As part of the Province’s investment of more than $80 million in emergency preparedness and public safety, MLA for Vernon-Monashee Eric Foster today announced $150,000 of flood protection support for the Village of Lumby, on behalf of Minister of State for Emergency Preparedness, Naomi Yamamoto.

The funding will support Lumby’s flood and hazard mapping and allow the village to better plan for potential flood events in the future as well as possible mitigation projects.

In addition, as part of $2.13 million provided to the Fraser Basin Council (FBC), $1 million will benefit the region in supporting the FBC to conduct an inventory and engineering assessment of all orphan or unmanaged dikes in British Columbia. This assessment will evaluate the structural conditions of the dikes and determine the cost to upgrade the dikes to provincial standard and to acquire at-risk properties. Another goal of this project is to assess the flood risks local communities face from these unmanaged structures.

This is all a part of a broader set of more than $80 million invested in emergency preparedness and mitigation. Some of these investments, which will have benefits throughout the province, include:

• $32 million to the Community Emergency Preparedness Fund to be administered by Union of BC Municipalities that will include investments like $3 million for flood risk assessments, floodplain maps and flood mitigation plans, $20 million to fund flood mitigation projects and $4.2 million to support emergency social services.
• $500,000 for BC Search and Rescue Association for deployable communication systems to assist in communication in B.C.’s backcountry.
• $500,000 to Avalanche Canada to support public education and avalanche alert throughout B.C.
• $100,000 to PEP Air to support capital purchases and recognize the effort of the volunteer air search and rescue teams throughout the province.

Quotes:

Eric Foster, MLA for Vernon-Monashee –

“As a former mayor, regional district chair, and now MLA, I have seen Lumby manage flood events throughout the past 30 years. This $150,000 investment will support the Village of Lumby with much-needed planning dollars to allow them to know the risks and plan ahead.”

Naomi Yamamoto, Minister of State for Emergency Preparedness –

“The over $80 million in investments in community emergency preparedness will help us better withstand floods, fires, or earthquakes that could impact our province. Emergency preparedness is a shared responsibility that begins in every home, in every business and across all levels of government. This funding is another of many provincial investments and initiatives to help keep British Columbians safe.”

Bill Adams, vice-president, Western & Pacific, Insurance Bureau of Canada –

“Disasters can have lasting physical and financial impacts on Canadian communities. That is why the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) and Canada’s property and casualty insurers are committed to working with all levels of government to help make our country safer, stronger and more resilient. IBC applauds this important funding announcement, which will help municipalities across British Columbia better prepare for disasters. As a partner in emergency preparedness, IBC will continue to work with all stakeholders to make our cities and towns more resilient in the face of increasingly frequent and severe natural disasters.”

Quick Fact:

• Over $60 million in flood mitigation investments in a number of communities is represented in the Province’s March 15, 2017, announcement of over $80 million in emergency preparedness. Since 2008, the Province has committed $182.7 million toward flood mitigation projects in over 200 communities in B.C.

Learn More:

March 15, 2017, announcement of over $80 million in emergency preparedness: http://ow.ly/HLN4309YrGO

BC Government flood prevention and planning: http://ow.ly/HeWh3007cDc

PreparedBC provides resources on how to build and emergency kit and how to prepare your family and community for emergencies: http://www2.gov.bc.ca/preparedbc

Follow on Twitter: @EmergencyInfoBC and @PreparedBC