Salmon Arm council is keen to get an evacuation route plan in place.
The Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD) and it's Shuswap Emergency Program (SEP) recently released its Community Evacuation Guide, as well as evacuation maps for communities throughout Electoral Areas C,D,E, F and G. The maps include primary evacuation and connector routes for specific evacuation zones (areas that include multiple neighbourhoods).
Serving the region, SEP is now looking at creating an evacuation route map for Salmon Arm. During a presentation from SEP at the May 12 city council meeting, emergency program coordinator Cathy Semchuk said SEP is pursuing grant money for the planning project. In April the CSRD submitted an application for funding through the Union of B.C. Municipalities' Community Emergency Preparedness Fund.
"In discussion with the consultant who has done the planning for our rural areas, he is saying that it's going to be possibly up to 25 different zones in the city…," said Semchuk. "But again, we're waiting on that application. We're all ready to go, we just have to hear that we've been approved. I'm 99.9 per cent sure we're going to get approval."
Following SEP's presentation, the city learned council's support was needed for the submission. This was given at council's May 26 meeting.
A staff report to council explained the project would involve creating evacuation route zones and identifying key evacuation routes for each; identifying threats that would require site support for evacuation; identifying high-risk neighbourhoods exposed to priority threats; and model timelines for decision making.
"We believe there’s some great value in this in terms of it’s a fairly extensive evacuation route planning exercise for emergency preparedness," said planning and community services director Gary Buxton.
A member of SEP's board, Mayor Alan Harrison said evacuation planning has been a priority for the emergency program, with rural communities close to the interface, many having limited evacuation routes.
"So now we’ve moved to a spot where it’s Salmon Arm’s turn and while for some of us perhaps where we live it might be obvious," said Harrison. "There are some pockets within our city where it’s not so obvious and it depends where the emergency is. I get asked sometimes that question. Hopefully we'll get the grant and get the work done."
