Monday December 13 2021
Members across the country have British Columbia residents in their thoughts after weeks of record rainfall, flooding and landslides, which created perhaps the country’s most expensive natural disaster ever seen. Emergency response efforts are just shifting into recovery mode.
Many communities were isolated by floods, landslides and bridge washouts; people are missing and there are five reports of death. Farming communities are devastated by flooding, hundreds of thousands of farm animals have died, and food and water supplies are contaminated.
We’ve seen the impact on mail delivery for our members at work and in their personal lives, as well as the larger effects on the displaced and damaged communities.
Scientific consensus says that the damage is increased by the effects of climate change — increasing the moisture load of atmospheric river events — and compound effects from other disasters like the terrible wildfire season this year.
As an example, Sumas Lake, drained a hundred years ago, was re-created by the extreme events, and is not expected to recede for some time, leaving drowned homes in the flood plain — where insurers do not cover against flooding.
CUPW members are expressing solidarity with people affected by the disasters. Some of our locals are raising money to support displaced residents and for other relief efforts.
As efforts continue, support is still needed: ask your local how to support postal workers and others in affected areas, or give to Red Cross flood relief https://donate.redcross.ca/page/94172/donate<.span>, United Way Lower Mainland https://www.uwlm.ca/<.span>, or Watari https://www.watari.ca/community-programs-watari/migrant-2-migrant/which supports a number of communities including the lower mainland’s large population of agricultural migrant workers who are away from their families and support networks while dealing with these disasters.
In solidarity,