Emergency Preparedness: Be Ready for Anything

Emergency Preparedness: Be Ready for Anything

Thank you to everyone for following along this week as we posted resources and tips to help you and your family prepare for emergencies. This will be the final post in the series for Emergency Preparedness Week.

Flooding is the most common natural emergency that our community faces.  Sometimes, like in the spring of 2018 flooding can occur with little to no warning.  During the flash flood event in 2018 many residents were inconvenienced and experienced considerable damage to their homes as water overwhelmed nearby creeks and rivers causing substantial flooding throughout the Town.

Quinte Conservation is the lead organization in our area that is responsible for monitoring and issuing flood warning to protect life an minimize property damage.  When there is a potential for flooding in the Quinte and Napanee River watershed area, Quinte Conservation will issue flood warnings on their website as well as local media. 

The Government of Canada has information on flooding in the Get Prepared section of their website in addition to a booklet on flooding prevention that can be downloaded here.

COVID-19 has changed the way communities can work together to fight the effects of flooding.  Please keep this in mind this year as you develop your emergency plan to mitigate flooding.  Should you be forced to vacate your property during a flood have a plan in place to relocate during the emergency should the need arise.

Emergency Preparedness: Be Ready for Anything

Emergency Preparedness: Be Ready for Anything

Staying informed during an emergency is very important.  Emergency officials will often update the situation as new information becomes available.  You can stay informed by listening to local radio stations, local news channels as well as the Town of Deseronto website and social media accounts.  You can follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

A portable battery-operated radio is always something to consider having in your emergency kit.  Having extra batteries is also good idea. 

Alert Ready is a national service that will send crucial and life saving alerts directly to your cell phone.  Alert Ready service only broadcasts from cellular towers and antennas within the area of emergency, so only subscribers within the defined geographic area will receive the alerts.  More information on this great service can be found here.

Emergency Preparedness: Be Ready for Anything

Emergency Preparedness: Be Ready for Anything

During an emergency having supplies can help you overcome the situation.  A good way to prepare for this is by having an emergency “go” kit that will have enough supplies to allow you to stay safe, comfortable and warm. 

In preparing an emergency “go” kit it is important to consider items that you may need to take care of yourself and your family for at least 3 days.  Amongst standard items needed for survival you should consider items that may be unique to your needs, such as medications, pet supplies, infant or small children supplies to name a few. 

The Ontario Emergency Management Office has a list of items for an emergency survival kit that can be accessed here.

The Canadian Red Cross also has kits that can be purchased on their website.

Emergency Preparedness: Be Ready for Anything

Emergency Preparedness: Be Ready for Anything

The first step in preparing for an emergency is to have a plan.  A household emergency plan will help you learn what situations you need to plan for; how to reach family members; safe locations for evacuation; and emergency numbers, to name a few. 

Emergencies happen quickly and with little warning. It is important to think about what you would do in different situations and the best ways to prepare for those situations. Reviewing your plan with family members is important so that each family member knows what to do in an emergency. 

Hastings County has prepared an emergency preparedness guide that can be found here.  This guide can help you get prepared in the event of an emergency.

The Ontario Emergency Management Office has this online emergency plan template that can be accessed here.

The Government of Canada also has an online template or a downloadable template that you can access here.  They also have a short video you can watch on how to best create your plan.

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS WEEK - May 2-8, 2021

This year Emergency Preparedness week is May 2-8, 2021.

Emergency Preparedness Week is an annual national preparedness campaign focused on encouraging and promoting emergency preparedness to the residents of Canada.

This year the theme is Emergency Preparedness: Be Ready for Anything.  The intent of this theme is to encourage all Canadians to be prepared for a wide range of emergencies they may face in their communities. 

Throughout the week we will be providing you with information that you can use to prepare yourself and your family in the event of an emergency.  Creating a family emergency plan, building an emergency survival kit and staying informed are some ways you can be prepared. 

Canada is currently facing its biggest public health emergency in decades as Canadians continue to battle against the COVID-19 virus.  The Ontario government enacted a provincial stay at home order along with additional measures intended to protect the public heath system capacity.  Please continue to follow all public heath advice in order to keep ourselves and loved ones safe and stop the spread of COVID-19.

Further information regarding on how to prepare you and your family for an emergency can be found on our website here.

Please follow our Facebook page or Twitter account for more information throughout the week.