BC Government News Release: New tools will help people prepare, stay informed during emergencies

Details from the BC Government news release:

With many parts of the province experiencing warmer weather and British Columbia forecast to have an active wildfire season, the Province is introducing an interactive Emergency Ready Planner to help people create an emergency and evacuation plan for their family.

This is part of a suite of new-and-improved tools released during Emergency Preparedness Week to help keep people safe through wildfires, drought, floods and earthquakes.

New and improved emergency preparedness tools and resources include:

• the Emergency Ready Planner, an online, interactive tool to help people create a personalized emergency and evacuation plan;
• major upgrades to the BC Wildfire Service app to better connect people to the latest wildfire and fire ban information; and
• updates to the Drought Information Portal to better inform people about drought levels and watershed conditions around the province.

In an emergency, knowing what to do, where to go and who to contact reduces stress and keeps people focused and safe. The Emergency Ready Planner makes it faster and easier to create an emergency and evacuation plan that is tailored to household needs and local hazard risks. 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 includes FireSmart steps to protect homes from wildfire.

When wildfires happen near communities, people want up-to-date information. Improvements to the BC Wildfire Service app make it easier for people to get the latest information on mobile devices, tablets and computers. The wildfire dashboard has more features, including a provincial situation report and easier access to fire ban information. People are able to submit fire reports when out of cell service range. The app is available on the App Store and Google Play.

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. Each region is assigned a drought classification level using a 0-to-5 scale with 5 being most severe, based on water supply and risk of adverse effects to people, fish, animals and the environment.

Launching the new Emergency Ready Planner and improving the BC Wildfire Service app are in line with recommendations from the Premier’s Expert Task Force on Emergencies to provide quick and direct access to clear and reliable information to help people plan for and act during an evacuation.

Read the full news release, here: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2024EMCR0024-000712

Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness
Media Relations
250 880-6430

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