Daytime warming centre formalized for Gabriola

Penny Scott

Gabriola Community Wellbeing Coordinator

The recent cyclone bomb and extended power outage challenged even the most stoic Gabriolan. The Extreme Weather Action Team (part of the Gabriola Health & Wellbeing Collaborative) is pleased to announce that Gabriola will host a daytime warming centre in the event of an extreme cold event. Fellowship Church located near the village at 775 Church Street will once again open their doors to the community.

A Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) response for extreme cold weather would follow an extreme cold weather warning from Environment and Climate Change Canada.

When that happens, the RDN will contact the Team representative on Gabriola to trigger the opening of the daytime warming centre.

The triggers for extreme weather conditions are defined as follows for Vancouver Island:

(a) any of the following conditions are prescribed for the Fraser Region, the Vancouver Coastal Region and the Vancouver Island Region:

(i) Environment Canada is forecasting, for the next 24-hour period, a temperature of –4° Celsius or lower as the lowest temperature for that period;

(ii) according to Environment Canada, the temperature currently is –4° Celsius or lower;

(iii) Environment Canada, for the next 24-hour period, is forecasting a temperature of 0° Celsius or lower as the lowest temperature for that period and has issued a weather warning;

(iv) according to Environment Canada the temperature currently is 0° Celsius or lower and Environment Canada has issued a weather warning

More specific details are still to be determined, for example transportations supports and hours of operation.

Notice that the warming centre has been opened to the community will be communicated to all 52 members of the Gabriola Health & Wellbeing Collaborative, the Sounder office and posts will be made on Facebook. Organizations such as PHC and other community outreach volunteers will provide direct outreach to vulnerable community members to bring them in from the cold.

For further information please contact: communitywellbeing@phcgabriola.org

Sounder Alerts: In the event that the warming centre is opened, and the Sounder is made aware of this, an email will be sent to those who subscribe to the Digital Alerts.

Details on how to subscribe are available by clicking here.