Hope councillors all voiced their appreciation for the community’s strength during the storms at the most recent council meeting.
“All of our people, plans and community were tested to the max during the super weather event,” Mayor Peter Robb said in his report to council. “This was an event that was unforeseen in its scope… Many residents and non residents will remember the generosity and kindnesss of our community.”
Each member took the time to express their thanks to staff, the community, and visitors in coming together to see each other through a very rough time. More than a thousand people were forced to wait out the B.C. storm in Hope, in their vehicles and in emergency shelters and strangers’ homes.
Resources used included helicopter drops, the Canadian military, search and rescue teams, and more.
Now that the region, and province, has moved from emergency mode into a recovery one, the time has come to look back and assess the disaster response, Robb said.
“The emergency operations centre and staff will complete a debriefing with directly involved organizations to discuss what went well and lessons learned,” he said. “As a result, changes to our emergency response plans and potential resource requirements are expected.”
The eroded banks of the Coquihalla River are being assessed by hydrotechnical engineers, and Robb is among the many officials pushing the province to once again become the diking authority.
“This would put an end to municipalities fighting for limited funding,” he said.
READ MORE: B.C.’s Coquihalla Highway to reopen Dec. 20 for essential traffic
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