The District of North Vancouver is urging residents who live on or near steep slopes to watch for warning signs of slope failure. Fall and winter rains saturate soils across the North Shore, according to information posted on the District website.
The warning signs to watch for are rapid water or muddy flow where it has not been seen before, cracking or falling trees particularly in the absence of strong winds, cracks in a house that are actively widening, walls or floors tilting, ground cracks opening beneath a house, and any portion of a house, deck or retaining wall falling away.
If you observe any of those conditions actively occurring on your property or a neighbour’s property, evacuate immediately and phone 911. If you notice passive, minor changes over extended time periods, a landslide is less likely to be occurring. In that case, the District advises hiring a suitably qualified professional to review the source of the issue and any necessary remediation work.
The District says it is recognized as a leader in adopting a proactive, risk-based approach to natural hazards, with risk assessments and mitigation strategies that continue to evolve.
That approach traces back to the 2005 Berkley landslide. Following that event, the District adopted a more proactive approach, with measures such as fill removal, slope reshaping and improved drainage carried out in partnership with property owners. The District also engaged geotechnical engineers to conduct landslide hazard assessments in neighbourhoods along escarpments.
In 2007, the District says it established a Natural Hazards Task Force, which led to the adoption of risk tolerance criteria in 2009. That work earned the United Nations Sasakawa Award in 2011, the first awarded to a Canadian community. Between 2006 and 2010, the District completed hazard assessments, mapping and risk-based site prioritization across the community.
In 2013, the District added a new Slope Hazard Development Permit Area to the Official Community Plan to reduce slope hazards and landslide risk to people and property by carefully managing development and construction practices on or near steeply sloped lands. Residents can check if their home is in the Slope Hazard Area through the Slope Hazard DPA page and the GeoWeb Property Viewer.
