Officials have issued a new evacuation alert for residents in an area of northeastern British Columbia where a landslide has cut off access to the neighbourhood.
The Peace River Regional District issued a notice to an expanded group of homes, telling residents of Old Fort that they should be prepared to leave on short notice.
The 400-metre long slide formed on Sunday, triggering the initial evacuation order for dozens of residents after it cut off road access in and out of the community.
Transport Minister Mike Farnworth said creating an alternate route could cost between $250 and $300 million and still wouldn't guarantee safety from landslides.
Staff from the ministry are monitoring the slide to see how it's moving, he said during question period at the B.C. legislature in Victoria on Thursday.
"It has slowed down somewhat but it initially was moving at a rate of about 90 centimetres an hour, which is pretty significant, pretty fast," Farnworth said.
The latest alert says the landslide poses a potential danger to life and health caused by increasing ground movement in the community, which is about five kilometres south of Fort St. John.
Residents who were not able to leave after an evacuation order was issued late Monday have been asked to shelter in a safe place and conserve essential supplies.
Jordan Kealy, the member of the legislature for the area, said about 70 of the 150 people in the community have evacuated, while others have chosen to stay.
He said this is the third time his constituents have been forced to evacuate from a landslide in recent years, and the provincial government should have reinforced the slope where the landslide occurred.
Kealy said at least one resident has expressed concern to him about looters.
"Some people have their reasons for not wanting to leave," he said.
Kealy said the area is a nice place to live, but residents who want to leave could have difficulty selling their homes.
"If there's a scenario of the hillside giving way and they don't actually fix it, who's going to want to come in and buy your home?" he asked.
Kealy said there's still snow on the ground in Old Fort and the landslide is in an area where water travels.
"It can cause things to move and it could be unpredictable," he said, adding that he expects the evacuation alerts to be in place for some time.
Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Transit
