​It's just after nine o'clock in the morning at Leq'á:mel First Nation and Emergency Operations Centre Director Christina Kelly calls everybody's attention to share some grim news. An extreme weather event is bearing down on the region that will produce atmospheric river conditions, delivering up to an estimated 400 millimeters of rain over the next 72 hours—over 15 per cent of the region's expected annual rainfall. It's expected to cause flooding so severe that major roads and bridges may be washed out, and people will need to be evacuated to safety.

The good news is that after Christina is finished talking to her team, a quick glance outside shows that the situation is reassuringly sunny and dry. That's because this is merely a training exercise, a collaboration with the City of Mission and the First Nations Health Authority's Fraser Salish regional team, to develop emergency preparedness for real extreme weather events.

“First Nations communities are one of the highest impacted communities with fires, floods, and climate change impacts," explains Christina, who serves as the emergency program manager at Leq'á:mel First Nation. “It is absolutely crucial that we collaborate and that we work together and that we train and exercise in Emergency Operations Centre exercises."

First Nations in the Fraser Salish Region have good reason to be prepared—in November 2021, an atmospheric river representing 250 mm of rain in 48 hours caused catastrophic flooding in the region, forcing evacuations of people from their homes and doing billions of dollars worth of damage.

Christina is also regional director of emergency support services (ESS) and says that Leq'á:mel is one of 15 Coast Salish nations actively supporting one another up and down the Fraser Valley, from places like Tsawwassen, Sumas, and Sq'éwlets.

“None of our communities have enough people for teams, and so by grouping together and supporting each other, we're able to provide those culturally sensitive and safe supports," explains Christina.

Cultural safety is extremely important, and Christina says their emergency response planning involves First Nations liaisons, ESS trailers with cedar boughs and medicines, Indigenous foods, and ensuring that cultural practices are maintained throughout any event. There's another important reason that cultural safety is at the forefront of evacuations, explains Christina.

Elders being placed in shared accommodations during an evacuation could trigger traumatic memories of residential schools, something they want to avoid at all costs. It's why Leq'á:mel has developed a “foster families program", a database that determines where Elders could go if they were impacted by an emergency.

“The EOC exercise at Leq'á:mel demonstrated how, through collective effort, we can deliver an effective emergency response service while leveraging the strengths and local champions in Leq'á:mel who are already leading this important work," says Leah Brody, FNHA's Regional Manager for Health Emergency Management, who also took part in the exercise. “It was a valuable experience that allowed us to learn, grow, and build stronger, more resilient responses together."

Emergency preparedness is important for every community, but even individuals can make preparations in the event you're impacted by an extreme weather event or a natural disaster.

Be sure to make a plan, build a kit, and be informed. You can also learn more about how to prepare for flooding, whether from a freshet event or heavy rainfall, on our environmental health and emergencies page.