UPDATE: Ramage Road residents will be under evacuation order for weeks

KAMLOOPS – Ramage Road residents will have to be out of their homes for two weeks longer than expected, while crews work to mitigate risks of an unstable slope near Rayleigh.

The City of Kamloops has requested a week-long extension for the local state of emergency in the Palmer-Forsyth area.

In a news release, the City says data from slide monitoring equipment shows the slope north of Rayleigh is moving downward at a slow, consistent pace. It is requesting an extension for the local state of emergency until May 11.

The City says it's working closely with geotechnical experts, the provincial government, Fortis B.C., B.C. Hydro, Telus and Emergency Management B.C.

According to the release, a "quick solution" using lay flat pipe is being installed today, May 3, to divert spring water from the slope. A hard pipe solution is also being installed and is expected to be completed in seven to 10 days.

The City says emergency support services and the evacuation order have been extended to the residents until May 23 while these solutions are implemented and 24-hour traffic control remains in effect on Highway 5.

On April 27, a local state of emergency was implemented and 22 people living in nine homes in the area were evacuated.

– This story was updated at 4:11 p.m. Wednesday, May 3, 2017 to include new informaiton from City of Kamloops emergency operations centre information officer Tammy Robertson.

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