Randy Shore / Vancouver Sun
The British Colombia government was ordered to pay several Sechelt, British Columbia, Canada retirees a total of more than $200,000 in damages after they had been forced to evacuate their homes when a sinkhole appeared beside the road in 2018. Although the area was prone to geological instabilities associated with underground stream activity, an engineering firm had determined that this area would be suitable for construction. In 2012, residents were surprised by the sudden sinkholes appearing in the middle of roads.
On the recommendation of another engineering firm, the residents of Seawatch Lane, British Colombia, were placed on evacuation alert on Christmas Day, 2018, and then ordered to leave their homes after another large sinkhole was spotted next to the highway. A temporary fence was put up around the neighborhood to keep people out. Families have been placed in modest accommodation rentals while no progress had been made at the site to address the geological issues.
The evacuation order was accompanied by a declaration of a state of local emergency issued by the district and has been renewed by the provincial minister of public safety every seven days since. The state of emergency lasted for 3 months before being declared unlawful. The families that had to evacuate and live in rental accommodations are entitled to their expenses along with damages for pain and suffering.