Jennifer Rice, Parliamentary Secretary for Emergency Preparedness, met with local officials from Grand Forks and the surrounding region last week as recovery work continues following the devastating flooding that hit the region in May 2018.

In October, Premier John Horgan designated Rice to work with Grand Forks and the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary in carrying out recovery efforts.

“Recovery is a long-term process, and we’re going to keep supporting the community as people get back on their feet,” said Rice. “More than 400 homes and 100 businesses were severely damaged, resulting in economic, social, infrastructure and environmental impacts in the region. Our government, non-profit organizations, stakeholders and community officials are all collaborating to find recovery solutions that will work for this community.”

The B.C. government has provided approximately $16 million to support recovery work in the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary, including:

• Housing support through the Household Emergency Assistance Program, which was developed to bridge the gap between response and recovery for flood impacted households;
• Business and economic recovery, through programs such as the $2.9-million provincial small business financial grant for affected small businesses in the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary;
• Funding recovery management positions in the region to help guide the community;
• Health, wellness and social supports, such as case management workers; and,
• Flood hazard assessment, mitigation and adaptation support to help communities in the region become more resilient against flooding in the future.

The Provincial Recovery Branch is leading ongoing provincial support in the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary. This cross-ministry team has worked with the community to develop a long-term recovery plan that is focused on housing, business and economic recovery, health, wellness and social supports, and flood hazard assessment, mitigation and adaptation.

Learn More:

For more information about flood recovery in the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary, visit: https://bfre.ca

PreparedBC is British Columbia's one-stop shop for disaster readiness information. For tips on how to prepare an emergency plan and what to include in an emergency kit, visit: www.gov.bc.ca/PreparedBC

Flood prevention tips: https://ow.ly/E2JV30bttgr

PreparedBC: Flood Information for Homeowners and Home Buyers guide: https://ow.ly/t4lg30bttjr