Heat dome deemed deadliest and among costliest disasters in B.C. history: report
The heat dome that killed 619 people two years ago was the deadliest and one of the costliest disasters in B.C.’s history and pushed critical infrastructure to the limit, pointing to various gaps in the province’s ability to respond.
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“We estimate that avoiding these deaths has an economic value of $5.5 billion dollars when based on the [value of a statistical life],” the authors note. “We also found that health-care costs attributed to the heat wave amounted to $12 million.”
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New alerts, an extreme heat preparedness guide and nearly $2 billion in funding for First Nations and municipalities have also come available in response to the recommendation that businesses and employers receive the tools and information they need to protect themselves and their employees from extreme heat.
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