Beauchamp says residents should be prepared for an all-hazards approach, which is to be aware of all hazards they are at risk of experiencing in case of any type of emergency happening. Photo: Martin Katerberg / Flickr

Test alerts were heard all across British Columbia yesterday morning over radios, televisions and compatible phones.

The test alert came from the BC Emergency Alert system which gets tested every year in the spring and fall. The alerts can be used in cases of emergency events such as tsunamis, threats of floods, wildfires and extreme heat. The BC Emergency Alert system can also be used for Amber Alerts and police-issued alerts for civil emergencies, along with federal government-issued emergency alerts.

The provincial government said doing the tests assesses the system’s readiness for an actual emergency and identifies any adjustment needed.

This emergency alert test comes during Emergency Preparation Week, a nationwide event to encourage residents to be prepared in case of an emergency such as an earthquake, fire or flood.

The Regional District of Nanaimo said in case of an emergency, residents should be ready to take care of themselves for a minimum of 72 hours. Being prepared and self-sufficient allows emergency responders to prioritize assistance where it is needed most.

Erica Beauchamp is the manager of emergency services for the RDN. She tells CHLY that many kinds of emergencies can happen on Vancouver Island that residents should be prepared for.

“As we've seen on the island, there are many that come out of the blue such as major wind storms,” Beauchamp said. “But some of the most notable within the region include wildfire, earthquake–it’s the big ones that everybody thinks about, but the frequency is less–flooding, and extreme temperatures, such as heat and cold windstorms.”

Beauchamp said residents should be prepared for an all-hazards approach, which is to be aware and prepared for all hazards they are at risk of experiencing.

“If you just plan in general for emergencies, that will typically take care of a lot of the planning that you need to do,” she said. “When it comes to flooding, it depends on where your house is situated, maybe you need to plan a little bit differently as far as pumping and specifics like that, but in response for your family and for your household, a lot of the emergency preparedness looks similar for all emergencies.”

She said it is important for residents to know the hazards and then create a plan for themselves or their families.

“They should practice the plan, so drills with family members, etc. and then they should tell others about their plan communicated to friends, family and neighbours,” she said. “They could also create emergency plans with their neighbours so that people are sharing resources.”

Beauchamp said sharing emergency plans with neighbours is a good way for neighbours to support each other if an emergency was to happen.

“It's also good because not everybody always has the tools that might be necessary during an emergency. However, if you plan a neighbourhood emergency preparedness plan, then you can share resources so that not everybody has to have every piece of response equipment,” Beauchamp said.

For preparing a grab-and-go bag, the RDN has a list of suggested items for it on their emergency preparedness website. Family medication, eyewear and cash are some items Beauchamp said are commonly forgotten about. She said if the household has any pets, to plan for them as someone would for any other family member.

“So if that means you have collapsible bowls for dogs, whatever the case might be, also have items such as travel crates, if you have cats. Oftentimes, if you need to be in a reception center, you might not be able to have the animals right with you in the reception centers,” Beauchamp said. “So having familiar items for your pets that are prepared so you can take them quickly if needed is always a good idea.”

For preparing homes or properties in cases of wildfires, Beauchamp recommends the tool kits from British Columbia FireSmart. She said the tool kits can help homeowners learn about implementing FireSmart principles to residential landscapes and paying attention to ignition zones to reduce the risk of wildfires affecting residents.

Beauchamp said the RDN uses the emergency alert program Voyent Alert! For residents, businesses or visitors to receive messages through their app, test message, voice call or email for emergency events. Residents in the Electoral Areas A, B, C, E, F, G and H and the District of Lantzville can sign up to receive messages on the RDN website.

Residents in the City of Nanaimo, Town of Qualicum Beach and City of Parksville can also use the Voyent Alert! Program to also receive emergency alerts from their municipalities.

Funding Note: This story was produced with funding support from the Local Journalism Initiative, administered by the Community Radio Fund of Canada.