagle RV resident Kyle Heller.
Heller recalls the fear he felt when he quickly grabbed his dogs and what he could do while he stayed out of the way of the cliff. On Friday morning, they were finally allowed to go back home as the evacuation order was rescinded.
“Putting everything back in its place, making sense of everything. Keeping an eye on that mountain, that one rock up there is coming down a little more. I don’t think it’s going to be much of a threat because it’s pretty flat,” Heller said.
Keremeos, BC rockslide: Evacuation order to be canceled on Friday
Jay Leno breaks multiple bones in motorcycle accident months after garage fire
The Regional District of Okanagan-Similikmine (RDOS) conducted an assessment on the slope where the rockfall occurred before rescinding the order, giving residents all the facts before returning to the area.
“You want people to have an educated, informed decision to make the right one for themselves. At this time, people need information to make their own decisions,” said Tim Roberts, Regional Area District “G” Director .
Based on the preliminary assessment, the RDOS says that there is a high probability of another rock fall in the area.
“There’s really no way to say tomorrow or 100 years from now. But they’re likely to come down because we have constant movement of rocks with freezing and thawing in the area,” Roberts said.
The RDOS says rocks like this aren’t out of the ordinary in the area, but they don’t usually include rocks of this size.
“Rockfall is a common occurrence in the mountains. There is a continuous flow of small rocks, occasionally larger rocks. It’s something that happens every spring, we listen to them. It was where people are living now more dramatically,” said Roberts.
Eagle RV residents will spend the next few days picking up pieces of the destruction left near their homes.
Heller said, “It’s sad to see these units, we live in, but you know you can be in a house and have a rock come down and do just as much damage.”
© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.