Emergency Preparedness
Sign up for emergency alerts, what to put in your grab and go bag, and Area B emergency evacuation guide
Sign up for emergency alerts, what to put in your grab and go bag, and Area B emergency evacuation guide
The Voyent Alert system is the RDN's emergency notification system. In an emergency the RDN will send out information such as evacuation information. You can sign up to receive alerts via text, the Voyent Alert app, email, or phone call. You can also sign up to receive alerts about multiple locations - for example if you live on Gabriola but you work or your child attends school in Nanaimo, you can sign up for alerts for those locations as well.
Emergency preparedness includes being ready to evacuate on short notice (e.g., a grab and go bag), being prepared to shelter in place for an extended period of time (as islanders we're recommended to be able to shelter in place for 2 weeks in the event that help can't reach us immediately), and it also includes taking proactive steps to reduce the change of an emergency, like FireSmarting your property.
Get Prepared - https://rdn.bc.ca/get-prepared - what do you need to do to be prepared? Are you ready to support your pet, your family, your livestock in an emergency? This page has step-by-step information about building your emergency plan and resources.
The link above has general information about FireSmart but the closest source is the Gabriola Fire Dept which does free FireSmart assessments right on island. https://www.gabriolafire.ca/fire-smart The Mudge Island Citizens Society has a volunteer community group that helps as well https://www.mudge.ca:85/fire-prevention/be-fire-smart/
The RDN has created an evacuation route plan for Area B. Please review it to know the evacuation zone your neighbourhood is in. Download and print the relevant pages - in an emergency you might not have the ability to go online or access to print the manual.
Please note that this is not an instruction manual that is applicable to all emergencies. For example, a major evacuation route may be along South Rd, but that route may be inaccessible. Trying to take that route may put you in greater danger. In addition, for many emergencies the best response may be to shelter in place. That is why it's so important to sign up for Voyent Alerts through the RDN. In an emergency the RDN will provide instructions about actions to keep you safe. The RDN will coordinate with the Fire Dept and police and ambulance as well as other groups (e.g., BC Ferries and GERTIE) in an emergency.
Click here to download a copy of the Area B evacuation plan guide