We all have a role to play in preparing for emergencies, and planning ahead can help protect your family, your home and your community. With Emergency Preparedness Week starting May 5, I encourage you to take this time to ensure you are ready.

Be prepared
You can help keep yourself and your loved ones safe by following three simple steps:

1. Know the risks close to home. Be aware of weather conditions and potential hazards that could lead to an emergency in your community.
2. Make a plan for how you and your family would evacuate, communicate and stay safe during an emergency.
3. Get or make an emergency kit that contains essential supplies that will keep you and your family (including pets) safe during an emergency.

Ensure your family kit has anything you might require if first responders ask you to “shelter in place” (stay indoors for a period of time) or evacuate. It should include identification and enough supplies to keep all members of your household healthy for 72 hours if you lose access to running water or power. You should also prepare a separate kit for your car with items that can help you stay safe during emergencies on the road.
 
To find detailed information about what to include in your emergency kits, visit halton.ca.

Keep informed
During an emergency, you can keep up-to-date by:

• monitoring local media (using a crank radio in the event of a power outage);
• checking police, fire and government websites and Twitter feeds; and
• listening for alerts to your landline phone (through eCNS) and mobile device (through Alert Ready).

If an alert tells you to evacuate your home, Halton Region’s evacuation centres can provide temporary shelter. To learn which location is closest to you, visit halton.ca.

Stay safe
Remember: emergency preparedness starts with you. If you can stay safe and healthy during severe weather or any other crisis, first responders can focus their attention on those in immediate need. For more emergency preparedness information and resources, visit halton.ca.
 

By working together to ensure we are ready to respond, we help keep Halton a great place to live, work, raise a family and retire.