Following the rapid spread of the Bush Creek East wildfire in North Shuswap in August 2023, comprehensive recovery efforts are now underway.
Michael Higgins, Colliers Project Leaders’ Director of Climate Readiness and Community Recovery, presented an update on the recovery process during a Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD) board meeting in November. The CSRD’s approved governance structure adopts a project management-based approach to the recovery process, focusing on making large incidents manageable and fiscally accountable through operationalized projects.
A set of nine tactical working groups are currently focused on issues affecting impacted communities, including resolving people’s unmet needs, redeveloping and rebuilding critical public infrastructure, and managing permitting and solid waste management challenges.
“Completed tasks include transitioning from an emergency operations centre ‘emergency tempo’ of activity around the wildfire to a more recovery-based tempo and recovery-based actions,” said Higgins, who worked with the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) to identify priority tasks and approve the governance model, which will be important in helping move recovery forward over the long term.
Our team of project managers are working closely with the CSRD staff to help keep residents updated on the community recovery process through monthly public communications and social media stories. An open house is also planned.
Read more about North Shuswap’s wildfire recovery in this Revelstoke Review article.
