Dear Residents of SYSRC:
NOTE: This statement contains more specific information on how to prepare for emergencies.
As was mentioned in the first statement, being prepared for a 72-hour emergency is recommended by agencies who are responsible for responding to emergencies. These include NBEMO and Fire Departments.
Statement #1 covered the standards that apply in an emergency and the reasons behind the formulation of these Standard. This statement now focuses on what you should do at home to be prepared.
72-Hour Kit
The 72-hour kit holds basic supplies to support you and your family in an emergency for three days. This kit includes basic items like:
- Spare medications
- Non-perishable food items
- Water (2L per person per day)
- Manual Can Opener
- Charge cables for cell phones/tablets
- Written contact information (in case your phone dies)
- Wind-up or battery powered flashlight
- Extra batteries for flashlight
- First Aid Kit
- Extra car and house keys
- Cash including change
- Important family documents (identification, insurance, and banking details)
- A copy of your household emergency plan
- Pet food (if applicable)
You should check your household’s 72-hour emergency kit at least once per year to ensure food and medications are not expired and to ensure your kit is complete and ready.
Watch this helpful video from the Government of Canada for more details on what you should include in your emergency kit:
Household Emergency Plan
Creating a plan will ensure that you and your family members know what to do and who to call in an emergency. To start making your plan:
- Collect health and medication information for your family.
- Plan evacuation routes from your home and neighborhood.
- Designate a safe meeting place to reunite with family or roommates.
- Designate someone to pick up children if you will be unavailable.
- Designate a safe place for your pet to stay. (Remember, some shelters and comfort centers do not allow pets).
- Print insurance documents, important phone numbers, etc. Pick a safe place to store them.
- Make a list of helpful contacts close by and out of town.
Watch this helpful video from the Government of Canada for more details on creating your household emergency plan:
canada.ca/content/dam/themes/policing/emergencies/preparedness/get-prepared/make-plan/mk-pln-en.mp4
Plan ahead
To prepare for an emergency, there are many ways to plan ahead and ensure that you are as prepared as possible. This may include but is not limited to:
- Monitoring social media and websites from the Community and the Province of New Brunswick to stay informed on what’s happening, and what we need you to do
- Fueling your vehicle
- Charging all electronic communication devices
- Following the weather forecast and news alerts
- If you’re on a well, fill your bathtub and water pitchers with water
- Withdraw some cash if widespread power outages are expected
- Subscribing to Voyent Alert
Additional resources
Preparing for Winter Power Outages
Winter power outages can happen unexpectedly. Being prepared helps keep you and your household safe and comfortable. Please note that a power outage does not necessarily indicate an emergency.
As you can see in the two statements, partner agencies being prepared and working together can greatly influence how our communities survive and recover from an emergency. But these agencies are not the only partners. Each of us at home can greatly enhance our collective chances to get through an emergency and mitigate its lasting effects by being prepared. We are all in this together.
Hopefully, these two statements provided you with context in terms of governmental emergency response (you are never alone, even if it seems so) and provided you with the information you need to prepare for eventual emergencies and to stay safe.
Don Ferguson
Supervisor SYSRC