Ontario residents urged to prepare for severe winter weather, emergencies
Posted November 17, 2022 6:27 pm.
Last Updated November 17, 2022 7:16 pm.
Much of the Greater Toronto Area and southern Ontario has been lucky so far, but with the snowy season ramping up emergency response agencies are urging residents to be ready.
“We ask people to be prepared. Severe weather can come up at any time and it can do a lot of damage, causing power outages, causing water outages, causing property damage – a lot of things could happen at any moment,” MairiAnna Bachynsky, a spokesperson with the Canadian Red Cross, said on Thursday.
“People often think it’s not going to happen to them, but if we look back, we see that dangerous weather and severe storms can come up at any time and have a big effect on families and communities.”
She urged Ontario residents who don’t have an emergency kit to begin assembling one, adding the kit should have enough for every person to help get them through 72 hours.
“Food, water, does somebody have special medications?” Bachynsky said.
“Our four-legged friends, we can’t forget them, have some extra food.”
When it comes to water, she said there should be two litres for drinking daily per person plus extra for cooking and bathing. She also said battery-powered radios, paper and pens, and extra clothes should be included.
Bachynsky said vital paperwork can be easily overlooked, so include that in the kit.
“Copies of those documents like your land deeds, like your health insurance, like your wills, different things like that, your home insurance that you might need in case of an emergency when you’re going out the door,” she said, adding emergency kits should be stocked and ready to go in case an evacuation order gets issued.
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“We don’t like to look at it as fear-mongering; we like to look at it as a bit more of a peace of mind. What if that case does come? You know where your things are. You know what to grab and get out.”
The Canadian Red Cross put out a recommended emergency kit checklist and a directory of preparedness resources on its website.
Tony Tsai, the vice president of communications with CAA South Central Ontario, also emphasized the need for preparation. He said motorists in need of roadside assistance should keep this in mind.
“On a typical day, we receive about 4,000 calls that we go out and service, and the average wait time is around 30 and 45 minutes to get there. On a peak of a winter storm, that can double or triple depending on the severity of a storm,” he told CityNews.
He encouraged drivers to check their brakes and vehicle fluids and ensure their routine maintenance was now up-to-date. Tsai also stressed the importance of checking vehicle batteries.
“Even a fully charged battery can lose 30 per cent of its power when the temperature drops below zero, and these days most batteries last three to five years,” he said.
When heading out on a snowy day, Tsai encouraged building in lots of extra time in the commute to drive slowly and clear all snow off vehicles, wiping off headlights, topping up windshield washer fluid and checking windshield wipers.
Like Bachynsky, he encouraged keeping an emergency kit.
“That includes a brush, scraper, an extra phone charger, flashlight, a first aid kit, some extra warm clothing, some non-perishable food items if you have them and if you can, a candle in a can and some matches so that way it will help you keep warm in the vehicle,” Tsai said.
