Emergency Management Cowichan provides enhanced service to residents

March 23, 2023, Duncan, B.C. – The Cowichan Valley Regional District (CVRD) and its member municipalities have established Emergency Management Cowichan (EMC), an enhanced regional service to modernize the oversight and delivery of emergency preparedness planning, incident response and recovery support services within the Cowichan region.

In partnership with the City of Duncan, Municipality of North Cowichan, and the Towns of Lake Cowichan and Ladysmith, the CVRD is introducing a new name for their existing shared regional emergency management service.

With the realities of climate change emerging, Cowichan residents are now facing the potentially annual impacts of atmospheric rivers, heat domes, wildfires, extreme cold and drought. Building on an existing agreement between the CVRD and its member municipalities, Emergency Management Cowichan is poised to grow into an inclusive disaster resilience and climate adaptation organization supporting all Cowichan residents.

“Emergency Management Cowichan seeks to continue the long tradition of Cowichan communities working together in challenging times,” said Ryan Wainwright, manager of Emergency Management Cowichan in a press release. “This strengthened, centralized approach to emergency preparedness, response and recovery will ultimately equip our region with a reliable, highly trained network of organizations and people, capable of providing a more resilient response to the hazards that face our region.”

As EMC develops as an organization, its goal will also be to work in partnership with First Nations to incorporate Indigenous knowledge into all aspects of emergency management for the sustainable future of the Cowichan region.

The newly defined Emergency Management Cowichan will become a familiar sight for residents of the Cowichan going forward and represents the first step in a process towards supporting disaster resiliency for residents in all corners of the region.