Disaster, climate-risk information helps communities be resilient

VICTORIA - More resources are now available to help communities better prepare for emergencies and keep people safer from the risks associated with natural hazards and a changing climate.

Climate-related emergencies are becoming more frequent, and managing and reducing these risks is crucial to better protect people and communities throughout B.C.

Two new resources, the British Columbia Disaster and Climate Risk and Resilience Assessment (DCRRA), and the B.C. Hazard Insights Tool (HIT), provide provincewide information and data to help experts better understand how different hazard scenarios could affect people and communities.

These resources give local governments, First Nations, emergency-management specialists and provincial ministries access to risk information that can help them make better decisions in disaster preparedness and mitigation.

The DCRRA provides information on six hazards, as well as multi-hazard events that factor in overlapping hazards:

• river and stream flooding
• coastal flooding
• extreme heat
• wildfire
• drought and water scarcity
• earthquake

Data from the HIT will allow disaster-management planners and specialists to explore the potential impact of hazards on their communities, the economy and the environment, and use that information to reduce risk.

The information provides a new way of viewing natural and climate hazards in B.C., such as where events may occur, how severe they could be and their impact.

The provincial risk assessment lays the groundwork for a new approach to understanding risk and resilience in the province.

Future work will explore additional hazards and provide more detailed information and guidance for ministries, local authorities, critical-infrastructure owners and public-sector agencies to conduct their own risk assessments to inform their risk-reduction actions.

More than 200 subject-matter experts and organizations including First Nations and Indigenous organizations, academic and technical institutions, local governments, non-governmental organizations and community groups collaborated with the Province on the provincial DCRRA and HIT.

Quick Facts:

• The Disaster and Climate Risk and Resilience Assessment is the first provincial-scale disaster risk assessment in B.C. since 1997 and builds on the 2019 Preliminary Strategic Climate Risk Assessment.
• B.C.'s Emergency and Disaster Management Act requires the Province to publicly disclose information on hazards, risks and vulnerabilities.
• The provincial DCRRA aligns with the United Nations Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and reflects a commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion and collaboration with First Nations.
• The Climate Change Accountability Act requires the Province to report on climate risks every five years.

Learn More:

To learn more about the Disaster and Climate Risk and Resilience Assessment and B.C. Hazard Insights Tool, visit: https://climatereadybc.gov.bc.ca/pages/dcrra

For information about disaster and climate-risk reduction and available supports and funding programs, visit: https://www.ClimateReadyBC.ca

For guides and resources to help prepare for emergencies, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/emergency-management/preparedbc/guides-and-resources

To learn about the 2019 Preliminary Strategic Climate Risk Assessment, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/environment/climate-change/adaptation/disaster-and-climate-risk-and-resilience-assessment

For information on the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, visit: https://unece.org/sendai-framework