A mudslide Saturday morning swept away the home of David and Barbara Enns, killing the long-time Lions Bay residents
The search for the body of a missing woman resumed Wednesday following a fatal landslide that swept away a house in Lions Bay last weekend.
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Ross Blackwell, the chief administrative officer for Lions Bay who is working as the community’s director of emergency operations, said to resume the search they needed to ensure there was no risk from debris in the creek channel and to pinpoint an area to search.
“That work happened yesterday and then it was reconfirmed today, after the rain event, to make sure there was no change. So now things are mobilizing,” Blackwell said early Wednesday afternoon.
The village had the assistance of geotechnical and structural engineers to confirm it was safe to resume the search, which requires heavy machinery for the recovery efforts.
The slide spilled across the busy Sea To Sky Highway and down to Howe Sound, carrying with it mud, rocks and trees. It occurred during a windstorm that hit the South Coast during the weekend.
A Lions Bay resident who had parked on Crystal Falls Road to take her dogs for a walk said the slide started about 10 a.m. She had looked at her car clock when she heard a roaring and cracking.
When she got out of her car, she said that part of the mountainside was gone and that mud and trees were sliding down the slope.
The Village of Lions Bay has said the slide began in an area around Battani Creek.
On Wednesday, Brant Arnold-Smith, Metro Vancouver’s division manager for protective services and emergency management, said the landslide originated on Crown land near private property in Electoral Area A.
That is outside the village boundaries of Lions Bay.
Smith said Metro Vancouver has been supporting Lions Bay with its incident management team with command, operations, planning, logistics, finance, and administration needs.
Blackwell said Wednesday they currently do not know where the slide started or what was the triggering event, or who might be involved in an investigation. “It’s too premature to know that,” he said.
Two homes above the debris flow remain evacuated as a precaution and another six homes remain under an evacuation alert.
“We extend our deepest sympathies to the family and members of our community,” said Berry.
It is not clear what may have happened since then or if the recommendations to better pinpoint the hazard facing the community were carried out.