Port Alberni city council has proclaimed May 3-8 to be Emergency Preparedness Week in the city.
Emergency Preparedness Week has been taking place nationally across Canada since 1996, but this is the first time Port Alberni city council has made an official proclamation for the week.
During this week, the Alberni Valley Emergency Program will inform, educate and provide guidance and easy-to-use resources to encourage residents to be emergency ready.
“We’re hoping to encourage our residents to take action to prepare for emergencies and protect themselves and their families,” explained Karen Freethy, protective services manager with the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District.
The campaign is encouraging people to follow three specific steps to become better prepared for emergencies:
1.) Know your risks
2.) Make a plan
3.) Get an emergency kit
The top risks in the Alberni Valley are wildfires, tsunamis, earthquakes, storms and flooding.
“Knowing our risks in Step 1 is key to making a plan in Step 2,” said Freethy. “Knowing what may happen will help you know how to prepare.”
Resources for Emergency Preparedness Week are available at www.getprepared.gc.ca, but the ACRD’s emergency operations centre also has resources and tools to help people make their emergency plans and kits. Call 250-724-1356 for more information.
Freethy says signing up for the Voyent Alert! system is one of the best ways to prepare. During an emergency, the ACRD will send an alert through this system, followed by critical information about what to do next. The ACRD is using the app as a way to streamline communications during an emergency. People who sign up for Voyent Alert! can choose if they want notifications sent through the mobile app, through text messages, through email or through voice call.
So far, Freethy says more than 2,000 people have signed up.
“We’re doing really well,” she said. “The more people we get signed up, the better.”
Residents can register for Voyent Alert! online at register.voyent-alert.com or by downloading the mobile app.
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