Unacceptable Risk: Johnsons Landing Evacuation Order Continues
By Nelson Daily Staff
By Suzy Hamilton, The Nelson Daily
Uncertainty continues for Johnsons Landing residents who lost property in the devastating landslide July 12, 2012 that claimed four lives.
Chair John Kettle of the Regional District of Central Kootenay has extended the evacuation order prohibiting anyone from occupying the Gar Creek drainage, claiming there is an unacceptable risk to life and property associated with the occupation of the hazard area.
“It’s a personal thing for me,” said Kettle, who was acclaimed RDCK chair again at the December 12 RDCK meeting. “It (another slide) could come down and anyone who is there is going to die and that’s not something I could live with.”
He is referring to a geo-technical report completed last year that found an unstable scarp containing approximately 800,000 cubic meters in the Gar drainage. That, and the lack of long-term monitoring data necessary for accurately determining the likelihood of a future landslide, pose too much risk.
But at least one Johnsons Landing resident is confused as to what the order really means. “We don’t know what it means,” said Harvey Armstrong who lost his studio in the slide.
“There’s not much I can do with that and it doesn’t resolve the question of whether or not there is a constant danger or if the risk is weather related, “ he said. “It’s a tough problem.”
Heavy rains in the summer of 2012 that saturated the soil were found to be the cause of the slide.
Armstrong said the real problem is with the provincial government.
“We would be happy to sell the land to the Crown and then they can have real control. But they’ve already spent $1.5 million on this project. I think the province has spent all the money they’re going to.
“It’s clear that the province isn’t going to bargain with the regional district,” he said.
“We need a resolution. We need to know how long this will go on.”
Kettle acknowledged that the evacuation order can’t continue indefinitely.
A more definitive risk assessment has been scheduled with the Ministry of Forest Lands and Natural Resource Operations in January, 2014.
“At some time we have to resolve this,” Kettle said, adding that purchase of the land has never been discussed with the province as it is not within the purview of the regional district.
“We need to take a longer, deeper look at how these things work out,” said Kettle, admitting that he expects more slides in the future. “We’re a vertical province.”
“We need to get it right, and this is a huge step. A lot of people are engaged in this and I’ve got my fingers crossed.”
