Hundreds of evacuation orders lifted from properties in B.C. flooding

May 22, 2018, Grand Forks, B.C. – The majority of residents in British Columbia’s Boundary region who were forced from their homes by catastrophic floods are free to return home.

The Regional District of Kootenay Boundary says evacuation orders have been lifted and downgraded to evacuation alerts for about 1,000 properties, leaving about 566 addresses to go.

In Grand Forks, about 377 properties had evacuation orders rescinded, including in the neighbourhood of South Ruckle.

Twenty pairs of firefighters have fanned out across the region, assessing damage at each property and assigning it a coloured placard based on what they find.

Officials say the goal is to assess all remaining properties today, so people can return home as quickly as possible.

While officials say they’ve been happy to find less damage than anticipated at many properties, some residents will return to find yellow or red placards on their doors, indicating the need for a certified inspection or that the building has been deemed unsafe to occupy.

Homes that were placed on evacuation order because of lost road access, rather than safety on the property, will not have placards.