The Regional District of Nanaimo and the City of Parksville have have weather warnings for residents of Parksville Qualicum Beach.
The first in a series of powerful October storms will approach the B.C. coast late tonight (Thursday) bringing heavy rains and strong winds.
A second storm is expected early Friday while a third will make landfall later on Saturday. Strong winds will also accompany these storms and rainfall will be heavy at times.
"At this time it looks like each storm will become more intense," said the release from the RDN. "Details concerning the precise storm track are expected to become clearer as time progresses and warnings are likely to be issued for multiple regions throughout the next several days."
"To ensure you are prepared, check your home emergency supplies, make sure you have drinking water on hand, make a plan for your pets and know how to turn off utilities," said the release. "Visit www.emergencyinfobc.gov.bc.ca for details on how to prepare for an emergency."
In the event of a prolonged power outage, the RDN said residents on RDN water systems (French Creek, San Pareil, for example) could see interruptions in water supply.
"Be sure to conserve water during the coming storms," said the release, which also urged residents to continue to monitor alerts and forecasts issued by Environment Canada.
To report severe weather, send an email to pacificstorm@ec.gc.ca or tweet reports to #BCStorm.
The city of Parksville issue this news release Thursday afternoon:
The second of three storms is predicted to move onto the south coast this evening. Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement and wind warning for East Vancouver Island, expected to affect our area through Sunday morning. Winds are predicted to be between 70-90 km/h and rainfall of 50 mm for this evening.
At this time, tracking of the third and potentially most powerful storm remains uncertain. This storm will approach the west coast on Saturday. The potential remains for powerful winds, particularly the west and east side of Vancouver Island.
Power outages, flooding and damage from winds may occur during storms. We encourage residents to be prepared by keeping emergency items in good supply. During winds, residents should stay out of wooded areas and stay away from downed lines.
The City’s emergency management coordinator and the operations department will closely monitor weather and storm events throughout the weekend. To report issues related to municipal services, please call: Monday to Friday, 8 am to 4 pm 250 248-5412; After hours emergency: 250 248-614.
Should it be required, the City will setup the Emergency Operations Centre and/or activate the Oceanside Emergency Support Services team.
Residents should monitor alerts and forecasts issued by Environment Canada for our region at
https://weather.gc.ca/city/pages/bc-20_metric_e.html