The Fraser-Fort George Regional District is among 50 local disaster-risk reduction and climate-adaptation projects being funded by the province, putting forward approximately $39 million through the Community Emergency Preparedness Fund (CEPF).
The regional district will receive $2.94 million to install riprap that will protect and prevent further property loss in a subdivision along a 1.5-kilometre stretch of the Dore River, following a June 2020 flood near the community of McBride.
The funding aims to help local governments and First Nations to make needed changes, such as small-scale structural flood projects and improvements to community flood-mitigation strategies, including more accurate flood mapping.
The projects are part of a new BC Flood Strategy, which will guide flood preparedness and mitigation work from now until 2035, offering support to communities in order to better prepare for flood impacts.
"The climate crisis is here and we need communities to adapt and strengthen their defences against flooding and other extreme-weather events," Bowinn Ma, Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness, said. "We are working with local governments and First Nations to reduce disaster risk and better prepare people and communities for the impacts of climate change."
In Northeast BC, the Village of Pouce Coupe has been approved for $2.33 million to improve bank stability for a wastewater treatment plant on the Pouce Coupe River, adding riprap armouring to the riverbank.
Slope failures have occurred during flood events over the past 10 years, and repairs to the outfall were completed in 2019 and 2022, with the next phase of design aiming to help to resist flood erosion.
You can read a summary of the provincial flood strategy below:
Bc Flood Strategy Summary by Tom Summer on Scribd
