Katzie First Nation receives $35,000 for emergency evacuation-route planning

Katzie First Nation is receiving $35,000 in provincial funding for a local emergency evacuation planning project intended to help keep people safe and informed when emergencies occur.

The funding is part of more than $1.28 million being distributed through the Community Emergency Preparedness Fund to support 29 projects in 36 communities across B.C. The fund helps local governments and First Nations prepare for disasters and reduce risks from natural hazards in a changing climate.

Eligible work includes route mapping; improving or creating evacuation-route plans; creating or updating public-notification plans; and holding exercises to test and validate those plans. Maple Ridge–Pitt Meadows MLA Lisa Beare said the funding will help Katzie First Nation leaders create a plan that meets their community’s needs.

Emergency Management and Climate Readiness Minister Kelly Greene said people need to know where to go and how they will be warned when an emergency occurs. She said the funding will help communities develop clearer evacuation-route and stronger public-notification plans, improving access to information needed to get to safety quickly.

Union of B.C. Municipalities president Cori Ramsay welcomed the investment and the collaborative approach behind it. Since the program launched in 2017, approximately $7.8 million has supported 212 projects through this funding stream. Maple Ridge News said it had contacted Katzie First Nation Chief Grace George for further comment.