It is important to be prepared for whatever emergency might come along.
That was the message Yorkton Council received from Darcy McLeod, Director Community Development, Parks & Recreation at their regular meeting Monday.
“Although our current attention has been, and needs to be on responding to the COVID 19 pandemic, we still need to be prepared for weather events that are becoming a more regular occurrence each year,” he told Council. “Therefore, as part of my Emergency Social Services (ESS) involvement in emergency preparedness, I’d like to remind our community that National Emergency Preparedness Week is coming up May 3th - 9th, 2020.
“This annual, national public awareness campaign reminds Canadians to be prepared for emergencies at all times and that, in an emergency, families should be able to survive without assistance for three full days.”
McLeod noted “According to Public Safety Canada, “if an emergency happens in your community, it may take emergency workers some time to reach you. You should be prepared to take care of yourself and your family for a minimum of 72 hours.” However, that takes planning, which is what Emergency Preparedness is all about - being ready for nearly everything.”
There are essentially three steps to Emergency Preparedness: knowing the risks, making emergency plans, and getting emergency kits ready.
“To help people stay informed about any potential risks, the Government of Saskatchewan has an emergency public alerting program – SaskAlert. An emergency alert issued through SaskAlert will let you know: what the emergency is; where it is happening; provide instructions for you to follow to stay safe, and advise you when the incident is over. The alerts are broadcast on the radio, the television, and on mobile devices through their app,” offered McLeod.
More information on SaskAlert can be found here: http://www.saskatchewan.ca/residents/emergency/saskalert
“All residents need information to make decisions so, during Emergency Preparedness Week, everyone is encouraged to download the SaskAlert app on their mobile device, if they haven’t done so already,” said McLeod.
“With respect to the other two steps for Emergency Preparedness of making emergency plans and getting emergency kits together, there are a wide variety of online resources. These can be found online at www.getprepared.gc.ca and also, on our website under the “Living Here” tab and then click on “Emergency Preparedness”.
“I urge everyone to know the risks, make a plan and put together a kit.”
