An integrated and collaborative approach is important to building flood resilient communities across British Columbia.
Experience has shown that land use management and flood protection in areas susceptible to flooding are the most practical and cost-effective ways to reduce the effects of flooding on lives and property. This approach requires the cooperation of municipal, provincial, federal and Indigenous governments, developers, builders, realtors and the public, as well as the incorporation of Indigenous ways of knowing.
Land use management helps reduce the impact of flooding on lives and property and requires cooperation across all levels of government, agencies and the public.
In British Columbia, dikes are works that address major flood hazards. There are more than 200 regulated dikes in B.C. with a total length of over 1,100 kilometres, protecting 160,000 hectares of valuable land.