Evacuation orders rescinded for 415 properties at Christina Lake
By Regional District of Central Kootenay
Rapid Damage Assessments continue across Boundary.
Residents at Christina Lake can now return to their homes where it’s safe to do so. All evacuation orders for Christina Lake have been downgraded to an evacuation alert. This means residents must still be prepared to leave at a moment’s notice if river levels rise to dangerous levels.
About 830 people who were ordered evacuated will see colour-coded placards attached to their front doors.A green placard means the structure is safe to occupy, a yellowplacard means restrictions are in place and the structure must undergo inspection from a certified tradesperson qualified to remove the restriction, a red placard means the structure is unsafe to occupy and requires local government approval to remove the unsafe designation.
· About 350 people in Grand Forks, Electoral Area D, Christina Lake, Midway and Area E were free to return to their homes or businesses earlier on May 20 after rapid damage assessors inspected their properties and rescinded 175 evacuation orders. The majority of properties assessed were in the City of Grand Forks.
· About 1,000 properties remain on evacuation order across the Boundary region which means about 2,000 people are still out of their homes.
· Several hundred homes evacuated due to loss of road access after flooding will also have their orders rescinded once access is restored. These homes do not require damage assessments (RDA) and owners will not see assessment placards on their doors.
· Even in areas where floodwaters caused little to no damage, evacuation orders can only be rescinded once properties have been verified as safe to occupy.
· Rapid damage assessments continue today with the goal of completing nearly all assessments by May 21 and rescinding most evacuation orders shortly after.
