The Province wants to hear from people about the supports available when they must evacuate their homes during a disaster.

With the increasing frequency and severity of wildfires and floods due to climate change, the Province is revamping its approach to emergencies to ensure people and communities are receiving the supports they need. A part of this work involves updating the Emergency Support Services (ESS) program to better meet the needs of people requiring support when they are evacuated from their home due to an emergency.

The ESS program, funded by the Province and administered through First Nations and local governments, provides short-term support to people affected by disasters, including shelter, food, transportation, clothing and incidentals. To gather wide-ranging and diverse perspectives, the Province is seeking feedback from evacuees, front-line workers, volunteers, families and businesses about how ESS could be improved. The public survey will be open until Feb. 9, 2024, at 4 p.m. (Pacific time). The survey can be accessed at: https://engage.gov.bc.ca/govtogetherbc/engagement/emergency-support-services/

The feedback collected from the survey, coupled with information gathered through extensive engagement, will support the Province’s work through the Premier’s expert task force on emergencies to make enhancements to ESS prior to the 2024 wildfire season, as well as long-term changes.

You can read the full press release at the link here: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2024EMCR0001-000004