The Alberni Valley Emergency Planning Liaison Group met yesterday – their first since the January 23rd tsunami warning.
It was a chance for the City of Port Alberni and the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District to express their gratitude to first responders and emergency service volunteers for their amazing response.
ACRD CAO Doug Holmes said while there is much to celebrate in the way of successes, they are welcoming advice from first responders and the public about improvements for next time.
While most of the debrief was positive, the main concern was people knew to evacuate, but they didn’t know where to evacuate to.
Holmes said the message has to get out that emergency education and preparedness starts with individuals
He said the city and regional district will be hiring a Manager of Emergency Services, and one of their initial tasks will be public education programs around grab-and-go-bags and evacuation routes.