B.C. landslide: Water will take 12 to 24 hours to reach Hope when dam breaches
Global News
Concern continues to grow over the Chilcotin River landslide in B.C.'s Central Interior, which has created an unstable dam holding back thousands of litres of water.
B.C. officials say the situation around the Chilcotin River landslide remains dynamic and ongoing.
Minister of Emergency Management, Bowinn Ma, said on Friday afternoon that plans remain in place for different scenarios.
“We continue to plan for worst-case scenarios,” she said.
Ma also said, at this point, it looks likely that the water will start pooling over the top first, rather than releasing from the dam in a sudden burst of water.
However, she said this is not certain but using the modeling and data, it currently looks like the most likely scenario.
Ma added that when the water does break through the landslide, it will take between 12 to 24 hours to reach Hope.
“There will be time to alert people along the way, if necessary,” she said.
Any alerts will be issued to phones, TV and radio stations.