Prince George Citizen May 16, 2019 by Prince George Citizen

Wildfire risk to rise this summer NEWS 6

Thursday, May 16, 2019 | Your community newspaper since 1916

CITIZEN PHOTO BY JAMES DOYLE

Paving progress City crews work to pave a small section of Second Avenue between George Street and Dominion Street on Wednesday morning.

Households urged to assemble evacuation kits Huble Homestead marks 30th anniversary

Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff mnielsen@pgcitizen.ca Are you ready if you had to leave your home at a moment’s notice? That was one of the topics raised Tuesday when an open house was held to give the public an update on the steps local government is taking to keep wildfires at bay and to develop a plan for evacuating Prince George should the need arise. While almost every one of the 100 or so people who attended a midday presentation at the Civic Centre raised a hand when asked if wildfires are a concern for them, only a quarter of them at best replied with a yes when asked if they had an evacuation kit ready should they need to evacuate. Emergency programs manager Adam Davey provided some advice on that matter. He said it is a matter of assembling enough food, water, clothing “and anything else you made need” to last 72 hours or three full days. Put those items in a tote tray or a large hockey bag and and “put it in a place where, if you had to leave at a moment’s notice, you could collect it and go.” In addition, he suggested households assemble a “grab and go” bag – namely a daypack carrying important documents such as passports, birth certificates and insurance policies. In a guide for household preparedness, PrepareBC also

Today’s Weather Hi +14° Low +6° See page 2 for more details and short-term forecasts

Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff fpeebles@pgcitizen.ca

CITIZEN PHOTO BY JAMES DOYLE

Adam Davey, emergency program manager with Prince George Fire Rescue, speaks to a standingroom only crowd on Wednesday afternoon at the Prince George Civic Centre during an open house on the city’s wildfire prevention and emergency preparedness plans. suggests the kit include an AM/ FM radio, medication, a blanket, pen and notepad, cellphone charger, personal toiletries, small first aid kit, an extra pair of glasses or contacts, cash in small bills, a local map, whistle and out-of-area contact card. Storing copies of important documents, including family photos, on a USB stick is smart, as is keeping the gas tank of the family vehicle half full. Davey also provided an update

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on the progress made on developing an emergency evacuation plan for the city, saying a final version will be released in June after a table top exercise is carried out this Friday at Kin 1 with the help of a 900-square-foot map of the city. As it stands, he said about 80 per cent of the city’s population would simply drive away. For those less mobile, any of 18 elementary schools around the city would be the assembly points for those who

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can walk while emergency personnel would rely on knocking on doors to round up the rest. From there, they would be taken by bus to CN Centre, the main assembly point. As to the chance of a wildfire forcing an evacuation, Josh Kelly, the city’s supervisor of energy, environment and sustainability, said it stands at moderate and “maybe a little bit lower than most people think.” — see PROPERTY, page 3

Drug overdoses down in B.C.

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NEWS 5

History is making history. Huble Homestead, the living museum on the site of the pioneer farm on the shores of the Fraser River north of the city, is about to open its gates for the new season. This will be the 30th year those doors will swing wide for the public. “We aren’t shifting things up too much for the anniversary, but there is a comprehensive exhibit set up in the barn to show everyone how far we’ve come,” said Krystal Leason, executive director of the Huble Homestead/Giscome Portage Heritage Society. “Things that seem like they happened just yesterday were actually 10 or 12 years ago, as it turns out. That’s what happens when you’re around this long.” The actual homestead has been around since the turn of the 20th century. — see ‘IT’S THE, page 3

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