UPPER NICOLA VALLEY – STUMP LAKE – DOUGLAS PLATEAU – PENNASK LAKE EVACUATION PLAN 2013 INDEX 1. Introduction 1 2. Process 1, 2 3. Reporting Procedure 2 4. Population at Risk 3 5. Risk Priorities 3, 4, 5 6. Special Population 5, 6 Considerations 7. Shelters and Reception Centers 6, 7 8. Evacuation Routes, Distances 7 and Time Considerations 9. Communications 7,8 10. Principal Contact Information 8 11. Required Actions 9, 10 Press Release - Local Emergency Program 11 Evacuation Procedures - Evacuation Order 12 Order - Declaration of a 13 State of Local Emergency Delegation of Emergency Powers Matrix 14 Preparing for an Evacuation 15, 16 UPPER NICOLA VALLEY – STUMP LAKE – DOUGLAS PLATEAU – PENNASK LAKE EVACUATION PLAN 1. Introduction Evacuation is the process of removing persons and/or domestic animals from an area that may pose a threat to life and limb to an area of safety. Depending on the nature and scope of the threat, an evacuation may involve a single building, a group of buildings or an entire community. Further to the results of a hazard, risk and vulnerability analysis carried out for the Upper Nicola Valley-Stump Lake-Douglas Plateau-Pennask Lake areas, an evacuation plan has been prepared that identifies the population at risk, the potential frequency and severity of hazards and the process involved in conducting a safe, orderly evacuation. It should be noted that there are numerous First Nation communities within the TNRD boundaries. Aboriginal Affairs Northern Development Canada (AANDC) provides the necessary Emergency Management support in all First Nation communities. 2. Process As the local authority for Emergency Program Management, it is the Thompson-Nicola Regional District’s (TNRD) responsibility to identify hazards and be prepared to coordinate evacuations in areas that may be affected by emergency events. Depending on the event and circumstances, evacuations could be ordered by: • Province of BC; • Thompson-Nicola Regional District for the TNRD Electoral Areas; • Office of the Fire Commissioner – for an emergency arising from a fire hazard or from a risk of explosion; • Ministry of Health or the Local Health Authority; Upper Nicola Valley-Stump Lake-Douglas Plateau-Pennask Lake Evacuation Plan Page 1 • Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection. The Minister may order or designate a person to order; • Ministry of Energy and Mines and Natural Gas; • Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations for tactical fire fighting purposes. An evacuation order may or may not be preceded by an evacuation alert, depending on how much time is available to clear the affected area. After the event and if it is safe to return home, the order is lifted and a public notice issued through local media. The actual evacuation process consists of the following key elements: • Identifying the population at risk; • Communicating the evacuation order by way of media announcements, personal contact and delivery of handouts; • Identifying evacuation routes and modes of transportation available; • R.C.M.P. enforcing the order and conducting traffic control; • Identifying assembly point and reception centres for evacuees. 3. Reporting Procedure Should a resident of this evacuation plan area need to report an emergency event, the call in procedure is as follows: a) For police or ambulance, dial 911. (Note: when answering, the dispatcher will ask if you require police, fire or ambulance, but there is no structural fire protection in this area except for Douglas Lake Ranch and the Upper Nicola Indian Reserve.) b) To report a forest fire, call 1-800-663-5555. The dispatcher will ask you a number of questions about what is burning, the size of the fire, how fast is it spreading, is anybody fighting the fire, what colour is the smoke and are there any homes or lives threatened. c) For all other emergencies, contact the Emergency Management British Columbia (EMBC) at 1-800-663-3456. EMBC will then contact the appropriate authority to respond to the emergency. Upper Nicola Valley-Stump Lake-Douglas Plateau-Pennask Lake Evacuation Plan Page 2 4. Population at Risk The Upper Nicola Valley-Stump Lake-Douglas Plateau-Pennask Lake Evacuation Plan has been prepared to include an extensive geographical area consisting of ranches, fish camps, First Nations Reserves and numerous back country recreational sites. Among the areas included in this plan are: - the Upper Nicola Valley grasslands and ranching area from Nicola Lake to Shumway Lake, including Stump Lake, Harmon Estates on Nicola Lake and the community of Upper Nicola. - fishing camps and private homes on Pennask, Hatheume, Roche, Peter Hope, Salmon, Glimpse, Chapperon and Paradise Lakes - the Douglas Lake Ranch, including the home ranch townsite and fishing camps at Stoney, Salmon and Minnie Lakes - the Upper Nicola Indian Band including the principal populated reserves of Quilchena and Douglas Lake plus six (6) other smaller reserves - the communities of Aspen Grove and Kane Valley - Nicola Lakeshore Estates subdivision on the upper west side of Nicola Lake The permanent resident population of this area is estimated to be 1500 people, including 550 members of the Upper Nicola Indian Band. This area also receives high year round recreational use by fishermen, campers, hikers, hunters, snowmobilers, etc. 5. Risk Priorities Using a template provided by the Emergency Management British Columbia and in discussion with area residents, a Hazard, Risk and Vulnerability analysis carried out for the subject area has identified the following risk priorities: Upper Nicola Valley-Stump Lake-Douglas Plateau-Pennask Lake Evacuation Plan Page 3 RISK FREQUENCY SEVERITY DETAILS OF OF OCCURRENCE IMPACT 5.1 Fire – interface Moderate or likely Very high • The higher elevations of this plan area are heavily timbered, with open grasslands in the lower areas. • Most of the populated areas abut the heavily treed areas, particularly the higher elevation recreational lakes. • High summer recreational use could lead to frequent human caused fires. • Lower elevations subject to high to extreme fire hazard ratings in summer months. 5.2 Infrastructure Occasional or slight High • Possible loss of utilities in isolated areas failure chance due to both summer electrical and winter severe weather storms. • Loss of utilities would lead to loss of domestic water in most cases. • Transportation routes could be compromised by severe winter weather. 5.3 Severe Occasional or slight High • Road access to higher elevation isolated weather chance areas could be cut off by severe weather events such as snowstorms, flooding or bridge washouts. • Power and telephone utilities are vulnerable to extreme weather. • Some roads become difficult to travel during spring breakup, and a large-scale evacuation or the moving of heavy equipment would be hindered. • Summer electrical storms could disrupt utilities. 5.4 Dangerous Unlikely or High • The potential for this event is related to goods spill improbable transport truck traffic, more on Highway 5A than the Okanagan Connector as large trucks tend to avoid the Connector due to the high elevation and steep hills. • A lot of truck traffic on 5A hauling a wide variety of goods, some of which is hazardous and/or flammable or explosive (i.e. propane). 5.5 Epidemic – Unlikely or High • This evacuation plan area has a high Animal improbable concentration of ranches. Douglas Lake Ranch alone has a current herd of approximately 20,000 cattle. • As ranchers take all necessary precautions to keep their stock healthy, there is no history of an animal related epidemic in this area. 5.6 Epidemic – Unlikely or High Human improbable Upper Nicola Valley-Stump Lake-Douglas Plateau-Pennask Lake Evacuation Plan Page 4 5.7 Flood Unlikely or High • There are a number of storage dams in improbable this area for irrigation reservoirs plus the structure at the outlet of Nicola Lake. Potential exists for flooding during high snowpack years, particularly if freshet is combined with high rainfall events. • Watercourses that should be watched closely include the Nicola and Coldwater River watersheds and Quilchena Creek. 5.8 Storm surge Unlikely or Low • Potential exists for rapid increase in creek improbable and stream waterflows during freshet and high rainfall events. Damaging flows could occur if snowmelt is coupled with extreme rainfall. 5.9 Critical facility Highly unlikely High • Potential for loss of utilities due to weather failure (rare event) related events (winter storms, strong winds, electrical storms). • No structural fire protection in any of this area except for a small local fire department at Douglas Lake Ranch 5.10 Transport Highly unlikely High • Logging truck traffic plus fuel and propane accident – (rare event) delivery trucks on both main highways and road rural roads. • School bus traffic in the area. • Potential for dangerous goods events (Sec 5.4). 5.11 There were several other potential emergency events contained in the HRVA that, although not considered to be high-risk hazards for this area, are still considered to be possible events. These include: • Industrial fire • Infrastructure failure • Dam failure • Terrorism • Explosion or Emissions • Landslide, debris flow or subsidence 6. Special Population Considerations R.C.M.P. Detachments: - Kamloops Rural 250-314-1800 - Merritt 250-378-4262 Fire Departments: - Douglas Lake Ranch 250-350-3344 - Upper Nicola Indian Band 250-350-3331 Both of the above fire departments respond only to their home communities. There are no structural fire fighting departments for the remainder of the plan area. Upper Nicola Valley-Stump Lake-Douglas Plateau-Pennask Lake Evacuation Plan Page 5 Schools: - Douglas Lake Ranch Elementary – 9 students as of November, 2009 - Upper Nicola I.B. N’Kwala School Christine Hammonds, Principal 250-350-3370 - high school students attend school in Merritt Hospitals: Nicola Valley Health Care, Merritt 250-378-22421 Ambulance: Dispatched through 911 from Merritt Airport: There are two (2) in the area, both of which are VFR only. - Douglas Lake Ranch - 1400 m runway - Merritt - 1200 m runway Different languages spoken: English only (90.5%) French only (2.0 %) Other (7.5 %) 7.