Resiliency Centre in Princeton

The Resiliency Centre in Princeton is open for in-person support at the Beaupre Diamond Drilling Building located at 137 Tapton Avenue between 8:30 am to 3:30 pm seven days a week. The services at this site include Red Cross, Disaster Financial Assistance, and a Resource and Supply Coordinator. For more information, please follow the Town of Princeton Emergency Management on Facebook.

Tulameen Community Centre wellness sessions

The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) with support from Health Emergency Management BC, is offering Wellness Sessions at Tulameen Community Centre, 2595 Otter Avenue, Tulameen. Wellness sessions are also available at Riverside Community Centre, 148 Old Hedley Road, Princeton. Sign up online for these sessions, or scan the QR code below.

• Managing Reactions helps participants better manage distressing reactions by using tools such as breathing retraining, writing exercises, and identifying and planning for triggers and reminders.
• Promoting Helpful Thinking helps people learn how their thoughts influence their emotions, become more aware of what they are saying to themselves, and replace unhelpful with more helpful thoughts.
• Rebuilding Healthy Connections encourages people to access and enhance social, workplace, and community supports.

Need help mucking out and starting the recovery process?
Mennonite Disaster Group and Team Rubicon have been in the Princeton area supporting residents affected by flooding. Both groups can assist with cleaning debris from your house and yard, expedient repairs to homes, help with damaged trees, and flood mitigation (sandbagging). Mennonite Disaster Group and Team Rubicon are both not-for-profit disaster response organizations that assist communities, free of charge. Team Rubicon has currently wrapped up its work and looking to return in the spring. 

Mennonite Disaster Group contact Walter Wiebe 604-839-1801 www.mds.org
Team Rubicon 236-597-7375 request_assistance@teamrubicon.ca 

Red Cross
Support is available for those who require Emergency Support Services (ESS) due to flooding, or those who have not applied for relief funding (in the amount of up to $2,000, conditions apply). Red Cross can be reached at 1-888-800-6493 or in-person at the Princeton Resiliency Centre. Red Cross is expanding support to include Case Management starting February 1, 2022, for those who require additional assistance through their flood recovery.  Visit https://www.redcross.ca/how-we-help/current-emergency-responses/2021-british-columbia-floods-and-extreme-weather for more info.

Well water testing
Last week, the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) approved an extension to support funding for well water testing for areas affected by flooding events in November 2021 to January 31 2022. Well owners are reminded, the first test, and then re-test, are supported through this funding. Costs incurred for any subsequent tests are the responsibility of the homeowner. Visit https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/Private-Well-Testing for more info.

Disaster Financial Assistance (DFA)
For those affected by flooding events from November 14, 2021, to December 2, 2021, applications for DFA are required by March 3, 2022. DFA is meant to provide financial assistance to compensate for sudden, unexpected, and uninsurable losses. Apply online.

Assessors are reviewing applications and have been in the community completing assessments. Watch this video for an overview of the DFA program.

Work in Streams
The RDOS has received calls about how to do work in streams due to debris from flooding.

The Ministry of Forests Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development has jurisdiction for these works, and notification and approval is required to do work in streams and waterways. Examples of when a notification and approval is required may include:

• Bank erosion protection
• Stream diversion
• Large Debris Removal by machine – Plan required
• Gravel removal
• Cutting annual vegetation in a stream channel
• Removal of a beaver dam (as authorized by the Wildlife Act)
• Construction of a temporary diversion around a worksite
• Road crossing culvert – (construction, maintenance, removal)
• Bridge construction (maintenance, removal)
• Pier, wharf (including docks) – construction, maintenance, removal