The whole world watched what happened when hurricane Katrina
hit New Orleans.
There were many responses to this disaster.
My response was to wonder how prepared for emergencies the city
I live in is,
and how prepared I would be personally.
I phoned City Hall, I enrolled
on a course, I surfed the net andread around, I thought a bit.
I present here what I feel to be of most immediate importance
with a thought that you'll surf around and find out more. For
more details, go to the Ottawa.ca website. http://www.ottawa.ca/city_services/emergencyserv/erp/index_en.shtml
Consult the red pages in the front of your phone book.
If you live somewhere other than Ottawa, contact your local city
hall and search the web for locally related information. Checklists,
information and posters for children are available from Ottawa
city hall.
Emergencies can happen at
any time for a wide variety of reasons such as flood, fire, earthquake,
bad weather, chemical spills, pandemics and attack. Regardless
of what the cause is, most emergencies lead to power outage. You're
in the dark, your TV doesn't work, your desk computer is dead,
your electric cooker, toaster, microwave - you name it! is dead.
You can't cook , you can't make a hot drink, your can't see your
way around at night, you have no way of knowing what is going
on. Some of this can be avoided!
One of the most useful
things I learned from the course was put clearly by an emergency
worker who happened to be sitting beside me. His forthright, blunt
statement said it all, "You're on your own for 72 hours."
A little known fact is that the government assumes that everyone
has three days supply of water ,food, candles, and whatever
else they need to keep warm, fed and informed. Did
you know that? Do your friends and family members know this?
Practically speaking, it takes at least 72 hours to swing emergency
services into action. These services will then be first seeing
to the old, infirm and other special needs.
You cannot rely on 'the government' to bale out several hundred
thousand people all at once. There are only so many emergency
staff in a city. So be as self-sufficient as possible. You'll
be the most help to others if you first take care of yourself.
Do you have what you need?
Most households don't. Mine didn't.
First
thing - Make sure you have a battery operated radio (with
working batteries) or a wind-up radio.This will be your only way
of getting news of what is going on, what help/shelters/ evacuation
services are being set up etc. Put the radio where you can find
it in the dark.
Set aside a cupboard and fill
it with 3 days-worth of food - canned & packaged. Replace
this food every 6 months.Include a manual can opener.
You need 2 litres of drinking water per person per day,
and 2 litres of water for washing and food preparation.
Have flashlight (plus batteries) and candles with matches or lighters.
If you have a camping stove or barbecue that runs on propane,
you can add rice and spaghetti to your supply. (Make sure you
have propane set aside for emergencies, stored safely outside.)
Add to your special supply
any medication that you or your family members might need
- insulin, asthma inhalers, heart medication. Add diapers, pet
food, and anything else specific to your needs.
If you have to evacuate your
home quickly, such as in a fire, have an evacuation kit set
up ready to go. It's no good scrambling around for these things
at the time! Buy a small backpack. In this put your passport,
immirgration papers, inventory of valuable household goods, CD
backups for important computer files, social insurance number,
insurance policies, deeds, contracts, stocks, bonds, important
telephone numbers, family records, a photo copy of all your credit
careds, bank account, immunisation records. Add photos of family
members in case you are separated, the phone numbers for your
children's daycare or school. Add in grenola bars, nuts, juice
or water, cash (in a powerout, cash machines and credit cards
don't work), a fleece sweater, a light-weight waterproof jacket,
flashlight and a first aid kit. Your battery radio might live
in this backpack. Find a place in your home where it can remain
undisturbed, yet be easy to access.
Staying warm in a power outage
in January: If you have a camping stove, one way to keep warm
is to heat water and fill a hot water bottle. Tuck the water-bottle
under your coat, put it in your lap, or under your quilt. If you
are well covered or dressed, you can remain warm on one water
bottle for a while.
Having what you need doesn't take long to set up
- a shopping trip, some sorting around the house to find this
and that. You may never need it, but if you do - imagine how much
distress your fore-thought will save you.
Other considerations:
Use the phone as little as possible. In emergencies, everyone
is calling everyone and the phone lines jam up. Keep your messages
absolutely essential and short.
Have a family rendevue at another house planned in case anything
happens in your street, you can meet there.
Spread the word. If you know
an elderly or unwell person, help them set up their kit.
If
you think nothing could happen in Ottawa, reflect on this:
There are 7 hydro-dams on the Ottawa river. If one broke, the
deluge of water will likely break all the fams down-river, flooding
the valley.
We are the third most likely place in Canada for an earthquake
(after BC and Montreal).
We are a capital city.
Our houses are wood framed.
We live in a difficult climate. A power outage is not unlikely.
It's happened before. In mid January, this could present many
challenges.
Wherever you live, emergencies can happen.
Some forthought will ease your mind ahead of time, and cover your
essential needs at the time.
Your fore-thought now could
save your life, your children's lives, and your neighbours.