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Daily Brief

The PSEPC Daily Brief is a compilation of summaries of publicly available and PSEPC information concerning critical infrastructure protection and emergency management.

DOB06-009 - 13 January 2006

News

Evacuation alert issued for North Vancouver community
Due to forecasted heavy rainfall and high groundwater levels over the next 24 to 30 hours, the District of North Vancouver has issued an evacuation alert for 296 homes in the Berkley-Riverside escarpment area -- an area that experienced a fatal mudslide in January 2005. The residents are not being advised to leave their homes at this time; however, they are being advised to begin preparations in case an evacuation becomes necessary.

The district had installed piezometers on the slope where last year's slide occurred to measure groundwater levels. Due to the continuous rainfall that Vancouver has received over the past month, the piezometers are showing high groundwater levels, which can raise the risk of a mudslide.
(Source: cbc.ca BRITISH COLUMBIA, The District of North Vancouver, 12 January 2006)
Source article
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PSEPC Geomatics provides a map (192 kb) of the affected area.

In brief

Boil water order issued for Nunavut community
Approximately 2,300 residents of Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, are being advised to boil their water after water sample tests indicated the presence of bacterial contamination. The boil water advisory will remain in place until the water is considered safe.
(Source: cbc.ca NORTH, 12 January 2006)
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Avian Influenza: Update
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), laboratory tests conducted in Turkey have confirmed detection of the H5 subtype of avian influenza virus in two additional patients. The patients are young children that have a documented history of direct contact with diseased birds. Human cases of the virus have now been reported in nine of Turkey’s 81 provinces.
(Source: World Health Organization, 12 January 2006)
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Cyber risk assessment

Over the course of the past 24 hours, the Canadian Cyber Incident Response Centre (CCIRC) has not detected any significant new threats or vulnerabilities. No significant incidents with the potential to affect critical infrastructure have been reported. Accordingly, based on the information available to CCIRC, the cyber risk facing Canadian critical infrastructure is assessed as low. Personnel responsible for information, systems and network security should continue to apply appropriate security precautions and monitor their systems.

Recent cyber alerts and advisories issued by CCIRC can be viewed under “Recent analytical releases” at www.psepc.gc.ca/ccirc.

See also...

• The Weather Office
• FAC - Travel Updates

Note to readers

Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada (PSEPC) collects information related to cyber and physical threats to, and incidents involving, Canadian critical infrastructure. This allows us to monitor and analyze threats and to issue alerts, advisories and other information products.

Any suspected criminal activity should be reported to local law enforcement organizations. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) National Operations Centre (NOC) provides a 24/7 service to receive such reports or to redirect callers to local law enforcement organizations. The NOC can be reached at (613) 993-4460. National security concerns should be reported to the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) at (613) 993-9620.

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