B.C. prepares for fire evacuations, displacements amid healthcare staffing crisis
CTV
The officials tasked with preparing for and responding to natural disasters in the province are bracing for widespread evacuations of B.C. communities amid tinder-dry conditions that are already prompting dire wildfire predictions.
The officials tasked with preparing for and responding to natural disasters in the province are bracing for widespread evacuations of B.C. communities as they eye tinder-dry conditions that are already prompting dire predictions of a brutal wildfire season.
Overnight lodging for displaced British Columbians, continuity of medical care, food and water, transportation corridors are all considerations by the two agencies responsible for the co-ordination of various provincial resources.
“With it being much hotter and drier (than usual), we anticipate more evacuations will be occurring in a larger scope and scale,” said Pader Brach, executive director of operations for the Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness
“We are very aware we've had an early start to the season and what comes with that is increased efforts regarding planning and preparing for impacts to communities.”
Brach echoed a warning from the BC Wildfire Service that it’s a matter of “when, not if” much of the province will face a potential wildfire evacuation this summer and he also encouraged planning in advance, including arranging to stay with friends and family and packing important documents in advance of an evacuation order.
During the pandemic, hotel rooms had been widely available for evacuees, but now that the tourism sector has bounced back, the ministry is compiling a list of community centres, gymnasiums, and campsites to host evacuees.
Health Emergency Management BC, the provincial agency responsible for co-ordination and cooperation between health authorities and other agencies, acknowledged that this year their job is particularly challenging considering the staffing crisis at hospitals like Surrey Memorial, which is already seeking urgent personnel support from outside the health authority.
