Posted on: November 30, 2022
Following the snowfall warnings earlier this week, Environment Canada has issued weather advisories for East Vancouver Island and the Malahat Highway - Goldstream to Mill Bay including falling temperatures and icy
conditions with the possibility of more snow.
Temperatures will fall well below zero, and untreated road surfaces and sidewalks could become icy overnight, potentially impacting the Thursday morning commute. The frigid temperatures will remain with us through Thursday night.
The forecast indicates another weather system nearing the region on Thursday night. Indications are that this system will pass offshore of the Island, and impacts will less than the Tuesday storm. However, small changes in the track of this system could lead to significant changes in snowfall amounts and wind speeds across the Island on Friday.
This brings an increased risk for staff/volunteers/patients/residents to experience poor driving conditions to and from work. Make sure to exercise caution when driving. Appropriate tires for mud and snow should be used.
The Vancouver Island Toyota 4 x 4 Club has once again offered to help those in need of a ride. See more info here.
- Travel & Driving Hazards
- Be aware of and prepared for bad weather travel, refer to Shift Into Winter with DriveBC.
- Take advantage of the free Winter Driving Safety Toolkit & Course from WorkSafeBC to implement a winter driving safety program for your team.
- Winter driving safety tips.
- Potential Power Outages
- Be familiar with the emergency plan for your area/unit, to know their roles & what to do.
- Review resources such as Power Outage Preparedness (Video) to increase their personal preparedness for power outages at home and in their communities. For more resources, see below.
- Localized Flooding
- Ensure building perimeter drains are cleared of debris
- Road closures and unsafe driving conditions
- Monitor weather forecasts and warnings closely for updates e.g.
- To report severe weather send an email to: BCstorm@ec.gc.ca or tweet reports using #BCStorm
- For emergency operational concerns, please follow your established contingency plans as well as contacting HEMBC On-Call for assistance on 1.250.370.8575.