Regional flood management strategy in the works for the Lower Mainland

WATCH: Flooding is a major risk in the Lower Mainland, and today all levels of government, as well as several public and private sector organizations, joined forces to announce a regional strategy to reduce risk. Grace Ke reports.

Communities in the Lower Mainland are bracing for any potential flood risk.

A multi-year initiative to develop a regional flood management strategy to protect areas along the lower Fraser River and coast from Hope to Richmond and from Squamish to White Rock was announced today.

The Fraser Basin Council, which oversees the initiative, says the flood management strategy reflects “a serious, unprecedented commitment by the federal government, the Province of BC, 25 Lower Mainland local governments, and other public and private sector organizations to work together on flood protection measures that will safeguard the region as a whole.”

The council says communities and infrastructure in the Lower Mainland are vulnerable to different flood risks, including snowmelt, heavy rainfall, debris flows and tsunami, adding a major flood would have serious social, economic and environmental consequences for the entire region.

The sea level along B.C. coast is projected to rise by approximately one metre over the next century.

The announcement comes just days after a government report warning half of Fraser River dikes would not be able to handle a major flood.

The strategy will be developed in two phases.

The first phase will build a better understanding of flood hazards in the Lower Mainland, identify flood vulnerabilities across the region and assess flood management practices and policies from a regional perspective.

The next phase, from 2016 onward, will complete the strategy development, based on the work from Phase 1, and will set out options for funding and implementation.

Today’s launch comes on the same day the Chambers of Commerce released a report concluding $50 billion in economic development is at risk unless all levels of government act now.