By Laura Keil, Publisher/Editor
The Robson Valley and North Thompson are facing a flood-prone spring and early summer, with snowpacks sitting significantly above normal this year.
Heavy rains and prolonged hot spells can unleash the power of mountains’ worth of water into streams and hillsides and recent years have shown us the power of mother nature.
Residents of Mountainview Road experienced this in 2020 with a devastating mudslide, and one family’s home was destroyed. McBride has also been dealing with seasonal boil water advisories and even a Do Not Consume order. In Valemount, we’ve had 5-Mile road sloughing and extreme weather certainly won’t help the ongoing erosion and sloughing occurring above the village’s drinking water source Swift Creek.
It’s important to prepare ourselves for extreme weather—ensuring we have a plan for our pets, livestock, and a go-bag with enough drinking water. EmergencyInfoBC has lots of information to check out.
We should also ensure our home is firesmarted. That means ensuring there are no flammable items in close reach of our home and ensuring tree branches are trimmed on the lower part of the trunk and ensuring grass is kept mowed and watered.
Last year’s wildfire season was the third most destructive on record in B.C. and the three worst wildfire seasons were recorded in 2017, 2018 and 2021.
The heat dome last June shattered many records and the village of Lytton burned during a fire on one of the hottest days ever recorded in Canada.
And how could we forget the extreme flooding ravaged communities including Princeton, Merritt and Abbotsford. These communities are still rebuilding.
Weather anomalies are becoming the norm, and so should good preparation habits.
Take the time to ready yourself. It’s the smart thing to do.
