When the big earthquake, tsunami, hurricane or other disaster comes, human residents of the Regional District of Nanaimo have plans in place to get help and recover.
The situation with people's animals, however, is another story.
Porky, Daisy and the other barnyard pals can breath a little easier now however, after RDN directors approved an Emergency Livestock Evacuation Plan. The plan lays out how and by whom animals will be evacuated in the case of a major emergency and where they will be taken. It was developed with input from both the Cedar and Coombs Farmer's Institutes.
Four evacuation sites were deemed to be appropriate to shelter livestock during an emergency. These included the Vancouver Island Exhibition Grounds on Bowen Road in Nanaimo, the Coombs Rodeo grounds on Alberni Highway, the Coombs fairgrounds on Ford Road and the Arbutus Meadows Equestrian Center on Island Highway.
The cost implications for the RDN in making these designations is minimal — one dollar per year per site.