Emergency Support Services
Emergency Support Services (ESS) provides short-term assistance to British Columbians in need of emergency supports who are impacted by disasters. This assistance includes food, lodging, clothing, emotional support, and family reunification. The program is financed by the provincial government and administered by Indigenous communities and local governments.
Evacuee Online Registration
District of West Vancouver, City of North Vancouver and District of North Vancouver are using an online registration system, created by Emergency Management BC (EMBC) to register evacuees. The online platform includes evacuee registration with a self-serve registration option to streamline processes for evacuated individuals to access services more easily and efficiently. Registering online reduces wait times and provide information on things to do and consider for evacuees and reduce processing time for volunteers.
- At the time of an emergency: In person at a designated evacuee Reception Centre. This information is often included in Evacuation Order documents.
- Before an emergency: Online through the Evacuee Registration and Assistance (ERA) platform.
Pre-registering online for Emergency Support Services will make it easier for you to access Emergency Support Services during an emergency.
Learn more about Emergency Support Services
If you have been displaced from your home and need Emergency Support Services, you can register online prior to arriving at the reception centre. Once registered, proceed to a designated reception centre in the community to receive supports.
If you do not require Emergency Support Services, simply self-register online.
If you require assistance with self-registration you can ask for help by calling the Emergency Support Services Info Line: 1-800-585-9559.
If you are unable to register online, you may still register in person at the reception centre.
Reception Centres
Reception centres have sometimes been referred to as evacuation centres, registration centres, disaster relief centres, or family centres. The term reception centre describes the initial function of the centre -to receive evacuees who have been forced from their homes as a result of an emergency or disaster. Reception centres are also used as an information centre, a staging site for volunteer disaster relief workers, a site where insurance adjusters can operate, an emergency day care centre, etc.
Group Lodging Centres
A Group Lodging facility is the location designated by the local ESS team, in cooperation with the local authority, which provides dormitory style accommodation for people displaced from their homes as a result of an emergency or disaster. These services are usually performed in local community centres, school gymnasiums, arenas etcetera. At a Group Lodging facility individuals will be provided with a sleeping space, meals as well as information about the emergency situation.
