The Regional District of Kootenay Boundary officially opened the doors on its Boundary Flood Resilience Centre on Saturday with a community breakfast.
The centre, which is located at the Grand Forks Curling Club, will be playing host to up to 20 agencies who can help residents and businesses in the flood recovery process ahead through answering questions and giving help with paperwork.
The centre will replace the Red Cross Emergency Social Services reception centre that had been in the space for the duration of the flooding, though the Red Cross will be present in the resilience centre.
“We are just now beginning the recovery process in our communities across the Boundary region. The RDKB is developing a recovery plan that will address flood recovery holistically, including built infrastructure as well as the more complex environmental, social and economic impacts of this disaster,” said Roly Russell, RDKB board chair in a press release announcing the opening.
The event kicked off with a pancake breakfast for flood victims and volunteers at 8 a.m. Agencies were on site when the centre opened at 9 a.m. to answer questions, offer information, and help with aid requests like disaster financial assistance.
The resilience centre is intended to be a focal point for the community during the recovery process, information officer Frances Maika said.
The resilience centre will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. for the foreseeable future, the RDKB notes. The contact for the Emergency Operations Centre is 1-888-747-9119.