Disasters come in all sorts of shapes and sizes: fires, floods, power failures and earthquakes are those we know can, and do, affect residents of the Lower Mainland. Neighbourhoods may be evacuated or forced to rely on their own resources for extended periods of time. The Red Cross responds to disasters in your region and throughout the country, but it is up to you to be prepared.
What can you do to prepare?
What can you do to make your home safer?
What supplies do you need to survive?
How can you plan with your family what you will do in the event of an emergency?
How can you get this information if you don’t speak English?
What do you need to do if you are new to Canada and don’t know what your municipality has planned for disaster response?
More than 50% of the B.C. Lower Mainland Region’s population speak a language other than English at home. In the light of recent disasters like the severe weather that affected the majority of the Lower Mainland, providing information and training to the most vulnerable and those unable to access regular services is vital to a comprehensive response.
In 2007 Canadian Red Cross will launch SmartStart: Personal Disaster Preparedness, a workshop to be delivered in 14 languages via community organizations, settlement services and ESL classes.
