B.C. warns residents to be prepared for emergencies amid wildfires, evacuations

The B.C. government is urging everyone in the province, whether they live near an active wildfire or not, to put an emergency plan together – including a grab-and-go emergency kit – as wildfires burn across the province.

While speaking at a provincial update on wildfires on Thursday, B.C. Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness Bowinn Ma warned that climate-related emergiences, such as flooding and extreme heat, are increasing.

The City of Nanaimo emergency program manager Evan Lloyd says recent emergiences are a good reminder to be prepared for other major events.

"There’s all sorts of things that can happen on the island," said Lloyd.

"We have a number of hazards, but the most important thing is just being prepared for anything," he said. "So building a kit at home, having some food and water for several days for you and your family, are the most important things that we can do to be prepared for anything."

An emergency kit should include enough food and water to last three to seven days with each person requiring four litres of water per day. A complete list can be found here.

In case of an evacuation, a grab-and-go bag should include essentials like food, water and important documents such identification and insurance papers.

Lloyd says the better prepared communities are, the more resilient they are in the aftermath of an emergency.