Zeballos Evacuation Order Lifted For Some Properties

Almost eight months after an evacuation order was imposed in the tiny Vancouver Island community of Zeballos (zuh-BAH’-lowz), it has been lifted for all but a handful of properties. A notice on the village’s website says residents of 20 properties on the eastern side of the community can now return but seven properties closest to an unstable hillside must remain vacant until further notice. The evacuation order was issued last September 8th after a wildfire burned very close to the remote northwestern Vancouver Island village with a population of barely 100. There were concerns that loss of trees and vegetation on the hillside made it prone to slides or debris flows, but a recent geo-hazard risk assessment found the danger to most homes could be downgraded — although the report says the risk of a slide still remains.