It’s Emergency Preparedness Week in BC, and the City of Nelson has some tips to ensure you’re ready, just in case.
In Nelson, the theme of this week is “Be Prepared, Know Your Risks.”
Stephane Coutu, Emergency Management Coordinator with the City, said emergencies come in many different forms, and encourages residents to use this week to update their emergency plan and dust off their emergency kits.
“The goal is to encourage everyone to get prepared, and the first step is to be aware and prepared. In the event of utility outages or extreme weather, if we need to stay and shelter in place, then we’re looking at emergency kits.” said Stephane.
“Those kits should have everything you need to be self-sufficient for that period of time. The general guidelines are to be prepared and be self-sufficient for about 72 hours.”
He says emergency kits should include water, non-perishable food items, cash, tools, first aid kits, flashlights, extra batteries, and other personal items that would be difficult to go without, such as medication and important documents.
It’s also critical for residents to have an updated emergency plan, which should include a family meeting point, a safe place to go in case of an evacuation, and a list of local emergency support services.
“Your plan should include where your family would meet in the event of an emergency, but also where you would go and where you would stay.”
“Typically, there isn’t enough commercial accommodation for everyone, so we want folks to think about where they would stay in the event that they’d be away from home.”
The City of Nelson faces the same level of emergency risks as the rest of the province, and Coutu advises residents to consider their vulnerability to the hazard when emergency planning.
“Emergencies can happen any time of the year, but in our region, we do have seasonal risks.”
“We have our flood season with spring runoff, and then the wildfire season when conditions are tinder dry.”
“But there are also much less predictable risks, and knowing the risks specific to our community and our region can really help us better prepare.”
Additionally, he urges residents to sign up for the city’s Voyant Alert! Emergency Notification System to stay informed. Although, he said nearly 80 percent of residents have already signed up, signifying the community’s understanding of the importance of emergency preparedness.
“From what I see, residents of Nelson are well aware of the importance of emergency preparedness. I think we all share a bit of climate change anxiety.”
“That said, I do encourage residents to continue preparing.”
More information on emergency preparedness, and to sign up for the City of Nelson’s Voyant Alert! Emergency Notification System can be found here.
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