City plans for possible evacuation

PRINCE GEORGE – The City is going after $25,000 from an envelope of funding to have a third party take a look at the City’s evacuation plans.

“We prepare for receiving evacuees now every year. We don’t shy away from it, we don’t do it off the side of the table. We prepare for it,” explains Mayor Lyn Hall. “No different than we prepare for, God forbid, we may have to evacuate the city.”

Recently the Province announced 60 communities splitting $1.5 million in funds for wildfire planning and the Union of BC Municipalities has announced the Community Emergency Preparedness Fund. In October, the City created the Emergency Planning Committee made up of several departments. A report to Council states: “the objective of the task force is to build and deliver a comprehensive city-wide evacuation plan no later than May, 2019.”

The City plans to hold three days of tabletop exercises between April and June of this year.