Yorkton residents should be prepared to deal with emergencies if they arise.
That was the message put forward by Lisa Washington Community Development Manager, with the City as she made a presentation to the regular meeting of Yorkton Council Monday.
鈥淚n my role as the City of Yorkton鈥檚 Emergency Social Services Coordinator, I want to bring to your attention that May 5-11, 2019 is Emergency Preparedness Week in Canada. This annual, national public awareness campaign takes place during the first full week of May and urges residents to be prepared for emergencies,鈥� she said.
Washington said there is help for people wanting to be better prepared.
鈥淧ublic Safety Canada has published a guide for Canadians to educate themselves on how they and their families can be prepared, for a minimum of three days, in the event of an emergency. Their publication, 鈥淵our Emergency Preparedness Guide鈥� is also available for download at www.getprepared.gc.ca.鈥�
There are a wide variety of resources to help citizens make a plan and get a kit together. These can be found online at www.getprepared.gc.ca and also, on our website under the 鈥淟iving Here鈥� tab and clicking on 鈥淓mergency Preparedness鈥�, added Washington.
The key is to remember 鈥淚f 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,鈥� detailed a presentation made by Washington.
To be ready 鈥淓very Canadian household needs an emergency plan. It will help you and your family know what to do in case of an emergency. It will take you about 20 minutes to make your plan,鈥� continued the slide presentation.
鈥淵our family may not be together when an emergency occurs. Plan how to meet or how to contact one another, and discuss what you would do in different situations.鈥�
The next step is to have an emergency kit ready.
鈥淚n an emergency, you will need some basic supplies. You may need to get by without power or tap water. Be prepared to be self-sufficient for at least 72 hours.
You may have some of the items already, such as food, water and a battery operated or crank flashlight. The key is to make sure they are organized and easy to find. Would you be able to find your flashlight in the dark?
Make sure your kit is easy to carry and everyone in the household knows where it is. Keep it in a backpack, duffle bag or suitcase with wheels, in an easy-to-reach, accessible place, such as your front-hall closet. If you have many people in your household, your emergency kit could get heavy. It鈥檚 a good idea to separate some of these supplies in backpacks. That way, your kit will be more portable and each person can personalize his or her own grab-and-go emergency kit,鈥� detailed the workbook circulated to Council.
鈥淭his presentation will be available for viewing from the City鈥檚 website www.yorkton.ca during Emergency Preparedness Week by clicking 鈥淗ot Topics鈥� on the City鈥檚 home page. Also, during Emergency Preparedness week we will have on display at the Yorkton Fire Station our new Mobile Emergency Operations /Rural interface trailer for the public to see. We will have sample 72 hour preparedness kits for individuals to see, and be available to answer any preparedness questions anyone may have,鈥� said Washington.
