New Supports for People Evacuated Due to Emergencies
The Province of BC announced additional and faster support for people evacuated from their homes during an emergency.
To better support people who cannot meet their own needs during evacuations from wildfires and other climate emergencies, the Province is introducing several improved measures stemming from the Premier’s Expert Task Force on Emergencies, including:
Introducing an accommodation allowance of $200 per night, which is available through Interac e-transfer or at reception centres. This will provide people with greater flexibility choosing where they stay during an evacuation, whether to stay with family or friends, find a hotel on their own or stay at a campground. Alternatively, people can still receive a direct referral to a hotel or other accommodation from their local government or First Nation.
A new Interac e-transfer direct deposit payment option for people who need help securing accommodation during large-scale evacuations. This will help cut down on long lineups at evacuation reception centres and allow people more flexibility and quicker access to emergency funds during an evacuation. People will also have the option of visiting a reception centre to receive financial support in person.
Updating and redesigning the EmergencyInfoBC website (https://www.emergencyinfobc.gov.bc.ca/) to improve user experience, especially on mobile devices. This includes introducing a new easy-to-use share feature, inviting people to share validated and accurate emergency information with their social network, such as X and Facebook.
People can access the Interac e-transfer support by creating a profile at https://ess.gov.bc.ca/. When there is a large-scale evacuation, people who have created an Emergency Support Services (ESS) profile can log into the online self-service registration tool to receive instructions about the types of supports available to them and how they can be accessed. People are encouraged to create a profile before an emergency as part of their preparedness. The online self-service registration tool may only be available during large-scale evacuations.
People are encouraged to consider getting home or tenant insurance, which is one of the best ways people can protect their families in the event of an emergency. In B.C, home insurance that provides coverage for fire damage and losses is widely available in every community across B.C. Both home and tenant insurance policies typically have additional coverage for living expenses while the person is under evacuation order.
