B.C.’s wildfire season has already begun, but many residents may not be prepared for a forest fire or other climate-related emergency.
The B.C. government has introduced an interactive tool to help people create an emergency and evacuation plan for their family. They have also made improvements to the B.C. Wildfire Service app and updates to the drought information portal with the latest drought levels and watershed conditions.
“Being prepared and feeling ready starts with having a plan. We encourage everyone to make an emergency and evacuation plan, and the new tools launched today make planning easier and will help people stay safe,” said Bowinn Ma, minister of emergency management and climate readiness.
Here are some things to do before the season warms up:
Explore B.C.’s new emergency ready planner
The emergency ready planner is an online, interactive tool to help people create a personalized emergency and evacuation plan.
The planner helps people identify emergency meeting places, list important contacts, medical and insurance information, recommends supplies for emergency kits and grab-and-go bags, and provides tips to protect homes from wildfire.
Get started at blog.gov.bc.ca.
Familiarize yourself with the B.C. Wildfire app
The wildfire dashboard now has more features, including a provincial situation report and easier access to fire ban information. People can submit fire reports when out of cell service range. The app is available on the App Store and Google Play.
To learn more about the B.C. Wildfire Service and get the app, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/wildfire-status
Bookmark the drought information portal
The drought information portal helps communities, farmers and businesses understand how drought could affect their region so they can prepare and take action. The portal provides current and historical drought levels, watershed conditions, and other precipitation, snowpack and groundwater data by geographic region.
The new portal has been upgraded to make it more user-friendly across platforms, according to the government.
It will be updated weekly, providing information about preparing and responding to drought, understanding provincial drought conditions and regulatory actions that are underway.
To see the updated drought website, visit: https://www.gov.bc.ca/drought
Watch a demonstration
To see the emergency ready planner, drought information portal and the B.C. Wildfire Service app digital demonstration check out the government’s YouTube page at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K2by3RWWQE
Stay up to date on emergency evacuations and alerts
To get emergency and evacuation alerts, visit emergencyinfobc.gov.bc.ca or follow Emergency Info B.C. on social media at twitter.com/EmergencyInfoBC
Make a note of your nearest cooling centre
To see an interactive map of cooling centres and hot-weather resources in B.C., visit: https://governmentofbc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=950b4eec577a4dc5b298a61adab41c06
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