Emergency Preparedness

It is important to ensure that the entire family is prepared and informed in the event of a disaster or emergency. You may not always be together when these events take place and should have plans for making sure you are able to contact and find one another.

Home Plan

• Determine the best ways to evacuate your home in case of an emergency such as a home fire. 
• Make sure adults and older children know where fire extinguishers, water, electric and gas utilities are located.  
• Make sure everyone in the house knows the location of your emergency kit.
• Establish a safe place for your family to meet outside your home and outside your neighbourhood.
• Include a plan for evacuating your pets.
• Practice your evacuation plan frequently.
• If you can’t evacuate your home, prepare to be self-sufficient in your home for at least three days (or seven to 10 days in a health emergency).
• If a member of your family has special needs that would require extra assistance, include those details into your family emergency plan and emergency kit.
• Know the plans for your workplace, school, community centre, etc. in the event a disaster happens when you are not at home.

Know Your Neighbourhood

• Work with your neighbours to identify people who may need extra help during an emergency, or who you can turn to for help.
• Identify your community’s emergency plan.
• Identify your community’s evacuation routes.
• Identify where emergency shelters are located.
• In the event of a disaster, listen to local radio and television. If local officials or community leaders ask you to evacuate your neighbourhood, follow the routes and go to the location specified.
• Do not take shortcuts as they could take you to a blocked or dangerous area.

Establish an Out of Town Emergency Contact

• Plan for each family member to call or e-mail the same out-of-town contact person in case of an emergency.
• Choose an out-of-town contact that lives far enough away that he or she will not have been affected by the same event.
• Ensure that the designated person knows they are your family contact.
• Ensure that you and your family members know or carry the number and e-mail address.

Print the Canadian Red Cross Fillable Emergency Plan to go over with your family.

What to put in your emergency preparedness kit:

Essentials
The following list includes essential items to have in your emergency preparedness kit:

• food (non-perishable and easy-to prepare items, enough for three days) and a manual can opener
• bottled or bagged water (4 litres per person for each day) and backup water purification tablets
• medication(s)
• toilet paper and other personal items such as soap, shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, etc.
• personal protective equipment (PPE) such as medical masks and respirators back up chargers and power banks for cell phone or mobile device
• cash in small bills
• portable light source such as a flashlight, headlamp or glow stick
• radio (crank or battery-run)
• extra batteries
• first-aid kit
• candles and matches/lighter
• hand sanitizer or moist towelettes
• important papers such as a copy of your emergency plan, identification, contact lists, copies of prescriptions, etc.
• extra car and house keys
• whistle (to attract attention, if needed)
• zip-lock bag (to keep things dry)
• garbage bags
• duct tape

Additional Consideration

The following list includes additional items you may require to meet your household’s unique needs:

• items for babies and small children such as diapers, formula, bottles, baby food, etc.
• comfort and sentimental items such as photos of loved ones, irreplaceable items, etc.
• prescription medication
• medical supplies (cane, walker, hearing aid and batteries, breathing device, etc.), equipment and copies of care/support plans including contact information for doctors or specialists
• extra pair of glasses or contact lenses and solution
• prescription footwear
• pet food and supplies
• dentures and supplies
• any other items specific to your household’s needs 

Extra Supplies for Evacuation

• seasonal clothes, shoes and accessories such as hats, gloves, etc.
• sleeping bag or blankets
• personal items (soap, toothpaste, toilet paper, comb, other toiletries)
• lightweight plates and utensils
• survival multi-tool that includes a screwdriver, pocketknife and other basic tools
• local map with your safe meeting places identified
• playing cards, travel games and other small activities
• pen or pencil and a small paper/notepad 

Other Tips

• Place all these items in an easy-to-carry bag or suitcase on wheels.
• Keep your emergency preparedness kit in a place that is easy to reach.
• Keep your cell phone or mobile device fully charged. 

If Trent Lakes has a Shelter in Place advisory, residents should find a safe location indoors and remain there until you have been notified that it is safe to come out. If you are at home when asked to shelter in place some actions that you should take are:

• Locate your 72-hour emergency kit and have on hand.
• Close and lock all windows, doors, and fire place dampers and turn off all heating or air conditioning systems.
• Contact your emergency contacts and let them know where you are.
• Bring your pets with you to your safe location and be prepared to care for them. 
• Charge cell phones and other essential technology if power is available.

If you are away from home when an emergency occurs and you need to shelter in place, follow the instructions of local authorities and contact your emergency contacts to let them know where you are.

Please follow the resources under our Stay Informed tab to receive urgent notices such as an evacuation order.

If Trent Lakes is under an Evacuation Order, residents should:

• Follow instructions of local authorities.
• Take your 72-hour emergency kit with you and your pet emergency kit.
• Let your emergency contacts know that you have left and where you are going.
• Turn off all appliances before leaving, except your refrigerator or freezer.
• Take your pets with you, make sure you have identified evacuation shelters that allow pets.
• Follow recommended evacuation routes, and be alert for road hazards when you are evacuating.

Some evacuation orders may have a day or two warning, while some orders are immediate. Please have your emergency kits readily available in case you need to evacuate right away.

Please follow the resources under our Stay Informed tab to receive urgent notices such as an evacuation order.

Having a sense of community and people you can lean on is an important part of recovery.

Reach out to nearby neighbours, community members, friends, loved ones and your support network to find out how you can help each other.

If able, contact your local municipality and community organizations to see if volunteers are needed for disaster recovery.

Research shows that communities with strong relationships recover faster.

Disasters can affect people in many ways. Sometimes emotional responses show up right away or they can take days, weeks, months or even years to show up.

Feelings of stress are normal, but some people can experience more severe distress and may require help.

Monitor yourself and your loved ones for signs of distress, which could include:

• difficulty sleeping
• emotional outbursts
• anxiety
• depression or unexplained physical issues

If any of these signs appear, make sure to talk about them and seek advice from a professional.

Disaster Recovery Assistance for Ontarians (DRAO) is a program that  may activate for damage to private property if there’s a sudden, unexpected natural event, such as a flood or tornado that causes costly and widespread damage in your area.

If you are eligible, you could be reimbursed for:

• clean up expenses
• costs to repair or replace essential property
• basic emergency expenses like evacuation travel costs

Stay up-to-date with Municipal, Provincial and Federal outlets for potential new programs after an emergency.