Emergency Preparedness Week in Nanaimo

NEWS RELEASE

Its Emergency Preparedness Week May 3rd to May 9th!
Are you ready?

As we go about our everyday lives, emergencies may seem like a distant possibility. Emergencies, however, can happen anytime and anywhere. Preparing an emergency kit, having an emergency plan and knowing the risks are crucial to minimize the impact of an emergency situation. Preparing for an emergency is important and something the whole family can do. By taking a few simple steps, you can become better prepared to face a range of emergencies and minimize the impact on yourselves and your families.

Mark Emergency Preparedness Week by making a kit. For more information about how you can prepare for emergencies visit fire.nanaimo.ca. Here you will find information and links on how you can prepare your families and workplace for emergencies

* Approximately 85% of Canadians agree that having an emergency kit is important in ensuring their and their family’s safety, yet only 40% have prepared or bought an emergency kit.

* Using non-voice communication technology like text messaging, email, or social media instead of telephones takes up less bandwidth and helps reduce network congestion after an emergency

"Emergency Preparedness Week is a reminder of the unpredictability of emergency situations and the importance of being prepared as individuals and as a community. In a disaster affecting a community, some services we take for granted might be unavailable for several days or even longer. Families should be prepared to take care of themselves at the very minimum for 72 hours, however, due to Nanaimo's location on an island it is recommended that we all prepare for 7 days." - Karen Lindsay Emergency Program Manager City of Nanaimo