North Cowichan wants to know!
North Cowichan is developing a Climate Adaptation Strategy that will help make municipal operations more resilient to climate hazards. Recent extreme weather events such as flooding, heat domes, drought, and wildfires, have been felt by our communities, and North Cowichan is launching a process to better prepare and protect the community from these events.
The strategy will help North Cowichan respond to the effects of extreme weather on our local infrastructure (roads, bridges, utilities), natural environment (rivers, shorelines, forests), economy, and community well-being and will include a set of actions that will address local risks and identify opportunities to build community resilience. These actions may include recommendations for watershed management, emergency planning, infrastructure maintenance, flood protection, and environmental stewardship.
The first phase of this project will identify the existing risks and vulnerabilities in the community, through a ‘risk and vulnerability assessment.’
Residents and businesses can contribute to this process by sharing their own experiences with extreme weather. Feedback heard about areas that matter most to the community will help inform the final strategy. The survey is available through to August 7 at www.connectnorthcowichan.ca/climate-adaptation
This work follows previous climate planning by North Cowichan, as well as a Regional Climate Change Adaptation Strategy led by the Cowichan Valley Regional District. North Cowichan’s Official Community Plan contains actions directly related to increasing community resiliency from climate hazards. This work is funded by the Province of BC through the Community Emergency Preparedness Fund.