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Electricity restored in slide-threatened northeastern B.C. community of Old Fort

The regional district is maintaining the evacuation order issued almost three weeks ago
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Power has been restored to a northeastern British Columbia community affected by a slowly slumping hillside, but the terrain around Old Fort continues to slip and an evacuation order remains.

BC Hydro crews began working last week to replace dozens of poles toppled by the creeping landslide and to restring over three kilometres of power lines to more than 50 homes that lost electricity Oct. 6.

BC Hydro district manager Ed Shuster says in a video statement that lights were on in all the homes in the Fort St. John suburb by late Monday.

READ MORE: Earth still moving in Old Fort, B.C., but not above homes

The regional district is maintaining the evacuation order issued almost three weeks ago covering Old Fort and several of the islands just offshore the community along the banks of the Peace River.

Residents in a handful of properties west of the main slide area were allowed to return last week, but most of the homes are still vacant.

Evacuees with permits have been able to enter to gather supplies, and the regional district says 10 owners whose business vehicles were trapped when the only road to Old Fort buckled Sept. 30 were allowed to collect them on Tuesday.

The district says it will continue to allow removal of business vehicles, but owners still require a valid permit to enter the evacuation zone.

A cause of the landslide, which was first detected Sept. 30, has not been determined, and geotechnical engineers are still uncertain when the earth will stabilize. (MooseFM)

The Canadian Press


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