Eroding riverbanks and more rain in the forecast has prompted by flooding in Fort McMurray has pushed officials in the area to expand mandatory evacuations to include hundreds more residents.

Officials announced the change Thursday afternoon, effective for the Grayling Terrace area, and the southern portion of Draper Road.

About 340 residents in Grayling Terrace and 78 residents on Draper Road are affected by the order.

The evacuation in Grayling Terrace, officials said, was prompted by erosion on Beacon Hill’s southwest side, causing material to fall into the river – with more rain expected over the next two days, the erosion is expected to worsen, and there are worries it could cause backups in the river – which could flood Grayling Terrace.

As for the evacuation on Draper Road, officials said the roadway is deteriorating, and as a result, residents located on that road, south of the Draper Bridge have been ordered to evacuate.

Meanwhile, a local state of emergency is in effect, a break in wet weather has given crews the chance to try and repair an eroded shoreline.

Officials with the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo said Thursday morning that water levels remained stable overnight – but residents were still advised to stay away from riverbanks and shorelines, as the ground could be unstable.

In addition, the 69 households in Ptarmigan Court Trailer Park remained on a mandatory evacuation order, while residents of the Waterways and Draper areas were still on voluntary evacuation.

Crews in the area were taking advantage of a break in the weather Thursday, as they made headway in work to shore up the eroded banks of the Hangingstone River near a road connecting the city to a large subdivision.

That road is protected by a retaining wall, but that wall is being threatened, as the riverbank below has eroded significantly.

“Obviously you can see there that Mother Nature has put a log jam there for us, and that’s helping us out right now,” Jody Butz, Assistand Deputy Chief of Operations said Thursday. “We’re going to put some more permanent barrier there as that jagged rock, they’re putting in place.

“Hopefully, when the water levels rise again, it’ll be ok.”

Boil water advisories were in place for two days – but on Thursday afternoon, orders for the Waterways area were rescinded and boiling water before using it is no longer necessary.