Emergency preparedness: would you be ready?
An emergency can happen at any time and the best defense is to be prepared. The City of Oshawa and their community partners continuously work together to prepare and respond to situations. Community members also have a role to be ready for an emergency by knowing the risks, making a plan and being prepared.
The City encourages community members to be ready for an emergency by preparing an emergency kit for their home. The kit should have enough food, water and any applicable medications to last at least 72 hours (three days). Remember to think of pets in your 72 hour plan. At minimum, have food and water, proper identification, a leash and/or carrier for them.
The City of Oshawa website has a variety of resources to assist you in preparing for and acting during an emergency, including:
- an Emergency Preparedness video;
- what to include in your family and vehicle emergency kits;
- types of emergencies and how to respond before, during and after the event.
The Region of Durham has emergency shelters for single men, women with and without children, and youth. The Region advises that when temperatures are expected to drop below minus 15 degrees Celsius, or if severe winter conditions are anticipated during the next 24 to 36 hours, emergency shelters may expand their services. Additionally, a community initiative with faith-based communities is offering people a warm and safe place to stay in the evenings this winter. For more information, visit the Region’s Emergency Shelters webpage and the City’s Unsheltered webpage.
During a local emergency, information updates from the City of Oshawa will be available through the City’s Emergency Updates webpage and alerts, the City Twitter account and Facebook account, and by calling Service Oshawa (905-436-3311).
The City of Oshawa encourages you to bookmark its emergency communications and to subscribe to emergency alerts so you can quickly access updates from governing authorities should an emergency situation arise.
For more information on Emergency Preparedness, or to subscribe to City of Oshawa Emergency Alerts visit www.oshawa.ca/emergencynews.