Haida Gwaii Group Receives Tsunami Clean-Up Funding
Prince George, BC – A group in Haida Gwai has received more than $100-thousand dollars in funding to establish a tsunami debris management and clean-up program to respond to debris expected to arrive along BC’s coast from the devastating 9.0 quake that rocked Japan in 2011. (photo at right shows 170ft derelict squid vessel found floating in BC coastal waters courtesy US Coast Guard)
An estimated five-million tonnes of debris was washed into the sea in the ensuing tsunami – 70-percent of which sank off the coast of Japan, leaving approximately 1.5-million tonnes floating in the Pacific Ocean. According to the BC Ministry of Environment, BC has seen less debris than originally anticipated. However, the Government of Japan announced a one-time, $1-million dollar grant earlier this year to assist Canada with the clean-up.
The Haida Gwaii Tsunami Debris Committee includes local First Nations and the local governments of Queen Charlotte, Skidegate, Old Masset, Masset and Port Clements. The group formed in early 2012 to begin address tsunami debris arriving on the shores of Haida Gwaii.
Village of Queen Charlotte Chief Administrative Officer, Peter Weeber, says, "This financial contribution will help our collaborative efforts to develop a plan for managing tsunami debris."
The HGTDC’s $139-thousand dollar grant will be used to establish at least four accessible and four remote access clean-up sites, promote education and volunteer clean-up activities, monitor debris accumulation, and develop a protocol for managing debris.
Comments
Prince George needs to apply for a clean up grant take a walk down Victoria St. and 20th and see the debris and accumulation. This needs to be cleaned up, by who?? I was walking passed the Homeland Inn on 17th yesterday about 3 o’clock there was two children a boy and girl about 10 and 12 years old ,they were standing on stumps looking down at the stuff spread along side the Inn, I told them not to touch any of it there could be needles in it, they just ignored me and I kept on walking. Where is our Civic Pride??
Maybe we could get the big blue needle van to also do some clean up.
There are needles and pipes spread all over. Saw a needle and some used condoms down at the parking lot of Cottonwood Island Park the other day.
So just where is this mountain of debris they keep predicting, predicting. You would think there would be evidence on the ocean but have not heard of it.
JAPAN is offering one million one time only offer for debris wow who is going to be responsible when that radioactive plume drifts our way slated to hit the west coast in 2014 screwing up the pacific ocean not to mention a lot of lives dependent on etching out a living off of the water!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
seamutt – the mountain of debree is hidden behind the mountain of radiation and its all hard to track due to the currents changing from global warming ;)
bitter: “Prince George needs to apply for a clean up grant take a walk down Victoria St. and 20th and see the debris and accumulation.”
Or… people could you know, maybe step away from their computers, put down their phones, and go out and pick up some garbage to beautify their neighborhoods. And it might do something for City pride to boot. It’s crazy talk, I know.
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