Planners say families should be prepared for emergency

As Canada’s capital region recovers from the tornadoes that struck on Sept. 21, Saskatoon’s director of emergency planning says the first 72 hours after such a major event are the most important for individual and family emergency plans.

The tornadoes touched down in the Ottawa area and Gatineau, Que., destroying homes, knocking out power to thousands and injuring several people.

Emergency planning director Pamela Goulden-mcleod said the Saskatoon Emergency Measures Organization looks at how residents in Saskatoon can be prepared for similar kinds of big events, including how to take care of themselves and family members, how to keep in contact with other family members, and whether they have kits with food and water on hand for themselves and their pets.

The Saskatoon EMO also manages the notifynow mass-notification system, which it uses to send out messages to the cellular phones, landline phones and email accounts of residents who sign up.

People can provide up to five addresses, such as their homes, workplaces or children’s schools.

“In Ottawa, there were specific areas of the city that were impacted more than other areas. So in an event, we might be sharing broad information citywide, but in that specific area of the city, we might be sharing some more targeted information about how to respond, where there might be emergency shelters if needed, or outages,” Goulden-mcleod said.

So far, 23,865 residents have opted in, providing a total of 87,488 contacts that would receive a notifynow message in the event of an emergency.

“I think it’s an essential part of every family’s plan for safety,” Goulden-mcleod said.

She encourages people to follow the fire and police departments and the Saskatoon EMO on Twitter.

The Saskatoon EMO is part of a big-city emergency planners’ group whose members keep tabs on what is happening in each other’s cities.

After emergency events, an “after action” report is created, reviewing what happened and making recommendations.

Goulden-mcleod said the Saskatoon EMO pays attention to how emergency responder agencies work together, particularly what worked well in their responses.

When communities are forming their emergency plans, they look at which kinds of events are most likely to occur and plan for those, she said.

Different agencies also have response plans for emergencies, and the EMO looks at how those plans co-ordinate. Saskatoon, for example, has a plan for major snowstorms.

The Saskatoon EMO tests the notifynow system twice a year, usually in the spring and then again in December.

The next test is scheduled for Dec. 4.