The City of Williams Lake has lifted a State of Local Emergency (SOLE) and subsequent evacuation order and alerts originally issued on Sept. 29, 2023 due to potential land movement and structural integrity at 500 Wotzke Drive, known as Terra Ridge.
“The emergency powers initially required to secure the site, ensure access to the site, and access emergency funding are no longer required,” said Director of Protective Services Evan Dean.
“All of the professional engineering reports to date indicate this is part of the greater known historic landslide and while there may be continued slow land movement, there is no longer a concern of immediate or imminent risk to the occupants and engineers recommend continued monitoring of the area.”
A ‘Do Not Occupy’ order will remain in place for the four units previously under evacuation order. The City will continue to work with the Terra Ridge strata and residents on next steps based on the engineers’ advice, as well as continue to work with the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure and our local partners to investigate a long-term solution.
To date, in coordination with the Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness, the City has supported the Terra Ridge strata by facilitating nearly $338,000 in emergency Provincial funding to provide security services, emergency support services (ESS) and five engineering reports, in total. As well, the City created greater awareness of the issue with the Provincial Government, both at the staff and political level.
“While concerns were raised by some residents about time taken to conclude the SOLE, this can be attributed, largely, to the time needed by professional engineers to do their due diligence and ensure accuracy of reporting,” Dean said.
The City is continuing to monitor the situation from its Emergency Operations Centre and will provide updates as they are available.
