Emergency Preparedness Week: Local citizens urged to plan ahead

Emergency Preparedness Week 2015 runs from May 3 to 9.
A national awareness initiative that has taken place annually since 1996, Emergency Preparedness Week is a collaborative effort undertaken by provincial and territorial emergency management organizations supporting activities at the local level, in concert with Public Safety Canada and other partners.
Canadians are encouraged take three simple steps to become better prepared to face a range of emergencies:
- know the risks;
- make a plan; and
- get an emergency kit.
Wellington County and its member municipalities have completed hazard identification and risk assessments (HIRA).
The following is a list of the most probable hazards identified by the county’s emergency management department: severe weather, winter power failure, flood, transportation incident, hazardous transportation incident, energy emergency, water emergency, human health emergency, foreign animal disease, and terrorism.
On its website Wellington Emergency Management Services lists resources to assist local residents with making an emergency plan and creating or obtaining an emergency kit, as well as preparing for a power outage and other specific emergency situations.
For information go to www.wellington.ca/en/residentservices/emergencymanagementservices.asp.