An online survey from Fraser Valley Regional District is asking individuals, businesses and communities how they were impacted by the recent flooding disaster.
“As the Fraser Valley Regional District’s Emergency Operations Centre transitions from the emergency response into a recovery phase, we are looking for feedback from residents, property and business owners within FVRD’s electoral areas in the form of a short survey,” according to a Jan. 13 news release from FVRD.
The FVRD has about 20,000 residents over 14,000 square kilometres, from Abbotsford to Boston Bar, and is responsible for providing emergency management services to FVRD electoral areas, while each member municipality (Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Kent, Hope, Mission and Harrison Hot Springs) is responsible for providing these services to their residents.
After back-to-back atmospheric river events, FVRD Chair Jason Lum appealed to senior government officials for urgent funding for flood-related repairs on Nov. 30. With key infrastructure about to wash away, regional district staff were tracking no less than 57 weather-related incidents across the regional district territory, and had submitted 50 funding requests, which provincial reps said they had not received.
Lum called the application system “broken,” as urgent projects were being approved on a case-by-case basis, meaning that responses came too little or too late. He cited top-priority requests from the FVRD Emergency Operations Centre that had gone unanswered for days like the request for $1.5 million to shore up parts of Othello Road near Hope, which washed away.
The FVRD’s survey puts the spotlight on everyone’s own experiences.
“The intent of this survey is to hear from those who reside in, own, or lease property within the FVRD Electoral Areas as they are the intended recipients and audience for FVRD emergency management services and communications.”
The survey asks:
• How residents, their family, business or community were impacted;
• How they received information; and
• How the FVRD can improve its emergency response communications in future.
The survey closes at 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 6.
Take the survey at https://haveyoursay.fvrd.ca/2021floods
RELATED: FVRD Chair says funding delays set back recovery
RELATED: Timing of FVRD evacuation orders questioned
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