Welcome to FloodWise!
Explore FloodWise to learn about Fraser River flood and coastal flood hazards and risks in the Lower Mainland.
This portal provides important information about flood risk management and the work underway to reduce flood risks for the region
UNDERSTAND THE RISK
Flood 101
Flood 101
Pluvial, coastal, riverine – learn about the types of flood in British Columbia. And explore the most serious flood hazards faced by BC Lower Mainland communities.
Flood Maps
Flood Maps
Flood maps typically show, at minimum, the area reached by floodwaters (the flood extent) for a flood event. Different types of flood maps show different information for specific purposes.
Flood History
Flood History
BC’s Lower Mainland has experienced two major Fraser River floods in the past 130 years – and there are accounts of floods from much earlier times
REDUCE THE RISK
Flood Strategy
Flood Strategy
A BC Lower Mainland Flood Management Strategy is in development to help people better understand flood risk and support flood risk reduction.
Flood Toolkit
Reduce Flood Risk
Reduce Floods Risk
What exactly is flood risk – and in what ways can we collectively and individually reduce the risk?
When the Waters Rise Videos
When the Waters Rise is a two-part video series from 2020 that offers an overview of Fraser River and coastal flood hazards in British Columbia’s Lower Mainland, the expected impacts of a large-scale flood in the region, and opportunities for flood risk reduction.
The focus of the videos is on large-scale Fraser River and coastal floods, which are the floods most likely to have widespread impacts across the Lower Mainland. Other types of flood, however, can also be serious. These include periods of heavy, sustained rainfall, such as the atmospheric rivers that resulted in the Nooksack River flooding of Sumas Prairie in November 2021,
Work continues in 2022 on a Lower Mainland Flood Management Strategy (LMFMS), with participation of governments and other organizations with flood management responsibilities or interests in the region. Learn more.
Taking a Regional Approach to Flood
LOWER MAINLAND FLOOD MANAGEMENT STRATEGY
The Lower Mainland Flood Management Strategy (LMFMS) is a collaborative initiative aimed at developing a regional strategy to reduce flood risk and increase the flood resilience of communities along the lower Fraser River and South Coast.
PHASE 1:
Completed: 2014 – 2016
Phase 1 of the LMFMS was focused on an analysis of LM flood scenarios, a regional assessment of flood vulnerabilities and a review of flood protection works and practices in the region.
PHASE 2:
In Progress: 2016 – present
Phase 2 of the LMFMS initiative is aimed at developing a regional strategy to reduce flood risk and increase the flood resilience of communities along the lower Fraser and South Coast.
NEXT STEPS (PHASE 3):
Steps taken on the LMFMS in Phase 3 will be focused on implementation. The timeframe depends on strategy completion, funding and other factors.