The cohesiveness of a community really stands out when blazing embers are blasting across the neighbourhood, according to the Saanich emergency planning officer.
Erin Stockill saw it firsthand as a blaze saw residents removed from their homes in the wee hours of Nov. 20. All while a wind storm raged.
“We really encourage people to get to know their neighbours,” Stockill said. “We certainly saw the importance and difference it can make to know your neighbours and support them.”
The structure fire didn’t come with a warning, but the wind storm did. With rapidly improving information and technology, the heads up on extreme weather comes earlier and earlier.
Even as some Island residents awaited the return of power or opening of roads, a second wind alert for Vancouver Island sent some into a new tizzy. The second bout expected Friday (Nov. 22) promised to be a far cry from the first, with winds in the 80 km/h range, said Yimei Li, meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada. The latest low pressure is a lot weaker than the previous, she said, noting it should be relatively quiet for a few days, though temperatures are dipping. Overnight lows are anticipated near 0 C for Nov. 26.
Use the days where the weather is a little better to hazard hunt in the yard; perhaps packing up the patio furniture before it starts to blow across the yard and have a look at trees that may need a little TLC after a dry summer or extra wet spring such as the one we just had.
“Take advantage and do that now,” Stockill said.
She wants folks to reflect on the moments ahead of the cyclone bomb that recently raged across the coast, leaving 90,000 BC Hydro customers without power the morning of Nov. 20.
“What items could I have had at home that would make me feel more prepared and more resilient?” Stockill said. “Take those little steps toward preparedness for a power outage and you’re more ready for a larger event.”
As fall slides into winter, Stockill recommends residents identify a bad-weather buddy, making those connections while the sun shines, so both parties are ready when it gets gross, or worse.
“That’s a free way to take steps toward preparedness,” she said. “Make those connections now, especially if we’re looking at snow in the coming winter months.”
Autumn in Greater Victoria has been wetter than normal according to Li’s data.
From Sept. 1 to Nov. 18, the University of Victoria weather station saw 225 mm of rain, 24 per cent above normal, Victoria Gonzales saw 210 mm of rain, 36 per cent above normal, and there was 246 mm of rain at the Victoria International Airport, four per cent above normal for the same period in previous years.
A wetter colder winter is on the horizon.
That likely means snow.
“With a La Nina year, there’s always the possibility there could be some snow. We don’t always get snow for the South Coast but for La Nina years it’s more likely because it’s colder and wetter,” Li said.
While there’s no snow anticipated at the moment, snowflakes have appeared in the forecast for parts of the Island and temperatures are expected to dip into that territory. She also suggested people start planning early.
She recommends people register for municipal alert programs or apps. And residents should pay attention to provincial alerts, which Saanich uses, noting it can warn of expected flooding, tsunami and now the earthquake early warning system. Those are free.
So is sitting down and creating a family plan.
“We all know we're in a time where the cost of living is astronomical and there can be hesitation to take steps toward preparedness because of costs,” Stockill said, a proponent of thrifting and repurposing where possible.
Start small, she suggests, following checklists and supports online.
Find some of the Saanich supports at saanich.ca and find federal preparedness tips at getprepared.gc.ca.
