County of Huron Recognizes Emergency Preparedness Week
by Bob Montgomery
Emergency Preparedness Week is a national awareness initiative that started in 1996 and this year runs from May 5th to the 11th.
It's a collaborative event undertaken by provincial and local emergency management organizations to help raise awareness of the importance of emergency preparedness for all Canadians. And it's an opportunity for individuals to learn how they can become prepared to protect themselves, family members, and communities during an emergency. This year, the theme in Ontario is Plan for Every Season.
Huron County Warden Glen McNeil says every year the County of Huron and its partner municipalities work together to review and update their municipal emergency plans and since the tornado that tore through Goderich in 2011, it's something that is taken very seriously in Goderich and in Huron County. “It is very important that we, as a municipality and county, are prepared in the event that we're faced with an emergency. Our residents depend on us to keep them safe and in times of a disaster, like the tornado that hit Goderich, we must be prepared to keep our residents safe and to reassure them of their safety.”
McNeil also notes that climate change is only going to make extreme events more likely and more frequent. “As we experience climate change, the peak of the extreme weather events will be unlike anything we've experienced in the past. We will have more significant rainfall, and also heat, and we must be prepared for that.”
Everyone has a role to play in an emergency. Emergency Preparedness Week encourages Canadians to take three simple steps to become better prepared to face a range of emergencies:
Know the risks.
Make a plan.
Get an emergency kit.
For more information visit: www.HuronCounty.ca/emergency-services
