Regional EOC Activations

The Strathcona Regional District (SRD) in conjunction with the Village of Tahsis, Village of Zeballos, Ehattesaht/Chinehkint First Nation, Nuchatlaht First Nation and Ka:’yu:’k’t’h’/Che:k:tles7et’h’ First Nations are asking community members of the areas affected by the recent prolonged power outage to provide their observations on emergency response activities.

This feedback will help make communities more resilient by ensuring that critical lessons and knowledge are captured immediately into a Community Level After Action Report that will be shared publicly when completed.

Submit – 2022 SRD West Coast Winter Storm Feedback

There are no new updates from the SRD’s Regional EOC.

Thank you to all community members, businesses and volunteers for support during the prolonged power outage.

Past Updates > KYUQUOT    |   TAHSIS   |   ZEBALLOS & EHATIS  |  PHOTOS

The Strathcona Regional District (SRD) has activated a Regional Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) in conjunction with the Village of Tahsis, Village of Zeballos, Ehattesaht/Chinehkint First Nation, Nuchatlaht First Nation and Ka:’yu:’k’t’h’/Che:k:tles7et’h’ First Nations to coordinate the continued provision of essential needs and life safety services during this unprecedented disruption of power and unsafe travel conditions due to extreme winter weather.

The BC Emergency Management System’s top 3 priorities are to Ensure Health and Safety of Volunteers and First Responders, Save Lives and Reduce Suffering.  At this time, it is recommended that travel be limited to essential reasons only and drivers are experienced with a reliable vehicle for winter conditions.  This will help to reduce the chance of accidents and limit placing first responders in dangerous situations while responding to accidents.

The Regional EOC has activated warming centres in the communities listed above, ensuring safety for the most vulnerable and are working closely with BC Ambulance Services ensuring continuity of ambulance services and provision of essential medications.

These are the times when the elderly and those needing care are especially vulnerable, please take the time to be a good neighbour and check to see if they are safe, warm and well.

KYUQUOT UPDATES

January 12 – 12:00 pm

TAHIS UPDATES

January 12 – 12:00 pm

January 11 – 10:30 am

Western Forest Products is donating firewood to Tahsis residents to help keep houses warm this winter

When: Beginning 11 am Jan 11.  First come, First Served.
Where: Former Cedar Mill Site parking lot
What: Split firewood – 1 p/u truck or trailer load per household. Honour system. Respect others in the community who also need firewood
Volunteers Needed: contact Fire Chief Lisa Illes  (250)-203-9120

From Tahsis Emergency Response Program

January 11 – 10:00 am

Volunteer Recognition from Councillor Lynda Llewellyn

Dan & I would personally like to thank everyone for this past week. We stayed at the warming centre from Wed as our place was far too cold. The cots were not comfortable but putting a gym mat on them helped. It was great having hot beverages available and the food was delicious.

People got to know different people. There was one 9 year old, Terrance, who helped out a lot from playing pool with a lonely senior and then keeping him company for hours, to helping sweep up to visiting with another lonely senior, he was polite and very helpful.  I tried to help with dishes a couple of times but got told I wasn’t needed but one night I just helped without asking.

Our paramedics went above & beyond, making sure everyone was either at the warming centre or somewhere safe. They got people to come to the centre who would normally be too stubborn to accept the help. For a situation that could have been very stressful for everyone it was really a very calm place to be.

Thank you to all who made this happen.

January 10 – 10:30 am

Hydro

• Power restored at 5:40 pm Jan 9 – went off at 4 am Jan 10 for 15 minutes before resuming
• More weather systems in play until Thursday

Warming Centre

• About 80 persons fed dinner last evening
• 6 overnight guests
• Breakfast provided this morning
• Will be kept in “standby” mode until Thursday
• Supporting the most vulnerable in their homes with additional resources provided by SRD
• Any SRD purchased food will be packaged and frozen for future use.

Village operations

• Transitioning to regular operations and shutting down generators
• Monitoring critical infrastructure service levels for any power related issues

Fuel

• Sufficient quantity on-hand to run all Village generators and equipment for 2-3 days.

HBFSR

• Open with winter driving conditions
• SRD will be announcing program for residents to make online grocery purchases at Campbell River Save-On Foods.  SRD will pay for grocery orders transportation to Tahsis using local trucking business. Program aims to reduce risky/unnecessary winter travel on the HBFSR.

Next steps

• After Action Report to be prepared by staff for Council consideration
• Will discuss opportunities with staff and partners to improve residents’ preparation for winter power outages.
• Review Village’s emergency power supply gaps and risks in anticipation of future grant opportunities.
• Plan a volunteer appreciation and recognition event

January 9 – 12:00 pm

Hydro is working toward power resumption later today and has residents to do the following:

1. turn off electrical appliances to reduce load on the grid as power comes on.  Transition works best if we can collectively ease back into power
2. call 1-800-BCHYDRO as soon as possible if your power is not restored when power is back on for the community.
   Hydro crews will be in town to respond to individual homes and businesses that do not have power.

Jan 8, 2022 – 8:00 pm

Power line

• Crews were on the ground carrying out repairs and made good progress.
• Crews from other locations have been deployed to the damaged sites, so there are more resources at work.
• The chopper did not fly today
• Hydro asked the Village to inspect the lines and poles today in Tahsis to identify any potential damage.  No damage reported.
• Hydro crews may be in Tahsis tomorrow to energize the distribution line.
• Hydro is estimating resumption of power by Sunday afternoon, but this estimate is weather dependent.
• Hydro has publicly cited Sunday as the estimated day for power resumption, subject to weather.

Warming Centre 

• Our volunteer team continues to be Tahsis strong by feeding people from morning until night.
• About 60 were fed breakfast today and 80 were fed dinner last night
• 12 persons slept at the warming centre last evening and 16 are scheduled for tonight- two volunteers are there to supervise.
• Volunteers and overnight guests have been offered showers

Fuel 

• Volunteer firefighters continued to pump fuel at the Tahsis Supermarket
• Efforts are to energize the fuel pumps at Westview Marina were unsuccessful

HBFSR 

• The road closed late this afternoon – Drive BC not updated since 5am this morning

Firewood 

• Western has been requested to provide firewood or dried raw logs which could be bucked up by local residents
  Coordination
• Daily call/zoom with EMBC, agency stakeholders and other communities impacted – next call 1600 hours Sunday

January 8, 2022 – 9:30 am

Line Repair

• Crews were on the ground carrying out repairs and made good progress.
• Crews from other locations have been deployed to the damaged sites, so there are more resources at work.
• The chopper patrolled the distribution line to Zeballos today as well
• Hydro is estimating resumption of power by Sunday afternoon, based on today’s progress but this estimate is weather dependent.  If the chopper can’t get airborne on Sunday, then there will be a further delay.
• The BC Hydro webpage will be updated with this information.

Warming Centre

• Our volunteer team continues to be Tahsis strong by feeding people
• Food purchased by the SRD arrived this afternoon which will last until early next week.
• 11 persons are now sleeping at the warming centre – two volunteers are there to supervise.

Fuel

• Village crews unloaded 1,000 litres of diesel from the A.G. Ford today at the cedar mill dock and assisted in unloading 600 litres of fuel for the Canadian Coast Guard.
• The fuel truck delivered fuel to the Tahsis Supermarket and the Tahsis Health Centre

HBFSR

• Check Drive BC for road conditions

Critical Infrastructure

• Village crews continue to maintain all critical infrastructure systems working extended hours to operate generators that run Village drinking water and wastewater systems.
• Crews are working all weekend

Freezer “top up”

• this service is not being considered at the present time, but will be considered over the weekend.

January 7, 2022, 3:00 pm – Summary

Warming Centre – Tahsis Recreation Centre

• Hours (9am – 9pm) Open Daily
• Breakfast served at 11
• Dinner served at 5

Road/Travel – road is open two lanes, winter conditions are in effect, please avoid non-essential travel.

Fuel – no fuel restrictions at this time.

Health Services – no further update (see below)

Timeline – There has been extensive damage to the power line serving customers in Tahsis and Zeballos. Crews were able to complete an aerial damage assessment on Wednesday and began work on repairs, but additional heavy snowfall overnight has limited our ability to safely access damaged areas.

Based on current weather forecasts, work can continue over the next couple of days, and once complete we will start the process to reenergize the line. There may be additional vegetation across the line that needs to be removed before power is fully restored.

January 5, 2022, 3:00 pm  – Summary

 Village/Warming Centre – The Village of Tahsis has received a request from Island Health and BC Emergency Health Services to keep their Warming Centre open at the Tahsis Recreation Centre activated 24 hours as personnel have identified about 20 most vulnerable persons who will be encouraged to stay at the warming centre beginning tonight.  Thus evolving this facility to a Warming Group Lodging situation to serve individuals pre-identified by Island Health and BCEHS. We anticipate the Warming Group Lodging Centre to be activated from 8 pm – 10 am for the next three nights.

Cots and blankets have been delivered to the warming centre.  Food donations have been received from residents and the Canadian Coast Guard, Tahsis Search and Rescue Station. Warming centre has wireless internet and cell phone charging is available.

Road/Travel – Open to single lane. Grader is working. Passable by experienced drivers with 4×4 and winter tires.

Fuel – The gas station is currently restricting fuel to 30L per purchase.

Health Services – BC Emergency Health Services has coordinated with the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) to transport patients to Gold River in the event of medical emergencies if the ambulance is unable to get out.  If required, CCG will pick up prescriptions in Gold River for Tahsis patients.  Island Health advises there are no Tahsis residents needing prescription meds until next week.

Clinic resources are available 24/7. Both clinic and BCEHS

Timeline – We anticipate the majority of our emergency response activities to subside in 72 hours due to increasingly favourable road conditions and expected power restoration.

Contact – If you require assistance or need further information, please contact Shaun Koopman, SRD Protective Services Coordinator – 250-830-6702  |  skoopman@srd.ca

ZEBALLOS & EHATIS UPDATES

January 12 – 12:00 pm

January 11 – 11:00 am

• Visit www.shop.igabc.com + place you order by 7pm on Wednesday January 12th
• When creating your accounts, please be sure to choose Port McNeill, as Port Moody is the default store. This involves setting up an on-line account & supplying your credit card number. It must be an actual credit card –
• Visa debits/credits are not accepted.
• If you do not have a credit card, maybe you can piggyback on someone else’s order.
• Please put Zeballos Winter order in the notes. When it asks for pickup date and time, put any date and time in between now and 7pm on Wednesday, as long you put Zeballos Winter in the notes you’ll be taken care of.
• If IGA is out of a product, there is an option for the customer to choose a backup – it is looks a backup arrow. This will allow you to make a choice of a substitution.
• When ordering bananas, it is by each – not a bunch – so if you order 1 and you think you are getting a bunch it is not so – you will get only 1 banana!
• Produce items are usually by the each or by weight. Watch closely when choosing.
• Each order will be boxed & labelled with the matching online order number of their order. The labels are created by the online shopping with the customer’s name, phone number & a box count for each order.
• Your order can be picked up at approximately 1-2pm at the Zeballos Community Hall. We’ll keep you posted on the exact arrival time on Thursday.
• Note: this is not a permanent service, funding availability will be reassessed on a week-by-week basis depending on need and road conditions.
• Disclaimer – the organizations coordinating this service accept no responsibility for lost or damaged items during the transport of your order.

Questions:
Please contact Protective Services Coordinator Shaun Koopman at skoopman@srd.ca or 250-830-6702

January 8, 2022  – 8:00 pm

• Helicopters Without Borders will be arriving in Zeballos tomorrow Sunday Jan 9!
• Grocery Contingency Plan! – Pending

  In the efforts being made to protect our first responders and citizens by reducing travel to essential only, a grocery contingency plan is underway. This supports the request for folks to only travel when necessary and transportation will be provided for by Emergency Management BC (EMBC).

  Please stay tuned for upcoming information on how grocery orders will be placed, most probably for delivery Thursday or Friday (January 13/14). These groceries will be ordered on-line and paid by each individual through a special log in and delivered all at once for pick up by each household who placed an order.
  More information to come soon!
• FUEL UPDATE – Saturday, January 8 @ 10 am
  The three barrels of fuel for those who did NOT receive their generator supply yesterday will be available at the Public Works yard today, starting at noon and throughout the day. Once those who did not get fuel receive their supply we will review in conjunction with Ehatis whether there is any left to disperse and send out another update.
• SHOWERS – The owner of the Zeballos hotel has offered showers to residents.  Please remember to keep showers short to save on the efforts of our Public Works staff and ENJOY!  “There will be 3 rooms at the Zeballos Hotel for showering purposes beginning Friday at 1 pm. Showers will be available for the public today until no longer required. Please bring your own soap, shampoo, towels etc.

January 7 @ 2:00 pm Thank You – Mt Waddington Staff

Staff from Mt. Waddington Regional District did the shopping for the Zeballos Warming Centre yesterday and picked up all prescription medications for people in Zeballos. They dropped it off at West Coast Helicopter, who was booked to deliver it via air but then conditions meant they couldn’t fly.

MWRD staff then helped use their local knowledge to assist us with tracking down a different mode of transportation. West Coast Helicopter was nice enough to store the supplies there while we found a backup plan through Tri Port Transport who offered to brave the road to deliver.

Campbell River Search & Rescue Volunteers delivering food to Tahsis Warming Centre.

Delivery of Fuel donated by Grieg Seafood. Photos & Videos by Councillor Cory Hanson, Ehhetesaht Nation.

Delivery of Fuel donated by Grieg Seafood. Photos & Videos by Councillor Cory Hanson, Ehhetesaht Nation.

Delivery of Fuel donated by Grieg Seafood. Photos & Videos by Councillor Cory Hanson, Ehhetesaht Nation.

A special thank you to Grieg Seafood, as they have sent over a barge to Zeballos, loaded up with food for delivery to both Zeballos and Oclujie.  About 200 frozen pasta meals, four flats of soup (chicken noodle and mushroom), frozen meals and also some granola bars, fruit cups, etc. are on their way.

Grieg Seafood’s Veterinarian and Fish Health Manager Patrick Whittaker, along with Environmental Specialist Kirstyn Nygren load up for the drive to Gold River with food donations.

Grieg Seafood Operations Manager, Mike Crivea – the magician behind organizing the fuel deliveries.

CONTACT

If you require require assistance or need further information, please contact:
Shaun Koopman – SRD Protective Services Coordinator
250-830-6702   |   skoopman@srd.ca