Mother Nature’s Landslides Continue in British Columbia
This season’s rain has raised much havoc around the world, but closer to home, British Columbians have been the most recent victims to Mother Nature’s wet wrath. The area of Pemberton has seen more than a thousand people evacuated from their homes from threats of a massive landslide such as have happened in the past.
An evacuation order was issued for approximately 1,500 locals after concerns that a build-up of water from a previously blocked dam known as Meager Creek, could spill over and eventually rush down the slope towards the occupied homes. However, a natural channel emerged, allowing the excess water to run down into the valley and dissipate on its own.
Leslie Lloyd, information officer for the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District’s emergency operations centre said, “Based on the information we were given throughout the day yesterday and last night, based on the assessment that was done at that time, there was obviously the very high possibility that that entire dam that was formed could have just been a sudden break.”
The district also had an evacuation alert in place for approximately 4,000 additional residents as the potential landslide measured 40 million cubic meters and was made mostly of snow, mud and large rocks. The mayor of Pemberton, Jordan Sturdy noted this was the largest slide he’s ever seen, also adding, “The biggest slide ever in Canadian recorded history is the Hope slide, and that was 46 million cubic metres. So we’re really up there.”
There have been several landslides in Canada that have caused massive destruction. There was the Frank Slide in Alberta that occurred in 1903, burying an entire town during the night under 30 million cubic meters of rock, while in 1965 Hope, BC suffered a similar slide resulting in four deaths.
Realtors will admit that buying a home is all about location, so if you own a house that tends to get in the way of mother nature once in awhile, it may be a good idea to make sure you have the additional home coverage that will be appropriate for such times. If adding extra coverage to your current policy has been on your mind, but the funds are not available, perhaps relying on a loan might not be such a bad idea. When traditional banks are not an option, getting a bad credit loan could be an alternative that could have you feeling more prepared for Mother Nature.
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