Correspondence: Province-Wide Earthquake Preparedness Consultation

Earthquake Preparedness Consultation

May 7, 2014

His Worship Graham Hill Mayor of the Town of View Royal 45 View Royal Avenue Victoria BC V9B 1A6

Dear Mayor Hill and Councillors:

I am writing to follow-up on the Honourable Suzanne Anton’s letter of May 2, 2014, regarding the province-wide Earthquake Preparedness Consultation, chaired by Mr. Henry Renteria (the Chair), former director of California’s Office of Emergency Services. The goal of this initiative is to develop recommendations for government on improving British Columbians’ preparedness for a disastrous seismic event (See attached Backgrounder document).

A cornerstone of this process will be engagement of local authorities and First Nations through meetings in selected communities between May and July 2014. The goal of these meetings will be to provide the Chair with an opportunity to cooperatively identify top priority issues and recommendations with respect to catastrophic earthquake preparedness. A list of questions which will be used to stimulate discussions during these meetings is attached.

It is worth noting that many coastal communities have already provided extensive valuable feedback to Emergency Management British Columbia (EMBC) regarding earthquake and tsunami preparedness issues and priorities. Most recently, the 2014 Community Earthquake and Tsunami Fora served to highlight the continued need for individual awareness and ongoing preparedness efforts. Specific feedback from these fora, and from previous engagement on this issue, has already been provided by EMBC to the Chair, to help inform further discussion.

Attached is a schedule of upcoming Earthquake Preparedness Consultation meetings in communities. I encourage you to arrange for representation at the meeting closest to your community, and to provide feedback as the consultation process unfolds.

Each meeting will include:

1. An introductory briefing on the Earthquake Preparedness Consultation.
2. Group (and/or small group) discussion beginning with the questions attached.
3. A summary of top issues/recommendations.

Please note that in the Capital Regional District, Metro Vancouver, and in the Fraser Valley Regional District, separate meetings have been provided for senior officials/senior representatives due to the large number of expected participants.

RSVPs including name, title, and the specific meeting to be attended, can be sent to the following e-mail: (earthquake.consultation@gov.bc.ca). Please refer to the attached schedule for the maximum number of representatives per organization, and the RSVP deadline for each meeting. If space permits, EMBC staff will contact you to identify additional representatives you may wish to include.

Local authority and First Nations representatives unable to attend at a scheduled community session are encouraged to:

a) Provide written responses to the attached guiding questions, or submit any other applicable input through earthquake.consultation@gov.bc.ca or, b) Contact the EMBC project lead, Mr. Cameron Lewis (250-952-5040 or cameron.lewis@gov.bc.ca) to discuss alternative means of providing feedback.

Any questions regarding this initiative can also be directed to Mr. Lewis.

Preparing British Columbia for a catastrophic earthquake and/or tsunami is a priority activity for EMBC. I look forward to your input as we collectively and jointly work to enhance our preparedness.

Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Patrick B. Quealey Assistant Deputy Minister

pc: Ms. Kim Anema, Chief Administrative Officer

Attachments:

• Earthquake Preparedness Consultation Backgrounder
• Community Meeting Schedule
• Earthquake Preparedness Consultation: Discussion Questions