British Columbians fear wildfires, smoke, flooding and landslides

No surprises here -- British Columbians' top disaster fears are wildfires, wildfire smoke, climate change, severe rains or flooding and landslides or mudslides.

The annual Weather and Property Survey commissioned by First Onsite Property Restoration saw people from across the country questioned online via the Angus Reid Forum and also broke down the numbers provincially.

For BC, 85% are scared of wildfire smoke, 82% fear wildfires, 77% are concerned about climate change in general, 67% are worried about severe rain and-or flooding and 40% dread landslides and-or mudslides.

"We conduct this survey every year to get a benchmark of Canadian attitudes, weather worries and concerns that business and homeowners have for their properties," said First Onsite senior vice-president Jim Mandeville.

"People are aware that storms aren't acting like they used to and we are seeing an increase in all types of property damage from weather events."

These fears are natural, especially since 2023 was the planet's warmest year on record, which triggered more and more natural disasters and more violent storms.

For British Columbians, and Okanagan residents in particular, the fears are also borne of personal and recent trauma.

The McDougall Creek wildfire in August 2023 blazed for weeks, prompting the evacuation of thousands from their homes, destroyed forests and 189 homes, including most of Lake Okanagan Resort.

The resulting smoke choked the Okanagan for weeks as well, smudging skies, closed Kelowna International Airport for a week and making it dangerous to do anything outside.

The fire and smoke also prompted the province to enact a tourist ban for the Okanagan, hurting business and the Valley's pristine reputation.

Also in August, part of the mountainside between Peachland and Summerland gave way (again) and crashed down on Highway 97, forcing the complete closure of the thoroughfare for two weeks.

A Nov. 14, 2021 atmospheric river with torrential rain caused flooding and landslides along the Coquihalla highway between Merritt and Hope, damaging great swaths of the road and forcing its closure for two months.

And let's not forget the brutal cold snaps of December 2022 and January 2024 that damaged grape vines and soft fruit trees to the point that crops were half of what they should have been in 2023 and may mean there's no crops this fall.

The survey commissioned by First Onsite taps into Canadians' concerns about climate change, but also puts First Onsite's name in the forefront for property restoration services suffered because of fire, smoke, flood or landslide.

As such, the survey also went farther and measured fears about a whole bunch of other scenarios that might require property restoration.

For British Columbians, that includes 81% lising personal or family safety as the top threat during severe weather, 72% fearing loss of valuable and personal items, 72% afraid their preparedness in the event of disaster is insufficient, 71% afraid of how much major renovations and repairs will close, 67% fearing having to leave home or the community (including evacuation), 67% worried their insurance won't cover losses and 64% afraid of mould developing.

"The increased occurrence and intensity of catastrophic weather events is a constant driver for homeowners, businesses and communities to be more resilient and better prepared for potential threats," said Mandeville.

"With the right planning and resources in place, businesses and residents can be better prepared to respond to property emergencies."