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Take inventory of survival necessities during Emergency Preparedness Week

Nanaimo residents reminded to prepare for the ‘big one,’ but also for climate-caused emergencies
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Karen Lindsay, City of Nanaimo emergency program coordinator, says people should prepare emergency kits to help them survive for seven days and be prepared to check on their neighbours who might need their help following major emergencies. (Chris Bush/News Bulletin)

Vancouver Island residents should be prepared to live off the grid for several days should disaster strike.

That’s one of the messages of Emergency Preparedness Week, May 1 to 7, as the City of Nanaimo reminds people that it’s a good time to create an emergency kit or review and renew items in existing ones.

Earthquakes, extreme weather and wildfires can cause severe damage to infrastructure, including roads and leave people stranded for several days before emergency services can arrive to help or work crews can restore infrastructure.

The City of Nanaimo’s emergency program manager Karen Lindsay, has a list of core items that can make life without the normal comforts or even shelter a bit more bearable until help arrives. She said people should have more than just non-perishable food and water in their emergency kits, but also pet food, toilet paper and some cash on hand, including bills and change.

“I think we’re all guilty of it. We live in a tap-your-bank-card world and the reality is a lot of those systems will probably be down in your worst-case scenario,” Lindsay said.

Any emergency kit should be stocked with items that will get people through those worst-case situations. Without electricity, hand-cranked flashlights and radios are must-haves to provide light and listen in on advisories from local authorities. A shovel, a tarp for temporary shelter and extra warm clothing should also be in the kit.

Major earthquakes might occur rarely, but people should be prepared for events that happen more often, such as damaging high winds, wildfires and flooding.

“Prepare for some of those higher-frequency events that we’re seeing over the last few years,” Lindsay said. “When we look at some of that climate change scenario … putting all these extras into these kits … will be great in power outages of extended duration – you can stay home and still function.”

Matches, a first aid kit, glow sticks, a respirator or breathing mask and safety goggles for dusty and contaminated environments, gloves and duct tape should also be included.

“You can either purchase a kit or you can slowly add those items and then you add in your food and water,” Lindsay said. “One of the most critical things is water. A human can’t live without water. Having those flats of water are very important.”

Lindsay recommends switching out old water and replacing it with fresh supplies every spring and fall and if the water being replaced hasn’t passed its expiry date, consider donating it to a local food bank.

Assembling an emergency preparedness kit shouldn’t be overwhelming, she said.

“Keep them simple and critical to what you need to stay warm, stay dry, be able to get the information you need and sustain yourself,” she said. “That includes pets.”

READ ALSO: Emergency Preparedness Week slated for May 1-8 in PQB

Community is important during disasters and it’s a good idea to check on neighbours who might need help.

“This is something that, I think, sometimes gets missed,” Lindsay said. “When we look even at some of the events that we’ve had in the last few years, that whole sense of neighbourhood and community is critical in being prepared in that broader sense. Go and check on that elderly neighbour. If you know of somebody who has mobility or has any functional challenges, go and see if they need help.”

The better prepared the population is for an emergency, the quicker emergency services and repair crews will be able to get life back to normal.

“The more our residents are prepared, the greater the focus we can put toward infrastructure – roads, sewer, water – and getting those systems back up and running,” Lindsay said.



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Chris Bush

About the Author: Chris Bush

As a photographer/reporter with the Nanaimo News Bulletin since 1998.
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