How to Identify Risks in Your Community
Do you live near the ocean or a river? Near a dam or a chemical plant?
Have you thought about the various risks and hazards relevant to where you live? Homes built near the ocean or next to rivers may be at risk from a storm surge or tsunami. Homes built below dams, next to rivers, or near the forest could be susceptible to flooding, fire, or landslides. If you live or work near a chemical plant, you should consider the risk of a chemical spill or release.
If you live in B.C., you live under the threat of possible earthquake every day.
Some hazards can cut off vital services and blackout entire neighborhoods. Basic utilities like electricity, water, gas, and telecommunication, could be interrupted for days, or even weeks. Routine activities like picking up the kids from school will prove to be challenging. Roads may be blocked, and storm drains and sewers could be backed up.
A major step towards getting emergency-ready is to identify the potential hazards relevant to your community and the impact they can have on the essential services we take for granted every day. B.C.’s eight distinct regions and the Yukon Territory each have their own unique geography and climate, making each one susceptible to various natural hazards.
While we aren’t about to give you a complete lesson on meteorology, geology, or geography, we do want to equip you with some relevant info. Knowledge is power, right?
If you and your community aren’t prepared, hazards can quickly escalate to disasters.
EMERGENCY STATISTICS
Think you’re immune? Unfortunately, no community is without risk. Emergencies can strike anyone, anywhere, anytime. Each year, thousands of individuals, families, and communities are affected by emergencies. According to the Canadian Disaster Database, 33,617 people were evacuated from their homes between 2004-2014 in B.C. and Yukon as a result of various disaster events.
Wildfires
For anyone who lives in an interface community – a residential area that meets grassland or trees –a major concern is the risk of wildfire. Several areas in B.C. have suffered from extreme summer wildfires, with over 26,000 residents being evacuated from their homes in the above 10 year period. In July 2009, 3,049 fires broke out between the communities of Kelowna, Kamloops, and Cariboo B.C. – 213 of which were wildland-urban interface fires. Multiple evacuation orders and alerts were issued, and a helicopter pilot sadly lost his life in the line of duty.
Flooding
Nearly 3000 residents have been evacuated due to flooding in communities all over BC. In Duncan and North Cowichan on Vancouver Island, flooding caused by heavy rains and high tides resulted in the destruction of 50 homes, and the evacuation of another 300 homes – about 1050 residents. The storm also caused power outages affecting thousands of homes on Vancouver Island, in the Fraser Valley, and in the B.C. interior. The communities of Terrace, Smithers, Mount Currie, and Slocan River have also suffered through flooding events.
Windstorms
If you’re a resident of B.C.’s South Coast, you probably remember the 2006 Pacific Northwest windstorm that produced near-hurricane wind gusts and heavy rainfall. Also, in 1962, a typhoon hit BC which packed quite a punch. Seven people died, nearly $600 million in damages were caused (in today's dollars), and residents from Vancouver to Hope were without power, some for up to a week. Even winds with much less force can result in power outages.
Did you Know?
Hurricanes, typhoons, and cyclones are all tropical storms caused by severe low pressure systems. The only difference between them is their location – we use different names for these storms in different places. In the Atlantic and Northeast Pacific, the term “hurricane” is used. The same type of disturbance in the Northwest Pacific is called a “typhoon”, whereas in the South Pacific and Indian Ocean, it's called a “cyclone”.
Chemical Spills and Releases
In September 2005, about 4000 residents were evacuated in Abbotsford, B.C. as a result of an overturned fuel-tanker truck that spilled 38,000 litres of a gasoline-diesel mix. As a precautionary measure, municipal electricity was shut off to the area. Recently, in March 2015, a fire at Port Metro Vancouver broke out from a highly reactive industrial disinfectant and bleaching agent. Authorities issued a shelter-in-place order, where people were advised to close their windows and stay inside, and The Port and surrounding areas were also evacuated.
Earthquakes
Those of you who live on the West Coast are likely well-attuned to the high risk of an earthquake. B.C. sits on an area of high seismic activity called the Cascadia Subduction Zone. There’s a 1/10 chance of a megathrust earthquake off the B.C. Coast in the next 50 years. Each year, seismologists with the Geological Survey of Canada record and locate more than 1000 earthquakes in western Canada. In the past 70 years, more than 100 earthquakes have been recorded with a magnitude of 5 or greater - meaning large enough to cause damage had they been closer to land. If you’re interested in learning more, Natural Resources Canada has some interesting information about Western Canada’s Seismic Zones.
Some natural disasters, such as tornadoes, hurricanes, and tsunamis, come with some warning and time to prepare. Others, such as earthquakes and fires, are not as forgiving.
Interested in learning more? The links below provide a run-down of the more common disasters in B.C. and Yukon, along with some fast facts and quick safety tips:
Safety Tip: Going on vacation? Make sure you consider the risks of the area you choose as your destination!
NATURAL DISASTER REAL-TIME ALERTS
Canada has also implemented
Alert Ready, a new national emergency alert system that aims to benefit all Canadians by notifying them immediately of potentially life-threatening events. Governments and broadcasters will now have the ability to bring more alerts to more Canadians, faster than before, enabling you to take action and stay safe.