The Regional District of Nanaimo and Town of Qualicum Beach have been approved for funding to complete a flood risk assessment for the electoral areas and the town through the National Disaster Mitigation Program.
The project value is $160,500 with the federal government contributing $70,000 and provincial government $80,000. The remaining $10,500 will be provided in-kind by the Regional District of Nanaimo with project staff time.
“This project will conduct a risk assessment that will enhance the cooperative approach to emergency management in the region,” RDN board Chair Bill Veenhof said. “It will be the foundation of the next phase of preparedness and mitigation activities for this area and increase the resiliency of the region.”
The NDMP is a jointly funded initiative of the federal and provincial governments to support local governments in developing foundational flood-related disaster mitigation measures through a process of risk assessment, flood mapping, mitigation planning and mitigation infrastructure.
The first step of this process, for which the funding for the RDN is provided, is to undertake a risk assessment that will help to identify and analyze local flood hazards, potential impacts, and considers community and infrastructure vulnerabilities from overland and shoreline flooding. The project will result in a completed overall flood risk profile for the area and enable the RDN to apply for additional funding for next steps within the NDMP program.
“Emergency preparedness is a shared responsibility that begins in every home, in every business and across all levels of government,” said Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General. “The B.C. government is committed to working collaboratively with the federal and local governments to improve public safety and emergency preparedness for all British Columbians.”
The funding streams of the NDMP program also include flood mapping, mitigation planning and investments in non-structural and small-scale structural mitigation projects.
The RDN has also recently been approved for funding through UBCM’s Community Emergency Preparedness Fund for Sea Level Rise Adaptation Program: Costal Floodplain Mapping. For more information on this project, which is currently underway, visit: www.rdn.bc.ca/rfp-sea-level-rise-adaptation-program.