FAQ

Making yourself aware and being prepared for evacuations can be overwhelming. Local first responders can't work on incidents until life and safety issues are under control - that means you. Resisting evacuation consumes first responders' precious time.

If you receive an evacuation alert, be prepared to leave on short notice. 

If you receive an evacuation order, evacuate immediately. Delay can result in roadways being blocked by debris, flood water, smoke or rescue equipment. Listen to emergency broadcasts, pay attention to RDN Voyent Alert! notifications and follow the directions of emergency personnel and representatives from RDN. 

Learn more: Evacuations | RDN 

Receiving an Evacuation Order can be an emotional experience. You could be reluctant to leave your home and community. However, choosing to remain in an area that is under an Evacuation Order puts yourself, your family and first responders in danger: 

• Evacuation routes can change or become impassible 
• Services, utilities and businesses that you rely on daily may be shut down 
• Help may not be able to reach an evacuated area because of a risk to their own safety or access is blocked 

In other jurisdictions, fatalities have occurred when people chose to remain behind or waited too long to leave. For example, according to a report from Australia’s Bushfire and Natural Hazards Cooperative Research Centre, 31per cent of the 552 wildfire-related fatalities in that country from 1956 to 2008 were the result of people evacuating too late after an evacuation order was issued. Another 26 per cent of the deaths were related to people attempting to defend properties against an advancing wildfire. 

Learn more: Evacuations | RDN

Depending on the severity of the situation, an Evacuation Alert or Order may be issued. It's important to understand the difference and to always follow the advice and direction of your local authority. 

• Evacuation Alert: Be ready to leave on short notice. 
• Evacuation Order: You are at risk. Leave the area immediately. 
• Tactical evacuation: May be necessary when there is an immediate need to protect people, animals and property from a hazard impact, and there is minimal time for warning or preparation. These types of evacuations are often coordinated by the local fire department and may be supported by RCMP or Search and Rescue agencies, with assistance from other agencies. 
• Strategic Evacuation: Used when time allows for planning and written declarations of states of local emergencies and evacuation orders. This type of evacuation often follows as support to the tactical evacuation started by local first responders.
• Evacuation Rescinded: The risk to life and safety has now passed. 

Learn more: Evacuations | RDN

During an Evacuation Order, evacuees should do the following:

• Leave the area immediately. Choosing to remain puts yourself and others in danger. 
• Follow instructions provided on where to go. 
• Visit your local government’s Emergency program website for update (e.g. RDN’s Emergency Alerts page)
• Visit EmergencyInfoBC or follow @EmergencyInfoBC for news and updates. 
• Wait for the evacuation to be rescinded and for communication that it is safe, before returning home. 
• You may be told to create a profile to access emergency support services (ESS). 

Learn more: Evacuations | RDN

During an Evacuation Alert, you should:

• Prepare for a potential evacuation by gathering the personal supplies and belongings required for a minimum of 3 days (72 hours)
• Gather everything you need for people and animals
• Consider evacuating the vulnerable persons in your household
• It may be a good time to relocate livestock and farm animals
• Be ready to leave on short notice

Learn more: Evacuations | RDN

Information about reception centres and other emergency supports will be included in local government emergency notifications and website. 

Only travel to support locations/reception centres designated by your local government or Indigenous governing body. Supports will not be available if you travel to a non-designated location.

Evacuees should first look to use their own resources, such as insurance, to support themselves. If you don't have your own resources the local (ESS) program might be able to support. You must connect with a responder at an ESS designated reception centre to receive supports. 

*If you have access to a mobile phone, you can create a profile for ESS in advance to help speed up the process at a reception centre. 

Learn more: Evacuations | RDN 

Whether you need to leave your home due to a wildfire, rising flood waters, or other emergency reasons, you should be aware of Evacuation Alerts and Orders, what they mean and how to prepare yourself and your family. Depending on the nature of the emergency, B.C. has several legal Acts which authorize evacuations: 

• B.C. permits the head of a local authority (i.e. Board Chair of the RDN or Mayor of a City or Town) to declare a State of Local Emergency which then allows that local authority (e.g. RDN, City of Parksville, or Town of Qualicum Beach) to order an evacuation should it be absolutely necessary. 
• An Incident Commander at the scene of an emergency can action a tactical evacuation on an as-needed basis for people at immediate risk from to life and safety due to emergency situations that occur with little or no warning. Support from the local authority Emergency Operations Centre will take place at some time after the start of a tactical evacuation. 
• An evacuation can also be ordered by the Minister responsible for the Emergency and Disaster Management Act if a provincial State of Emergency is declared. 
• An order to evacuate can be given by the B.C. Fire Commissioner under the Fire Safety Act and Forest Act. 
• Ministry responsible for Health - the minister or local health board - Health Act - Chapter 161, Sec. 60/62. 
• Ministry responsible for the Environment - Minister or designate - Waste Management Act. 

Ministry responsible for Energy Mines - Energy and Minerals Division - Mines Act Health Safety and Reclamation Code - Subject: page 3Source: Emergency evacuee guidance for the public (Province of British Columbia).

Emergency situations sometimes require people, as well as their pets, livestock and farm animals, to be evacuated from their homes and workplaces. Evacuations require advanced planning and widespread understanding from community members, to occur quickly and safely. Planning for evacuation routes is a normal part of the emergency planning process.

Evacuation route planning involves: 

• the evaluation and identification of suitable evacuation routes and their capacity for various hazards
• an understanding of local hazard impacts including compounding timelines for efficient evacuations
• the development of standardized public notifications through alert/order templates to create cohesive and concise messaging during emergencies. 

The project began in February 2025 and will end in June 2025. 

The Regional District of Nanaimo, City of Parksville and Town of Qualicum Beach are working together to develop the evacuation route plan. 

This evacuation route planning project focuses on RDN Electoral Area G (Englishman River, San Pareil, French Creek, Little Qualicum & Dashwood), City of Parksville and Town of Qualicum Beach. 

The collaborative 2019 Hazard & Risk Vulnerability Analysis (HRVA), for the RDN, City of Parksville and Town of Qualicum Beach determined that wildfires are one of the highest-ranking hazards faced by the region. Given this growing concern, the anticipated seasonal drought issues, continuously warming climate, and the many single road access communities that exist within the project area, it is critical to develop an operational evacuation route plan for this area. 

Since the RDN Electoral Area G surrounds the City of Parksville and the Town of Qualicum Beach and is dispersed throughout those municipalities, development of a collaborative evacuation route plan is key to helping the communities be prepared. 

Evacuation route plans are built on best practices for emergency planning. This includes expert input from consultants, analysis of local hazards, and gathering ‘groundtruths’ using meetings, workshops and community engagement events with a range of impacted and affected groups in the region. This project has planned engagement activities with: 

• People who live and work in RDN Electoral Area G, the City of Parksville and the Town of Qualicum Beach communities 
• Seven Indigenous Governing Bodies (First Nations and traditional territories)
• Subject matter experts within the staff of RDN, City of Parksville and Town of Qualicum Beach 
• First responders and emergency services 
• Emergency management organizations, provincial and federal ministries
• Emergency planning organizations
• Community interest groups

The project group will roll-out a series of engagement initiatives. The objective of engagement for the evacuation route planning process is to ensure residents of RDN Electoral Area G, City of Parksville and Town of Qualicum Beach are: 

• informed of the process underway and why, 
• are consulted to help ability to shape the resulting plan, 
• understand how to prepare and/or respond in the event of an emergency and/or evacuation in their area, 
• know the outcome of the plan that gets finalized and 
• can use the outputs from this process to support their response in a time of emergency. 

Please take our survey. You feedback is incredibly important. Click here. 

The survey will remain open until May 31, 2025. 

The feedback gathered from the residents of RDN Electoral Area G, City of Parksville and Town of Qualicum Beach will be used to help create a practical evacuation plan, based on localized knowledge of hazards and potential barriers to evacuation, in order to efficiently and effectively evacuate the area in an emergency.