Typically when we hear “state of emergency,” we think of a tsunami, earthquake or firestorm that has devastated an entire community. More and more, we hear states of local emergency being declared, and there is a bit of confusion that goes along with it. When a local government declares a state of emergency, it allows the local agency power and authority to access a property, order evacuations, conduct proactive measures, and access provincial funding to save persons or property from natural events. A local state of emergency often is localized to a specific area and can even be for a single property.
I recently attended a meeting of tourism stakeholders to talk about shared messaging when dealing with smoke, fire and floods, all common realities in our region. It’s very easy for reports and public discussion to latch onto the hyperbole of “the sky is falling.” We use colourful soundbites like “rains of biblical proportions” or “everything is on fire,” which when reported out, increase people’s concern or fear to visit a region. Something we are considering talking to the province about is changing the name of state of emergency for small and medium-sized events to something less ominous, such as local power and authority act.
How many of us had family or friends ask us if we were still paddling around in canoes when Penticton had high water issues last year? While Okanagan Lake beach disappeared, Skaha Lake beaches were pristine; however, that message got overshadowed by tiger dams and life jackets on the romp sculpture.
This isn’t about tourism and how it gets affected when challenging circumstances become sensationalized. It is natural when our homes are in jeopardy of being flooded, burned or swept away that we will focus on protecting property and ensuring our family and valuables are safe. Our hearts go out to those who have or will face a traumatic experience because of a natural event, and I want to thank everyone involved trying to address and mitigate the current situations around our region.
This is about communication. As local government, we need to inform residents, both in affected areas and in general, of what the threats are, what’s being done to prepare for them and what they can do to either help or hinder their readiness. We also need to be a portal to channel community interest in volunteering to help those parties and entities in need. I remember hearing a story from a colleague who wanted to help sandbag because a region needed help, however, there was no contact, map or information available to direct him to the address(es) in peril.
Our new normal is more wacky weather and weather-related natural events that will cause disruption to our normal routines. I don’t expect people to falsely put on a utopian “everything is sunshine and lollipops here in paradise” face just as much as I don’t expect people with a placard quoting scripture from the Book of Revelation and stating “the end of days is upon us.” I hope there won’t be too much need to exercise any states of local emergency, but if we do, there is a comfort that people have proven themselves to be willing and eager to help their neighbour. The power of the human spirit and our sense of community will prevail.