Drought, electricity, and storm safety in B.C.

What you'll need

• Drought, electricity and storm safety in B.C. slideshow
• Video: How a Dam Works
• Computer and projector to display  content
• White boards or scrap paper and pens 

Introduction

• Review that drought is a long period with below normal rain or snow that may result in a water shortage and in B.C. we are experiencing drought which impacts people, ecosystems, communities, farmers and businesses. We recommend you do the Reporting on drought in B.C. activity first.
  
  
• Pull up the Drought, electricity and storm safety in B.C. slideshow. At slide 2, ask students to describe how most of our electricity is generated in B.C. In B.C. a dam is built across a river causing the river to flood the valley behind creating an enormous lake we call a reservoir. Water from the reservoir travels down large pipes called penstocks turning turbines and creating mechanical energy. This drives a generator converting the mechanical energy into electricity which goes through powerlines to provide electricity to our homes and businesses.
  
  
• At slide 3, watch the video How a Dam Works to summarize how hydroelectricity is generated.
  
  

Category Trivia

• Create groups of 2-4 students and provide each group with a white board or scrap paper and pen.
  
  
• At slide 4, share that you will be asking questions from one of the three categories: drought, electricity in B.C. and storm safety and they are to work in their groups to answer the questions.
  
  
• Start the game by asking a student to choose a category. Then read out the question from that category. Allow students time to discuss the answer in their groups and record the answer on the white board or paper. Have students then hold up their answer, giving groups with the correct answer a point (or more for some questions). Use your discretion to decide if the answer given is close enough to the correct answer. Here are the categories and questions associated with each category:
  
  
  • Drought category
    • Why would drought in the summer cause trees to break or fall over in winter? Answer: summer drought weakens trees, especially multi-year droughts, which makes them more susceptible to breaking or falling during storms. 
    • How can increased wildfires in summer lead to mudslides in the fall/winter? Answer: wildfires burn away trees and other vegetation on slopes. Without this vegetation and root systems, mudslides are more likely. 
    • What is hydrophobic soil? Answer: soil that has been dry for so long that it cannot quickly absorb water. Drought makes it harder for soil to absorb water, which can result in flooding. |
      
      
  • Electricity in B.C. category
    • How does summer drought affect hydroelectricity generation? Answer: lower water levels mean less water to move through hydroelectric dams, therefore generating less electricity. Water must be left for ecosystems and people, meaning there might not be enough to go around. 
    • Drought in the summer can cause weakened trees. How can this affect people’s electricity during storm season? Answer: weakened trees are more likely to fall during a storm and knock down power lines, resulting in power outages. 
    • Name ways to keep cool at home and conserve electricity in summer. (Award 1 point for any reasonable strategy). Answer: Close blinds in the morning for east facing windows and evening for west facing windows. Avoid using the oven or having appliances plugged in and not being used. Keep warm air out during the day and ventilate at night. Install a heat pump instead of air conditioning.
      
      
  • Storm safety category
    • How can you tell if a downed powerline is live by looking at it? Answer: You can’t tell by just looking at it; we need to assume it is live. It may look like it is not active, but people should safety shuffle until they’re at least 10m away and call 9-1-1.
    • What percentage of people in B.C. have emergency kits at home? Answer: less than 50% (correct answer could be anything from 30-50%).
    • Name something that should be in your emergency kit at home. (Award 1 point for any correct item in kit). Answer: First aid kit, batteries, radio, flashlight, phone charger/power bank, personal toiletries, medications, warm clothes, water, non-perishable food, emergency plan/contacts, whistle. Other items may be included, so use your discretion to decide if correct.
    • In preparing for power outages during storm season, how many hours of supplies should you plan for? Answer: 72 hours

The group with the most points wins the trivia game. 

• At slide 5, discuss the impacts of summer drought and electricity generation. Ask students to consider how water could be shared in drought times so animals, plants, trees and people have what they need for direct water use and making electricity.
  
  
• At slide 6, discuss how drought is affecting our environment in the fall and winter. Weakened trees and flooding can lead to power outages and it’s important to be prepared.
  
  
• At slide 7, review strategies to stay safe by having an emergency kit ready and staying 10 metres away from downed power lines and dialing 9-1-1.