Emergency Preparedness

Seabird Island is currently at Stage 2 Flood Watch.

Seabird has 5 stages of alert for emergencies:

• Alert stage 1: High Streamflow Advisory, watch for information
• Alert Stage 2: Flood watch, water levels continue to rise and are expected to reach bank full
• Alert Stage 3: Flood Warning, potential for evacuation (pack essentials)
• Alert Stage 4: Evacuation alert, Evacuate!
• Alert Stage 5: Clean-up

Action is Readiness:

• We are NOT expecting major flooding at this time.
• Flooding should be limited to low areas.
• We anticipate water levels to peek on Saturday.
• We encourage community members to check basements for items that will need to be moved upstairs and that the sump pump is functioning,
• Prepare a family emergency plan, call Sandy Bobb 604-796-6838 with details about your evacuation needs and plans.

Volunteer to help with sandbagging! We are starting a list; if you are interested in helping to try to save our community and homes, please call 604-796-6838

• We encourage everybody to avoid going out to the river. The swift waters at this time can be hazardous.
• Visit www.seabirdisland.ca and Flood Central in the main lobby at the Band Office for more details, flyers and other flood information.
• For regularly updated information Call: Sandy at 604-796-6838 or Fraser River Forecast Center: 250-356-5261 or http://bcrfc.env.gov.bc.ca/

Things to consider if we go to stage 3
Prepare for the worst, hope for the best. – Why not start now?!

1. Contact Sandy Bobb at the Band Office (604-796-6838). Give her your emergency contact information so you can be contacted before and during an emergency.
2. If you will need help with transportation in the case of evacuation, contact Sandy at 604-796-6838 to put your name on the evacuation bus list.
3. Think about what valuables will need to be moved upstairs in the case of flood.

Make a family emergency plan.

• Identify where will you all meet if you are not together when an evacuation is called. Pick one local and one out of area meeting place if possible.
• Identify who in your family needs what health/medical supplies.
• Make sure children know your contact information (name, address, phone).
• Plan for what to do with pets and other animals.
• Identify where shut off valves are for electricity, gas, water.
• Gather supplies for your “Grab and Go” emergency kit

Seabird Island is now at a High Stream Flow of 5.8. 1 home and 1 farmer are on Evacuation Alert at this time.

Wondering what happens if there's a flood? Read our Flood Action Plan below.
Seabird Island lies on a flood plain and so flooding is a common concern May-July. Heavy rain, large snow pack, early intense warm weather, and upriver dam rupture are contributing factors.

Seabird Public Works Manager receives provincial freshet information on the state of rivers each spring. According to freshet data, Seabird moves through four stages of flood alert.

STAGE 1: High streamflow advisory (river levels rising but no flood imminent) Action is Awareness:
Emergency teams begins weekly meetings.
Public Works monitors provincial freshet and other data including daily slough levels at grandstand; checks sand bag stock and identifies need for sand bags, sand and mechanical sand bagger; checks gen-sets and tentatively sources others.
Information sources:

1. EMBC southwest manager, Greg Kanya: live webcasts for regional information sharing
2. Environment Canada, John Oakley: BC River forecast centre, snow pack and river flow analysis
3. South Coast Compliance and Enforcement Group, Ralph Schroeder: Fraser river gauge monitoring

Communications

• sends out community flyer Alert level 1 (see template); posts information on website, inside and outside bulletin boards;
• encourages community members to plan (check basements for items that will need to be moved upstairs and sump pump function, prepare a family emergency plan, call seabird communications officer with details about evacuation needs and plans) and also
• workers (e.g. housekeeping supplies/chemicals and things that will need to be moved in the case of flood)
• creates reception area display for staff and client information (flood central-below TV in lobby)
• Emergency coordinator ensures staff and community fan-out lists are up to date; ensures boat availability list is up to date; ensures list of homes and property at highest risk are identified.

STAGE 2: Flood watch: water levels continue to rise and are expected to reach bankfull

Action is Readiness:

1. Public works begins surveillance of culverts, low level roads. Check sump pumps, ensures that caution road flooded signs and cones are available, man-hole covers are available
2. ESS: updates vulnerable client list, checks supplies, ensures evacuation sites are available (agreements current)
3. Communications sends our community flyer Alert level 2 (see template); posts information on website, post on facebook sites (lands and education/employment)
• encourages community members to check basements for items that will need to be moved upstairs and sump pump function, prepare a family emergency plan, call seabird communications officer with details about evacuation needs and plans.
• Community education for fisher folk: how to protect yourself with rising rivers
• Ensure all staff text system is ready to go. Email all staff with information about flood potential and direction to check office areas for items that will need to be moved in the case of flood. If help is required, communicate this need to communications officer.

STAGE 3:Flood warning: water level is at bank capacity and expected to increase, or weather forecast predicts this imminently and flooding is expected Action is Get set (for potential evacuation)

Public works begins active surveillance of high risk areas and reinforces high water perimeter as necessary.

• Sand bagging may begin to set up barriers at high risk homes and areas.
• Get gen set to pump station
• Consider man-hole covers
• Empty used oil tank reservoir and oil separator reservoir

Communications sends our community flyer Alert level 3 (see template: includes evacuation alert); posts information on website, encourages community members to prepare for flood including move items in basement or lower level of homes as necessary, identify evacuation destination, prepare family kit, call seabird communications officer with details about evacuation needs and plans.

A. Evacuation Alert
Normally, Seabird’s EOC director will be notified of an evacuation alert. The EOC director and/or Chief and Council can also post an alert. Be mindful that stress levels will be high. The goal is to give people as much advanced warning as possible.

• Prepare an Evacuation Alert notice, an Evacuation Plan notice, and a Document List notice (see templates) and post on website. Deliver door to door.
• alert the population of potential need for evacuation
• highlight the nature of the danger
• instruct to prepare to leave the affected area within a specified time frame
• give a list of items to take with them
• indicate where the reception centre is
• Identify at-risk community members who may require pre-evacuation due to health requirements.
• EOC director must contact EMBC and request support for at-risk community members for pre-evacuation

Ensure all staff text system is ready to go. Email all staff with information about flood and direction to prepare items that will need to be moved. If help is required, communicate this need to communications officer.

STAGE 4: Flood: widespread flooding
Action is Evacuate
See evacuation procedures

STAGE 5: Clean up

• Contact environmental health officer
• No-one should be drinking the water; homes on seabird water system can use water for washing machines and showers.
• Toilets are OK unless Agassiz has shut off
• Road repair
• Building inspections

A high streamflow advisory has been issued for the Lower Fraser River, while a flood warning has been issued for the Fraser River (at Prince George and upstream), and a flood watch has been issued for the Fraser River from Quesnel to Fraser Canyon.

Emergency Info BC said rainfall and rapid snowmelt started on Friday and continued into Saturday throughout southwest B.C., which led to "significant inflows from local tributaries to the Lower Fraser River.

Read it on Global News: Global BC | High streamflow advisory issued for Lower Fraser River

This coming week is Emergency Preparedness week!

Steps for everyone:
1) Get an emergency kit (find yours, buy one, or make one- click here for a list)

2) Know our risks (right now it is flood but also winter storms and hazardous materials spills from rail, road and pipelines)

3) Develop a family emergency plan (see below)

4) Be prepared to look after yourself and family on your own for 72 hours (3 days) www.pep.gov.bc.ca   www.getprepared.gc.ca

Make a family plan

• Contact Sandy Bobb at the Band Office (number). Give her your emergency contact information so you can be contacted before and during an emergency.
• If you will need help with transportation in the case of evacuation, tell Sandy to put you on the transportation list.
• Make a family emergency plan
• Identify where will you all meet if you are not together when an evacuation is called. Pick one local and one out of area meeting place if possible.
• Identify who in your family needs what health/medical supplies
• make sure children know your contact information (name, address, phone)
• Plan for what to do with pets and other animals
• Identify where shut off valves are for electricity, gas, water.
• Think about what valuables will need to be moved upstairs in the case of flood
• Gather supplies for your “Grab and Go” emergency kit

Seabird Island is currently in the process of updating our Emergency Preparedness Plan.

We will be keeping you informed with articles in our newsletter, articles here on our blog, as well as in our office. These articles will be suited to the season, and help you and your family prepare for emergencies that may come our way during the course of each year.

Did you know…?
If an emergency should occur and you are told that you must evacuate your home, the Seabird Island Band Office and School could be opened as a shelter? If there was an emergency that caused a “community-wide” evacuation, we have made arrangements with Merritt, and we can all meet there.

If a flood does occur we would like everyone to be prepared to assist with:

• Sandbagging to protect or save as many homes as possible
• Evacuating elders and families in need
• Saving as much of our community and people as possible.