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RDEK funded for flood-risk prioritization work
Twenty-four flood-mitigation, risk and hazard assessment projects have been funded by the B.C. government, including one in the Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK), as part of a joint B.C.-Canada funding program.
The projects are valued at nearly $11 million and are part of the National Disaster Mitigation Program, which cost-shares expenses between the federal, provincial and territorial governments.
One of the programs to be funded was flood-risk prioritization by the RDEK, with $420,000 granted.
This project provided a flood and steep creek debris flood-risk prioritization for the Columbia Basin. It considered the future effects of climate change, and systematically characterized clear-water flood and debris flood hazards and elements at risk across the East Kootenay.
“Communities in flood-prone areas across the province know the importance of understanding the hazards and being prepared for flooding,” said Bowinn Ma, Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness. “By partnering with the federal government, we are maximizing funding and supporting communities in their work to become more resilient and better prepared to face damaging floods in the future.”
“The Government of Canada will always be there to support Canadians, especially when it comes to preparing for and recovering from extreme weather events and natural disasters,” said Bill Blair, federal Minister of Emergency Preparedness.
“We also recognize that Indigenous communities are among the most at risk from the increasing disaster-related impacts of climate change, and we’ll continue to work alongside First Nations partners to address their local resiliency needs. These projects are focused on advanced planning and mitigation efforts to reduce the risks of flooding events, which is a crucial element of building greater disaster resilience for the future.”
The Regional District of Central Kootenay also got $590,000 for Central Kootenay flood and geohazard mitigation planning.
This project identified mitigation options to reduce the risk of previously identified hazards. The project also identified options for mitigation to address hazards identified in a prior risk assessment and previous flood mapping. The project is the next phase in a regional project that began in 2016 to better understand risk from floods and associated geohazards.
Lead image: Flooding at Wasa in June 2012. e-KNOW file photo
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