Mudslide comes down near Castlegar

CASTLEGAR (NEWS1130) – In less than a week, a third mudslide has rocked the Kootenays.  There have been no reports of injuries, although three homes had to be evacuated.  

Craig Lindsay with Castlegar News tells News1130 he went to the scene to snap some photos, but was kept back by police.  “[The officer] had said that some had come down already and that mud and water and debris were being pushed onto the road.  And they said they had two other spots that were right there that they were thinking were going to come down.”

Highway 3A linking Castlegar to Nelson has been re-opened after being closed for several hours.

He adds they’ve been experiencing some extreme weather in the region.  “Saturday night, as well as today, there’s [been] big thunderstorms, and just a lot of rain coming down during a short period of time, and then when the sun does come out it’s melting the snowpack, and again that’s contributing to the river levels.”

Northeast of the slide site, the City of Nelson also experienced the torrential downpours.  Diane Walsh, working at Nelson’s Best Western Plus Hotel, says the rain turned city streets into rivers.  “We had the caulking around our windows letting water in which has never happened before.  We had several rooms that we had to run in there with towels and sop up water.”

She adds Cottonwood Creek running through the community, was transformed into a raging torrent.  “Right now it’s spraying so hard that muddy water is spraying right out over the road.  I’ve lived here for four years and this is the worst I’ve ever seen it.”