B.C. ministers urge residents to have go-bags, insurance before floods and wildfires
B.C. Wildfire Service warns of elevated spring fire risk unless there's sustained rain
The B.C. government says residents should start preparing for wildfire and flood season with go-bags and insurance, as emergency response officials watch the snowpack and drought levels across the province.
The coming spring runoff and the prospect of extreme heat or rain events could lead to flooding in some regions, though officials also say the snowpack is lower than average and there is "potential for prolonged drought this year."
The B.C. Wildfire Service says the province could see an active spring wildfire season due to drought conditions and warns of higher fire risk unless there's "significant and sustained" rainfall in the near future.
Forests Minister Ravi Parmar says the severity of the upcoming wildfire season is unknown, but agreed it will likely be affected by ongoing drought conditions.
He says the wildfires in California earlier this year were a "stark reminder" of fire's destructive powers, and that B.C. residents should "do their part to help protect their homes and communities."
Emergency Management Minister Kelly Greene says the impacts of climate change have been "devastating," pointing to the 2023 wildfire season — the most destructive on record — and the 2021 atmospheric river and heat dome events.
"When wildfires are burning nearby, it can become too late to obtain insurance, and that's why now is the time to get insured," Greene said Wednesday.
"We are approaching the time of year when seasonal hazards increase and it's important that we all stay alert, stay informed and stay prepared. While we're always hoping for the best, we prepare for the worst."
The province says it has outlined expanded prevention efforts, including 88 planned cultural and prescribed burns and $90 million allocated to wildfire prevention initiatives.
According to some experts, the wildfire season is already underway in parts of the province.
"Some of the fires that ignited in May 2023 are still burning in the northeast," said Lori Daniels, co-director of the Centre for Wildfire Coexistence at the University of B.C. "They went underground through the winter and have now resurfaced, with smoke already affecting communities like Fort Nelson."
Daniels emphasized that effective prevention requires both government action and individual responsibility.
"Each of us taking the time and effort to clean out the gutters ... to make sure that we're cleaning up our yards and doing the yard maintenance, especially in the most fire-prone parts of the province," Daniels told CBC News. "There are things we can do to help ourselves."
With the Easter long weekend ahead, Daniels says it's the perfect time to act.
"It only takes a day or two for each of us to get prepared."
She says roofs are especially vulnerable to wildfire as debris and embers accumulate over time.
FireSmart B.C. recommends regularly clearing leaves and branches and using fire-resistant roofing materials such as metal, asphalt, clay or composite tiles.
Daniels says FireSmart initiatives can make a significant difference in protecting communities.
As an example, she pointed to last year's wildfire in Jasper, where more than 30 per cent of the community was damaged. But she noted the situation could have been much worse without years of preventative work — including prescribed burns, thinning diseased forests and installing sprinkler systems.
"Let's flip that on its head … we saved 70 per cent of that community, its critical infrastructure," she said. "That's a win."
B.C. says it has issued roughly $500 million since 2017 to support over 2,600 local disaster-preparedness and mitigation projects through Emergency Management and Climate Readiness funding programs.
With files from CBC's Emily Fagan