Ordering an emergency evacuation of all or part of an area is a very serious step. Detailed planning is needed for an evacuation. In British Columbia, the Emergency Program Act (1993) permits the head of a local authority to declare a State of Local Emergency. This allows the local authority access to the extraordinary emergency powers of the Emergency Program Act and order an evacuation if it is absolutely necessary. There are several other statutes that can be used to order an evacuation:

Evacuation Procedures

The evacuation procedure normally follows three stages:

Authorities will alert the population at risk of the potential for evacuation.  If you get an evacuation alert you should be prepared to evacuate the area. This warning will be given by:

  • Door-to-door, with information given to you
  • Radio and/or television broadcast
  • Sirens
  • Telephone calls
  • Digital media including: alerts on the RDKS website, and emails sent to  persons who sign up to get alerts

Definitions