EMO News Release - January 10, 2022

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We hope your holidays were relatively uneventful despite the snow, wind and rain we recently experienced. We wish you and your families, the best for 2022, may it be a safe and healthy year.

Protect Your Property from Melting Snow
Snow looks lovely on greeting cards, but when it starts to melt, it can wreak havoc on your home. Large amounts of water can clog gutters, damage drainpipes if frozen or even saturate foundation material. That's why, to help protect your home from melting snow, you need to be proactive. By taking time to minimize the risk of melting snow from damaging your property, you can protect your investment and help you and your family enjoy a safe, warm and comfortable home all winter long.

Prevention is the key to protecting your home from excess snow, ice and the resulting snowmelt runoff. Here are a few tips:

Your roof
Have your roof inspected and, if necessary, repaired by a professional roofing contractor. That way, you can make sure there are no leaks that could result in water damage. Heat from the attic can melt rooftop snow, leading to ice buildup and the collection of even more water on the roof. Adding insulation to the attic helps prevent this and saves on energy costs.

Clear away snow from around your home
When all that snow melts, water will inevitably seep into the construction materials of your home. First, clear the roof snow and then circle your foundation, clearing most of the snow to four to six feet. Then when the snow does melt, it will be well away from the foundation.

Clear snow from the roof
Once you've cleared sufficient space around your home and made sure the driveway and walkways aren't slippery, you can clear your roof. Don’t climb on your roof adding weight along with the danger of sliding off. Stand on a sturdy ladder; it's best if someone holds it to keep it stable and use a roof rake to remove excess snow.

Make sure the gutters and downspouts are free of debris
All that melting snow has to runoff your roof and away from your property. Check the gutters and downspouts, and if there's any buildup of dirt and debris, scoop it out and dispose of it appropriately. It’s important to install correctly sized gutters and downspouts to carry the expected water from both rain and snow and the downspout extensions along with the landscape grading need to move the water well away from the foundation.

Clean the drains
Your downspouts should be positioned so they lead water to the drainage system. Clear the drains of any debris, so water won't pool in those areas.

Basement or crawl space waterproofing
Install waterproofing measures such as an interior drainage system and sump pump that removes water before damage occurs. Fix any cracks in the foundation before they let in water or expand with freezing. When water levels are high after a thaw, your sump pump leads water away from your basement to prevent flooding. Refer to the manufacturer's manual to run a check on the device to see if it's in good working order. If it isn't, call a plumber to have it repaired as soon as possible. With existing sump pump systems, make sure the drain lines are working and the backup battery is fully operational.

Foundation insulation
Heat escaping through foundation walls can lead to snow melting around the basement or crawl space. This leads to soil saturation, hydrostatic pressure build-up, cracks, and flooding. Additional insulation can help prevent this and save on heating costs.

Sources: ENCOMPASS, CBC, University of Waterloo

Here's an explanation about snow melt, research from the University of Waterloo.

Understanding the status of your power outage
There are many individuals working behind the scenes to restore your power, especially in the event of a major storm or emergency.

When there is a power outage, BC Hydro provides a list of outages and outage map which show the status of your outage and the process. Here’s what each means:

  • No crew assigned - a crew hasn’t been assigned to the outage yet. BC Hydro is working around the clock to get power restored but there are no updates at this point.
  • Crew assigned - a crew has been assigned to the area and your outage is on their list to tackle when they can.
  • Crew on their way - a crew is on its way to investigate your outage.
  • Crew on-site - a crew is working to investigate the cause of the outage and determine the required repairs and with an estimated time of restoration (ETR) soon.
  • Changed from assigned to not-assigned - the crew may have been called away to address an immediate safety issue or emergency, other work took longer than anticipated, or additional damage was found, and resources were shifted.
  • Suspended - the initial crew that arrived and assessed the problem needed different equipment. This usually means heavy equipment or materials like new poles, or additional personnel to tackle the problem and it's not currently assigned to a specific crew.

The above is from the BC Hydro website which includes much more information about types of outages, the process to restore outages, and how outages are prioritized.

COVID-19
As we begin 2022, the Omicron variant is proving to be far more transmissible compared to other COVID-19 variants. The public health officer advises the most effective prevention measure to reduce the risk of infection from COVID is vaccination.

Information about COVID-19, how to protect yourself, your family and your community and what to do if you suspect you have the virus is available from Island Health. Everyone 18 years and older will be invited to get a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine about six months after they received their second dose. Information about the booster is available here.

Last week, the City of Parksville announced steps to prepare for a mandatory vaccination policy. Employees, contractors, volunteers and on-call firefighters will be required to provide proof they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Details of the policy and implementation plan are now being finalized.

Province-wide restrictions
To help keep BC safe, province-wide restrictions are in effect until January 18. Most recent information is available here.

  • Indoor organized gatherings of any size are not allowed.
  • Indoor events at venues can only have 50% capacity. This includes events like concerts, sports or movies.
  • Bars, nightclubs and lounges are closed.
  • Restaurants, cafes and pubs can have a maximum of six people at each table.
  • Adult gyms, fitness centres and dance studios are closed.

As well, the provincial health officer announced revised orders which will be in effect until January 31, 2022. These orders address rising COVID-19 case counts and include:

  • Indoor personal gatherings are limited to your household plus ten visitors or one other household. Everyone 12 and older must be fully vaccinated.
  • The BC vaccine card is required for organized events of any size.
  • At restaurants, cafes and pubs, customers must stay seated and cannot move between or visit other tables. Masks are required when not seated
  • Limiting venues of 1,000 individuals or more to 50% of the seated capacity with reinforced masking requirements and scanning of the BC vaccine card QR code.
  • All sports tournaments and related travel are not allowed.

In addition to the provincial health officer orders, British Columbians are advised to limit indoor gatherings to those who are fully vaccinated, ensure proper ventilation indoors, avoid all travel if not fully vaccinated and follow the travel advisory issued by the federal government to avoid non-essential travel outside of Canada.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Town of Qualicum Beach
Town Hall is open to the public with full services. Hours of operation are Monday to Friday, 9 am to 4 pm (except statutory holidays). Although the office is open, residents are strongly encouraged to take advantage of the other payment options including payment through your financial institution; mail a cheque; or drop off a cheque at Town Hall drop box (location below). If you do wish to visit Town Hall to conduct business, masks are mandatory while in the building.

City of Parksville
City Hall is open to the public from 8 am to 4 pm and our operations department from 8 am to 4 pm and closed noon to 1 pm.

Information for the public when visiting:

  • Entrance to the Parksville Civic and Technology Centre is from Jensen Avenue East only.
  • Masks are mandatory while in the building.
  • Staff may elect to meet with the public either in-person or virtually and in-person meetings will comply with protocols on distancing and masks.
  • Access to the Vancouver Island Library is from 100 Jensen Avenue East.
  • Main floor washrooms are open for public use.
  • The public is welcome to attend Council meetings in-person; however, attendance is limited. Meetings may be viewed from the City’s website.
  • If sick, please stay home.
  • Refer to the City website and Let’s Talk Parksville for more information.

BC Centre for Disease Control
Island Health
Vaccine info - 1 833 838-2323
Medical COVID-19 information - 811
Proof of vaccination info

For information, contact:

Aaron Dawson
Emergency Program Coordinator, City of Parksville
adawson@parksville.ca

Rob Daman
Emergency Program Coordinator, Town of Qualicum Beach
rdaman@qualicumbeach.com

Deb Tardiff
Manager of Communications, City of Parksville
dtardiff@parksville.ca

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