By Andrea Arnold
At approximately 1:30am on July 4, 2020, Jim and Jennette Chuipka were woken up by a phone call from Dennis Rejman. Rejman’s daughter Michelle had heard a loud noise and saw mud and water coming through her yard. Jennette said the details are a little hazy, as she was half asleep, but she remembers Jim yelling at her to “get up, grab a few things and pack it up so we could get out.” They thought the mud was coming towards the house. At that point, the mudslide had crossed Mountainview Road and Lakes District Maintenance and the RCMP were already on site.
At least five homes were evacuated, Jim and Jennette Chuipka, Garry and Mable Moore, Doug and Christine Monroe, Michelle Rejman and Joyce Godfrey. Everyone was moved to safety and there is only one reported minor injury.
One resident reports that the mud has travelled down the road approximately a half a kilometre and is an estimated three feet deep. The road is closed from both sides this morning quite a distance from the slide site as assessments are made from the air and on the ground to determine what needs to be done to ensure everyone’s safety.
Photos from the scene shows mud up to the roof against the back of one residence, published with permission from the homeowners.
