The City of Merritt is getting $2 million from the provincial government for flood mitigation work along the Coldwater River from the Public Works Yard to the Canford Avenue Dike.

It is one of 49 local governments and First Nations in British Columbia getting $23.4 million in emergency preparedness funding from the provincial government.

Emergency Management and Climate Readiness Minster Bowinn Ma says the money will help reduce the risks from future disasters related to natural hazards and climate change.

“From wildfire season and the heat dome to flooding caused by atmospheric rivers and drought we’ve all experienced first hand the impact of climate change,” she said.

“We need to ensure that communities have the tools they need to mitigate and prepare for climate related emergencies. That is why I’m happy to announce today one of the many first steps that we are taking to do this.”

Money is also going towards floodplain mapping work work in Barriere, Clearwater, and Clinton, with the Upper Nicola Band also getting $150,000 for Foreshore Integrated Management Planning at Nicola Lake.

“This funding is vitally important so that Barriere understands the environmental hazards that could critically damage our public and private infrastructure,” Barriere mayor, Ward Stamer, added, in a news release.

“If there is one thing we have learned from recent climate-related weather, it is that our community needs to be planning and building appropriately for these events to better equip ourselves and ultimately reduce the future costs for infrastructure and social recovery from weather-related events that seemingly are happening every year with fire, floods or heat-related events.”