'Harrowing' Cache Creek mudslides force dozens out of their homes

Mudslides along Highway 99 have forced 24 people from the Bonaparte Indian Band out of their homes and at least five houseshave extensive damage.

Band member Jordan Williams said the storm came unexpectedly on Saturday.

"It looked harrowing," he said."You could just hear the hail pelting the roof then I heard the most deafening thunder outside. I've heard thunder before, but not as earth shaking as that one," said Williams.

The Bonaparte Indian Band has a membership of 900 people and is located west of Cache Creek. It was severely impacted by the Elephant Hill wildfire last year.

And now, the same area that was devastated by wildfires is being swept bymudslides.

Williams said his driveway had turned into a river, and he could see fallentrees floating past.

"I thought our house is going to get swept away too.Thankfully, it didn't," he said.

Williams and his family grabbed their bare essentials but even then they couldn't get out of their home for five hours until the storm had passed and subsided.

Multiple mudslides

There were 17 mudslides along a nine kilometre stretch of Highway 99. Mud lined the roadways and mini vans were encased in mud, their tires completely swallowed by the ground.

Williams knows he is lucky enough that his bad fortune equates to only spending a few days at a nearby motel. Others have lost much more some their homes, and in one case, their loved one.

Valerie Morris, 67, was swept away in her car after water and debris flowed acrossHighway 99.

Ashcroft RCMP were out on Wednesday with police search dogs and drones trying to find her.

Their search is now a recovery effort.

Sgt. Kathleen Thain saidlast year's Elephant Hill wildfire has weakened the soil and until the ground stabilizes and more mitigation is done, similar mudslides couldhappen for years to come.

"We are not seeing the end of it yet. We still have to come into our rainy season," she said.

Ryan Day, the chief of the Bonaparte Indian Band saidthe recent mudslides have caused a lot of anxiety.

"It's really hard on them. Because we haven't fully recovered from last year. It [the wildfire] was a really extreme event.It was a couple of months that people were in danger," he said.

An emergency reception centre has been set up at the band's office to connect evacuees with resources. Many have spent their days in nearby motels and their cars are filled to the top with their personal belongings

"It's been unstable and unsafe," said Day of people's homes.

"There are few feet of gravel, sand and rocks on people's driveways and up to the their stairs. I'm sure water got into their basements," he said.

Residents don't know the extent of the damage until they go home, which won't happen until a geotechnical assessment is completed.

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