Emergency Preparedness 20

About 30 Canadian Red Cross Disaster Management volunteers and staff helped kick off Emergency Preparedness Week, May 4-10, at Toronto City Hall this week. Red Crossers were on hand to teach Deputy Mayor Norm Kelly how to set up cots for a shelter and share information to help Torontonians be ready for disasters.

Some Canadians don’t believe a disaster will happen in their community, yet, last year, many Canadians experienced disasters through events such as the Lac-Megantic derailment, Alberta floods and Toronto ice storm, as well as personal disasters like house fire or flooding. Are you prepared in case of an emergency? Join us on May 7 at 3 pm EDT for a live Twitter chat on emergency preparedness using the hashtag #BeReady.

With winter finally thawing, spring brings warmer weather as well as an increased risk of flooding. Floods are one of the most common and costly disasters in Canada, and the Canadian Red Cross is already providing support in communities affected by flooding in some parts of the country. 

We always encourage people to know the risks, make a plan and get a kit so they can be ready for any emergency.

While much of Atlantic Canada is digging out from what has been described as a weather bomb, or spring blizzard, we thought we’d check in to see how residents of the Atlantic provinces prepared and got through the storm.

With a couple earthquakes shaking up the west coast in the past few weeks, it's a good opportunity to review your family's preparedness level, especially for those living in British Columbia or other earthquake-prone regions.

You’ve heard the saying “in like a lion, out like a lamb” when referring to the month of March, right?  It’s hard to believe this month we will welcome the first day of spring.  So, as we enter into the third month of what is now the coldest winter in 20 years, here’s a look at a few other events which have brought this month in like a lion.

When an emergency or disaster happens, not knowing what to do can be stressful for those affected. Red Cross Disaster Management volunteers in Timmins spent the day learning how to teach Personal Preparedness Workshops on Standard Personal Prepar...

Guest entry by Common Cents Mom blogger Hollie Pollard It is Fire Safety Week, and every time I think of fire safety, I am taken back to that June night in Hamilton, Ontario, when a fast moving fire burned the thirty-unit complex that I lived next t...