Emergency Preparedness – Helpful Hints
Here are some HELPFUL HINTS on how to prepare for an Emergency
Click here to see what you should have on an EMERGENCY KIT CHECKLIST
DON’T WAIT FOR AN EMERGENCY TO HAPPEN!
Be Prepared! Not Scared!
Be prepared to take care of yourself and others in your household for a minimum of 72 hours. If a disaster happens in the community it may take emergency workers some time to get to you as they help those in desperate need first.
Know The Risks… Know Your Region; Make an Emergency Plan – YOUR FAMILY MAY NOT BE TOGETHER WHEN DISASTER OCCURS. Plan how to meet or contact one another and discuss what you would do in different situations; and Prepare a Kit – AN EMERGENCY KIT helps ensure you are ready to cope on your own for at least the first 72 HOURS of an emergency. Protect yourself and your loved ones.
It’s up to YOU! Are you prepared? EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS GUIDES are available from the Sandycove Acres Emergency Preparedness Committee (Linda Moyles at 705-436-7949 or e-mail at eptsca@yahoo.com, at the Home Fair and at the Health Fair; other helpful emergency preparedness information is available on the Emergency Management Ontario website, www.ontario.ca/beprepared.
During Emergency Preparedness Week, first week in May we recommend all households practise their emergency plan. We encourage everyone to regularly check the Emergency Management Ontario website, www.ontario.ca/emo, and to participate in their challenges/activities during Emergency Preparedness Week.
Evacuation & Shelter-in-Place
An evacuation may be ordered when there is a significant threat to a specific area. Other times, it may be safer to remain inside (shelter-in-place). These orders are typically broadcast through the local media.
Evacuation – Evacuate only when ordered by emergency officials and if safety permits, take your pets and take your emergency survival kit to the designated evacuation centre.
Shelter-in-Place – Close and lock all windows and exterior doors and turn off all fans, heating and air-conditioning systems to avoid drawing air in from the outside.
If you will require extra assistance during an emergency please complete and return our Questionnaire if you have not already done so. These are available from your Emergency Preparedness Committee (see above) and are included periodically in the Sandycove Acres Newsletter.
EMERGENCY SURVIVAL KIT ITEMS:
1. Flashlight and batteries
2. Food and Water
3. Radio and batteries or crank radio
4. Clothing and Footwear
5. Spare batteries
6. Blankets or Sleeping bags
7. First-aid kit
8. Toilet paper & other personal items
9. Candles and matches/lighter
10. Medication
11. Extra car keys and cash
12. Whistle (to attract attention if necessary)
13. Important papers (identification)
14. Playing Cards/games
Canned food, energy bars, dried food – replace these yearly
Manual can opener
First Aid kit
Prescription medications
Flashlight and spare batteries
Radio and spare batteries
Candles, matches and lighter
Blanket or sleeping bag per person
Toilet paper, hygiene products and personal care supplies
Whistle to attract attention
Spare house and car keys
Money – small bills and change
Medical history
Emergency contact information
PETS AND EMERGENCIES
Pets are members of the family. Make sure to include your pets when developing your family emergency plan. Making arrangements before an emergency will increase your pet’s chances for survival and ability to cope. Assemble a pet emergency survival kit and be ready to take your pet and their kit with you in the event you have to evacuate. Emergency kit supplies vary for different kinds of animals. Please contact your veterinarian or visit www.ontariospca.ca if you have any questions. Please note that pets are usually housed in a different area (from people) in evacuation centres due to allergies, etc.
BASIC EMERGENCY CAR KIT ITEMS:
1. Food – that won’t spoil such as energy bars
2. Sand, salt or cat litter (non-clumping)
3. Water – in plastic bottles
4. Antifreeze/windshield washer fluid
5. Blanket
6. Tow rope
7. Extra clothing and shoes
8. Jumper cables
9. First aid kit – with seatbelt cutter
10. Fire extinguisher
11. Small shovel, scraper and snowbrush
12. Warning light or road flares
13. Candle – in a deep can and matches
14. Wind-up flashlight
15. Whistle – in case you need to attract attention
16. Roadmaps
17. Copy of your emergency plan and personal documents
PET EMERGENCY SURVIVAL KIT
1. Food, water, bowls, manual can opener and spoon
2. Up-to-date ID tag
3. Current photo of you and your pet
4. Emergency contact list of pet friendly hotels/motels outside your area, friends, relatives and your veterinarian
5. Copies of medical records/vaccinations
6. Information on feeding schedule, medical and/or behavioural problems
7. Medications and first aid kit
8. Familiar bedding, small toy and brush
9. Leash, collar or harness and muzzle (dogs)
10. Litter/pan and scooper (cats) or poop n- scoop bags (dogs)
11. Carrier large enough to transport and house your pet
TORNADOES
Tornadoes can develop very rapidly, they are rotating columns of high winds and sometimes they move quickly and leave a long, wide path of destruction and at other times the tornado is small, touching down here and there. It is vital that people know what to do in a weather emergency to reduce the risk of personal safety and property.
Warning Signs of a Potential Tornado include:
1. Severe thunderstorms, with frequent thunder and lightning
2. An extremely dark sky, sometimes highlighted by green or yellow clouds
3. A rumbling sound or a whistling sound
4. A funnel cloud at the rear base of a thundercloud, often behind a curtain of heavy rain or hail.
Canada’s Tornado Warning System
Environment Canada is responsible for warning the public when conditions exist that may produce tornadoes. It does this through radio, television, newspapers, its internet site, as well as through its weather phone lines. It is recommended for the public to listen to their radio during severe thunderstorms and if you hear that a tornado warning has been issued for your area, find shelter and follow the safety tips below.
What to do During a Tornado in Sandycove Acres
1. If you are in a house take shelter in a small interior ground floor such as a bathroom (if possible sit in the bathtub and place a mattress over top of you), closet, hallway or stairwell. Stay away from windows, outside walls and doors.
2. If away from your home avoid cars and find shelter elsewhere, preferably in a building with a strong foundation (such as our Recreation Halls). If no shelter is available, lie flat in a ditch, ravine or other depressed area, protect your head with your arms, away from the car; however, beware of flying debris, flooding from downpours and be prepared to move.
3. If you are driving and spot a tornado in the distance go to the nearest solid shelter and if the tornado is close, get out of your car and take cover in a low-lying area, such as a ditch.
4. In all cases get as close to the ground as possible, protect your head and watch for flying debris. Do not chase tornadoes they are unpredictable and can change course abruptly. A tornado is deceptive. It may appear to be standing still but is, in fact, moving toward you.
5. Wait for 30 minutes after the storm before returning to an open area.
For more information on safety during severe weather conditions please visit the Environment Canada’s website at www.ec.gc.ca and www.getprepared.gc.ca. FOR CURRENT WARNINGS, WATCHES AND SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENTS ISSUED BY ENVIRONMENT CANADA REFER TO www.weather.gc.ca/warnings.