Good morning,
Next week is Emergency Preparedness Week and there are all kinds of great things happening that I wanted to give you the heads up on. In addition, there are some important pieces of information to share - including a test of our Regional Evacuation Notification System next week.
1. GET REGISTERED FOR REGIONAL ENS SYSTEM / TEST NEXT WEEK
If you have not yet registered for our Voyent Alert! system, CLICK HERE to get the steps and get yourself set up. We will be doing a test of this Regional Evacuation Notification System (ENS) on Friday, May 10th at 2:00 PM. ENS is free, it's easy and it's the fastest way to be alerted of an evacuation order or alert in your area.
The Province will be testing its system on Wednesday, May 8th, which will send a notification to all cellphones in BC. The Provincial system and local ENS are totally separate, and we strongly encourage everyone to register for the Regional ENS.
2. SEASONAL FLOOD PREPAREDNESS NEWSLETTER
The Seasonal Flood Preparedness Newsletter will be hitting mailboxes in the rural parts of the RDEK any day now.
A reminder if you feel you are in immediate, life-threatening danger, call 9-1-1.
These 24-hour numbers are the fastest way to alert local emergency officials:
FLOODING
250-489-9677
FOREST OR WILDLAND FIRES
Cellphone: *5555
Toll Free: 1-800-663-5555
OTHER (spills, landslides, avalanche)
250-489-9677
3. EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS WEEK - MAY 5 to 11
May 5-11 is National Emergency Preparedness Week, and we encourage residents to focus on being prepared and knowing the risks.
If you follow the RDEK's Facebook or Instagram pages, we will have different topics each day next week focusing on different elements of emergency preparedness with links to resources. A great one-stop-shop for emergency preparedness information is PreparedBC.
Additionally, the East Kootenay Emergency Management Program will be hosting an Emergency Preparedness Fair on May 4th. This fair will include informational booths from the East Kootenay FireSmart™ Program, East Kootenay Amateur Radio Club, Cranbrook Fire Rescue, BC Wildfire Service, Cranbrook RCMP, BC SPCA, Canadian Red Cross, Cranbrook Search and Rescue, The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, and Mainroad East Kootenay Contracting. The RDEK will also be helping those wanting to sign up for the Regional Evacuation Notification System.
When: May 4th, 10 AM – 2 PM
Where: Western Financial Place parking lot (1777 2 St N, Cranbrook)
Who: All welcome
4. WILDFIRE COMMUNITY PREPAREDNESS DAY - MAY 4
Wildfire Community Preparedness Day is coming up on May 4th and is the perfect opportunity to learn more about the FireSmart™ Program, incorporate some FireSmart Principles on your property, or get involved with your friends and neighbours in a community clean up! Our Local FireSmart Representatives will be out and about in region as well and you can find them here:
Ember Stomp - Wildfire Community Preparedness Day Event
Jaffray Community Hall (7369 Village Loop Rd) from 10 AM - 3 PM
East Kootenay FireSmart Team information booth at the above-mentioned Emergency Preparedness Fair in Cranbrook at the Western Financial Place Parking Lot from 10 AM – 2 PM.
East Kootenay FireSmart Team information booth at the Invermere Home Hardware from 10 AM – 2 PM.
For more information on the East Kootenay FireSmart Program, email firesmart@rdek.bc.ca or visit engage.rdek.bc.ca/firesmart
When it comes to emergencies, the most important thing you can do for your family is plan ahead. If you are looking for preparedness tasks that your family can focus on at home, print out a simple checklist to follow throughout the week. One simple task a day will make your household better prepared in case of emergency.
Thank you and take care,Lindsay
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