Disaster management student on preparedness in Sea to Sky

The work of disaster and emergency management student Veronica Woodruff on preparedness in the Sea to Sky Corridor was featured in the Whistler Pique and the Squamish Chief.

Here is an excerpt:

A handful of experts offered a peek into some of that work during the Sea to Sky South Mitigating Natural Hazards Risk Workshop, which took place for community members on Zoom last month. (A similar workshop was held for Sea to Sky north communities the day before.)

Led by Veronica Woodruff, a Pemberton consultant who co-owns Clear Course Consulting and is studying natural hazards through a master’s degree at Royal Roads University, the workshop revealed the results of a survey that delved into how locals would respond in the case of a natural disaster. In total, there were 633 responses from people throughout the corridor.

“I think it’s important to note these kinds of alternative viewpoints and tailor your communications to a whole range of opinions,” Woodruff told the group.

“85% of people said they’d pack up, they’d be ready to go in a moment’s notice [in response to an evacuation alert],” she said. “15% noted they would make their own decision on whether they would take an evacuation alert seriously. And, it was also noted in the comments, that … almost a dozen people said they would probably go, but their partner would stay.”

Further to that, 11% said they would rely on their own judgment to decide if they would follow an evacuation alert and 9% would check with a neighbour or friend before deciding.

Read more in the Whistler Pique and the Squamish Chief.