Dangerous sinkholes trigger evacuation in Sechelt

Sinkholes make entire subdivision unstable An entire B.C. subdivision is under evacuation alert with dangerous sinkholes creating a very unstable situation.

Updated story: Residents of Sechelt subdivision not allowed to return home as of 1 p.m. Feb. 15.

Residents of a B.C. subdivision won't be allowed home as of Friday due to several sinkholes located in a concentrated area of a village on the Sunshine Coast.

"Geotechnical instability in the Seawatch Concordia Subdivision has resulted in multiple sinkholes," the District of Sechelt said in a statement.

"Because of the potential danger to life and health," the district issued the alert to properties located on a stretch of North Gale Avenue and Seawatch Lane.

For the last week, Gale Avenue has been barricaded and people living in the subdivision have been allowed to come only to move their things and get their affairs in order. Starting Friday, they won't be allowed to come back.

The ordeal began when a sinkhole at a property nearby swallowed up 40 truckloads of dirt on Christmas Day. The district called for a geotechnical report which showed sinkholes will happen again in the area.

"For this reason, on Feb. 7, Sechelt issued an evacuation alert to urge the residents to prepare to leave," Mayor Darnelda Siegers said Thursday.

As of Thursday afternoon, the properties under evacuation alert are:

No recent updates have been posted on the district's website or social media accounts, but in a district-provided fact sheet, the municipality confirmed the order would be put in place on Feb. 15.

'Panic, shock, anger'

From the air, moving trucks could be seen parked in front of one home in the affected area.

A resident of the area who was leaving his home expressed his frustration to CTV News, saying the words he'd use to describe the situation are: "Panic, shock, anger, depressed."

Rod Goy said he and his wife Donna are so stressed they're unable to sleep.

They moved into their dream home on a hillside five years ago, and never imagined they'd have to move out.

"It's just shameful. It's a shame that we have to be thrown out this way and not even know where we're going to go," Donna said.

They'd planned to use the equity from their home to fund a peaceful retirement by the ocean. It's not known how long ago the area became unstable.

Should residents have been allowed to buy?

When asked whether they should have been able to buy a home five years ago, the mayor called it "a good question.

"All the reports indicated that they were safe. That's what we relied on. That's what they relied on," Seigel said.

She added it's too soon to say whether the residents of the 14 affected homes will be able to get any value from their properties.

In the fact sheet, the local government states its position on the issue.

"The District and the Sechelt taxpayer are not responsible to remediate a problem created by a private venture," the statement says.

The district says geotechnical, structural and civil engineers certified that the Seawatch development had been properly constructed.

So far, it has invested more than $682,000 on professional contractors to assess the situation, and initial estimates of the cost of stabilizing the ground are around $10 million.

Even if that money was spent, there is no guarantee the fixes would hold long-term.

Strangers volunteering to help

The circumstances are challenging, but affected residents have been touched by the help they've received from the community. Strangers have offered trucks, storage and a helping hand.

"It's been incredible. Yesterday I would say 100 to 150 people, people I've never met," Joanna Moradian said of the response from volunteers.

In the event of an emergency alert, residents are asked to gather essential items including clothing, medication, paperwork and personal items.

They're advised to move pets to a safe area and arrange accommodations and transportation in case an order is issued.

The district said further information would be issued by email and that updates will be posted on its website.

With files from CTV Vancouver's Emad Agahi