Can We Avoid the Next Fraser Valley Flood?

Bob Purdy, Executive Vice President of the Fraser Basin Council

There is a mind-numbing number of overlapping interest groups and “authorities having jurisdiction” that need to cooperate to address the response to the recent Fraser Valley flood.

The flood has immediate, as well as long term implications for a broad range of land economic factors in the region. This flooding is just one of many major events we are dealing with: increasingly frequent droughts, devastating wildfires, a global pandemic.

Despite the predictions of many, why are we so very unprepared for these events? Why does it take a major disaster to galvanize action? What needs to be done to better prepare for so-called long-term threats? What can LAI members do to help through exercising their influence?

These are just a few of the guiding questions for our February 23th LAI Vancouver event. Using the flood as a potent front-of-mind example, the Fraser Basin Council’s Bob Purdy will lead us through an interactive session to explore the impacts of this event, raise awareness of the work of the Lower Mainland Flood Management Strategy and seek your insights into what more needs to be done to prepare.