Wednesday, July 14, 2021
An Evacuation Alert has been issued by the Columbia Shuswap Regional District at the Shuswap Emergency Program’s Emergency Operations Centre. A wildfire burning in the area of Hunakwa Lake in Electoral Area F is growing and may pose a danger. As a precautionary measure and due to the potential danger to life, health or property, an Evacuation Alert is in effect for the following areas:
The community of Seymour Arm
An Evacuation Alert is a warning about a potential threat to life and/or property. It is intended to give you time to be ready for a possible evacuation. Residents will be given as much advance notice as possible prior to evacuation, however, you may receive limited notice due to changing conditions. View the July 14 2021 Evacuation Alert Seymour Arm (PDF).
What you should you do when an alert is in effect
Upon notification of an alert:
- All residents self-register with Emergency Support Services online through this link: https://ess.gov.bc.ca/ You can also search this on Google using the term BC Evacuation Registration and Assistance. When registering, please indicate your community as Seymour Arm. This step is critical as it provides important information in case of an evacuation.
- Locate your grab-and-go bags for you and your family. Gather essential items such as medications, eyeglasses, valuable papers, immediate care needs for dependents. Replenish any items that have expired or need replacement, ensure you and your family members have enough clothing and incidentals for a 72-hour period and have these items readily available for quick departure. See the Public emergency preparation and recovery webpage for details.
- Contact family members, advise them of the situation and determine a meeting location outside of the evacuation area where you can safely reconnect should the area be evacuated.
- Accommodation in the Shuswap area is limited at this time of year. Arrange to stay with family or friends, if possible, or consider finding a campsite outside the alert area.
- Arrange transportation for all household members. Prepare to move any disabled persons and/or children. Fill the gas tanks of personal vehicles.
- Take care of your pets by moving them to a safe location (including horses and hobby farm animals).
- Emergency Support Services cannot provide support to visitors to the area or those with secondary dwellings. People visiting the area should consider relocating at this time.
- Regularly monitor the CSRD website, the Shuswap Emergency Program’s (SEP) webpage, the Shuswap Emergency on Facebook and Twitter, the CSRD's Facebook, CSRD's Twitter platforms or local news sources for up-to-date and accurate information.
The BC Wildfire Service has advised they have limited resources for firefighting at this time, so residents need to be prepared in case the fire continues to move north towards the community. The Shuswap Emergency Program is requesting resources from the province and nearby fire departments.
For update on wildfire information, see the BC Wildfire Service.a
For more information, contact:
CSRD Emergency Operations Centre
Phone: 250.833.3350
