By Lyonel Doherty
The Town of Oliver is forging ahead with a hazard and risk analysis to ensure it is prepared when the next disaster strikes.
That could be tomorrow, next week or three years from now.
On Monday, council endorsed the Hazard, Risk and Vulnerability Analysis (HRVA) that will allow staff to prioritize these hazards and allocate resources to mitigate the effects.
Corporate Officer Diane Vaykovich said the regional district recommended the Town undertake an HRVA to identify and understand the risks that face a community.
For example, a risk profile chart labels Oliver as highly susceptible to debris flows and wildfires every one to three years. Storm surges and lightning are rated “high,” while hailstorm and MVAs are rated “moderate.” Electrical power outages and plane crashes are rated “low.” The chart lists pest infestations, drought and flooding a high hazard every four to 10 years, while heat waves are moderate and ground motion effects are low. Terrorism and hazardous spills are rated moderate (every 11 to 30 years), while explosions and public disorder are rated low. Dam failure (every 31 to 100 years) is rated very high, while human diseases and ice storms are rated high. Gas leaks are rated moderate, while snow storms are rated low. Animal diseases and land slides (every 101 to 200 years) are rated low.
The regional district facilitated a half-day session with people who have a strong knowledge and history of the community. These included Greg Norton, Shawn Goodsell (director of operations), Arvid Bensler (water operator), Vaykovich (emergency program coordinator), and Oliver RCMP Cpl. Christina Tarasoff.
They subsequently reviewed and placed the hazards on a chart. “With the changes in global warming and weather patterns, the chart becomes a flexible and constantly moving document that assists in understanding what the Town’s largest and frequent impacts may be,” Vaykovich said.
Mayor Ron Hovanes said he was really worried about the western interface fire hazard in Oliver. “We should be looking at more mitigation in the interface areas.
Councillor Larry Schwartzenberger said if they didn’t have the 2015 wildfires, the Town would not have established the FireSmart program in local neighbourhoods.
Vaykovich said Town staff are undergoing emergency response training.
As the new emergency social services director, Councillor Maureen Doerr said they have several people prepared to start working if a crisis hits Oliver again. “I think we’re 100 per cent more prepared (since the 2015 wildfires),” Doerr said.
