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Disaster recovery for communities

Last updated on September 20, 2024

These resources are intended for emergency program coordinators (or those in similar positions) to help their communities and community members recover after an emergency event.

On this page:

Resources for engaging the public

Use these resources to help guide people recovering from a disaster. The social media toolkit has images and content to be used on your social media channels to help your community.

Local Recovery Period (LRP) guide and templates

If a local authority is ready to transition out of a state of local emergency, a local recovery period may provide continued access to certain emergency powers (PDF, 386KB) to support recovery from the emergency.

The guide and templates support this process and provide information on when a local recovery period may be necessary.

Guide and templates

The templates are available as Microsoft Word documents so they can be edited and personalized.

Decision Guide for Transition to Local Recovery Period (PDF, 502KB)

Post-event reporting

Reporting requirements for local authorities after the expiry or cancellation of a local recovery period are found on our response operations page.

Financial resources

Following a disaster, the provincial government may declare the event eligible for disaster financial assistance (DFA). Once declared, DFA funding may assist with repair or replacement of a community's damaged infrastructure. Information on other resources that can help fund your community's recovery, including DFA and mitigation funding, is available on the financial support page.

Re-entry guide and template

This guide and template is intended to guide Local Authorities and First Nations in developing their own re-entry plans, to enable the safe return of residents to their communities while supporting further recovery and long-term restoration activities. 

Re-building considerations

The B.C. Heritage Conservation Act (HCA) protects archaeological sites across the province. Archaeological sites are protected on public and private lands, regardless of previous disturbance or whether they’ve been officially recorded in the Provincial Heritage Register. Any impact to an archaeological site requires an HCA permit before any ground altering work can be done. See Archaeology in B.C. for more information.

HCA Permits

An HCA permit is required if there is a recorded archaeological site that overlaps with a proposed rebuilding or development project on private or public lands. In such cases, property owners and developers often need an archaeologist to review their building or development proposal and determine the work needed to meet HCA requirements.

To fast-track the permitting process and support rebuild efforts, the Province has developed HCA Permits where multiple developments can be included rather than requiring individual permits.

There are several active HCA Permits that support rebuilding structures lost to recent wildfires. Permits that cover other natural or climate-related disasters may be created as needed. To be included and receive authorization under an HCA Permit, a request to the the Archaeology Branch can be made by the consulting archaeologist on behalf of the developer to be added to it.

For permit requirement information on other development types and community/municipal projects impacted by natural disasters, contact the Archaeology Branch at: Archaeology@gov.bc.ca. 

Downloadable resources

These are handouts to provide after a disaster. Please distribute them together.

Recovery guides and resources

After an emergency incident, these resources can help with planning your community's recovery and the process of submitting eligible financial claims.

Guides