Emergency Management Oceanside (EMO) is offering support services for British Columbia residents visiting the Parksville Qualicum Beach area who are affected by wildfire in the province and unable to return home due to an evacuation order or road closure, the City of Parksville announced in a news release Tuesday, July 18.
Those visiting, or who know of someone visiting the City of Parksville, Town of Qualicum Beach or the Regional District of Nanaimo area and who are not able to return home are encouraged to call Oceanside Emergency Support Services (OESS) at 250-937-0448 to access provincial assistance. On behalf of the province, OESS will provide housing, food and the support necessary to assist until evacuees are able to return to their homes, the city release stated.
At this time, OESS is now supporting two families in the Parksville area displaced by wildfires. As well, OESS volunteers are being deployed by the province to ESS centres in the Kamloops and Kelowna areas to assist with the care of evacuees located to those areas.
The emergency programs from the City of Parksville, Town of Qualicum Beach and the Regional District of Nanaimo work in unison to provide large-scale emergency support and disaster service to Oceanside residents. Through the EMO partnership, there is a more efficient, effective and cooperative approach to managing emergencies in the region, the city stated in its release. The resources from the three local governments provide professional, 24/7 emergency support, and EMO has the capacity to develop and undertake preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery planning.
— NEWS Staff and City of Parksville news release