This month’s winter storms left many without power for extended periods in a handful of North Island communities.
With this in mind, the SRD has teamed up with the affected villages of Tahsis and Zeballos and three First Nations – Ehattesaht/Chinehkint, Nuchatlaht and Ka:’yu:’k’t’h’/Che:k: tles7et’h’ – to gauge locals’ thoughts on emergency response.
SEE MORE: Restoring power to Zeballos, Tahsis a ‘challenge’ for BC Hydro crews
According to the SRD, the feedback will make communities more resilient and identify future areas for public education initiatives, while also highlighting strengths and weaknesses in local emergency plans.
“It is crucial to understand that the ability of communities to implement recommendations is determined by a multitude of factors such as budget, personnel, capacity, and availability of volunteers,” the SRD said.
“With some items, such as the condition of the Forest Service Rd., the role of many communities is limited to that of advocacy, but organized information will allow the SRD to communicate the communities’ insights more appropriately.”
The SRD adds that survey results will help form a ‘Community Level After Action Report’ shared publicly when completed.
Surveys will be mailed out to each community next week; however, locals can also fill out the survey online here.
