NORTH VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The District of North Vancouver has declared a state of local emergency and ordered the evacuation of three homes in the Deep Cove neighborhood amid concerns that debris left by the weekend’s atmospheric river last pose a safety risk.

A district release released Saturday evening said that during the heavy rains, debris filled the Ostler and Panorama Creek channels, “limiting their ability to withstand future heavy rains.”

The district says it ordered the evacuations out of an abundance of caution after geotechnical consultants indicated the scale of the debris could pose a “life safety risk” to adjacent properties.

The North Vancouver district was hit with 350 millimeters of rain last weekend and six properties were initially ordered to evacuate, but those orders were lifted Friday.

The weather system inundated British Columbia’s south coast, triggering a mudslide and localized flooding that killed at least three people.

The District says the decision to declare a state of local emergency and a mandatory evacuation order is not taken lightly, and that residents of these properties are eligible to receive emergency support services.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published October 27, 2024.

The Canadian Press