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A new survey says that a majority of Canadians are losing confidence in their local emergency response, and most don’t even know their evacuation routes during a weather emergency.
Jim Mandeville is the disaster specialist, senior vice president with Large Loss North America at First Onsite Property Restoration.
He explains to Tamara Cherry on The Evan Bray Show how to protect yourself and your loved ones in case of an emergency.
Read more:
- Torrential rain knocks out power, causes flooding in Swift Current during thunderstorm
- ‘Too much water, too fast’: Eston floods second time this summer
- VIDEO: Torrential rain floods Eston Riverside Park golf course
Listen to the full interview with Mandeville, or read the transcript below:
These questions and answers have been edited and condensed for clarity.
TAMARA CHERRY: What are the chances of being faced with a weather emergency?
JIM MANDEVILLE: If we have an intense enough rainfall in a short period of time, we can have flash flooding almost anywhere. People who live near river banks, who live in low-lying areas, are much more susceptible.
In the news, we hear things like 100-year storm and 1,000-year storm. What do those really mean? What a 100-year storm really means is that there’s a one per cent chance that a storm will happen this year. It doesn’t mean it’ll only happen once in 100 years. It means there’s a one in 100 chance it’ll happen. It’s possible these things could happen twice in a year, or twice in a month. It’s just statistically unlikely.
This is something we should be thinking about: how to protect our homes, how to protect our businesses, and, more importantly, how to protect our friends and family and our community.
What can I do to prepare for weather emergency situations?
MANDEVILLE: Paying attention to the weather and warnings from local authorities is critically important.
Check your local municipal website, as well as the Saskatchewan Public Agency website.
Watch for big storms or a pattern of intense thunderstorms. It’s really important to be aware when these authorities say when and where to evacuate, or if there is a flooding danger.
If there’s a tornado warning, where do you go?
MANDEVILLE: Go to an interior room with no windows, preferably under the stairs in the basement. The room should be in the center of the building.
What should I have ready in case of an evacuation?
MANDEVILLE: Pack an emergency bag that contains all your important identification documents (passports), prescriptions, spare cell phone battery chargers and cash.
Make sure you have a tank full of gas. In many emergency scenarios, people weren’t ready, and they’re standing on the side of the road, say 15 miles from their house, because they didn’t have enough gas and didn’t have anything with them.
The cell phone network could go down. Credit cards may not work as a result, so it’s important to have some cash.
What kind of documentation would I need for my dog?
MANDEVILLE: Documentation for your dog could include a vaccine record on your phone or in the cloud or any medication your pet is taking.
What shouldn’t you pack?
MANDEVILLE: If you can replace it, don’t pack it.
What are the considerations when buying insurance for weather emergencies?
MANDEVILLE: Consider getting the extended water damage coverage. Depending on the company and your policy, it could cover the water that comes up through your basement drains during big rainstorms.
Or, it could include the water that comes in through the foundation walls and into your basement or your home. Without the extra coverage, it could mean tens of thousands of dollars in damage you could be on the hook for.
The extra coverage could be between $100 to less than $200 extra a year.
Also, consider getting replacement cost coverage, which covers the cost for you to actually replace all the items in your home, as opposed to their actual cash value.
Actual Cash Value is a depreciated value that says that if your item is 10 years old, we’re going to give you, let’s say, half of the replacement cost.
It’s hard for the average family to go out and buy all new stuff for their house if they’re only getting half as much money as it’s actually going to cost. And factor in inflation.
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