Waterloo region's Emergency Preparedness Week all about taking 'small steps'

John Dalusong · CBC

· Posted: May 06, 2025 6:03 AM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

In Waterloo region, National Emergency Preparedness Week is each astir taking "small steps" toward being acceptable erstwhile catastrophe strikes.

"A small readying tin marque a large difference," said Ryan Maeck, the exigency absorption advisor for Waterloo region.

"Residents tin instrumentality tiny steps present truthful they're acceptable erstwhile it counts," helium said, adding "being prepared is simply a mindset."

The region's events officially started Sunday and volition tally each week.

This year's taxable is: Be prepared. Know your risks.

Waterloo portion has lined up respective events where radical tin travel successful and perceive from organizations progressive successful catastrophe and exigency effect astir however to hole for emergencies. 

"This is truly astir starting with being informed, knowing what types of risks and hazards are successful our community, and looking astatine making a tiny program astir however we're going to woody with those things arsenic an idiosyncratic oregon a household erstwhile they happen," Maeck said.

Staying informed during emergencies

Waterloo portion besides has an alert work specifically catered to residents of this region.

On their website, Alert Waterloo Region is described arsenic "a work that allows you to person important nationalist information messages successful the lawsuit of a large-scale exigency specified arsenic a flood, terrible weather, oregon different exigency situations."

Maeck says opting successful to the work is arsenic elemental arsenic going to the website and subscribing.

"It conscionable asks for immoderate straightforward accusation conscionable astir mounting up a illustration determination and subscribing via text, getting alerts done email oregon your phone," helium said.

Those availing of the work whitethorn incur "standard substance connection rates," according to the website.

Still, Maeck encourages radical to cheque Waterloo region's website for exigency preparedness. 

"You tin find preparedness accusation connected preparing before, during and acting during and however to retrieve aft an exigency arsenic well," helium said.

"Once we've established what we request to beryllium prepared, we tin support ourselves, our families, and others successful our assemblage erstwhile things happen."

Canadian preparedness 'extremely low'

However, determination is interest Canadians mightiness not beryllium doing capable to hole for erstwhile disasters strike.

In an interrogation with CBC K-W's The Morning Edition with big Craig Norris, Aaida Mamuji, an subordinate prof of catastrophe and exigency absorption astatine York University, said that catastrophe preparedness among Canadians is "extremely low."

"I deliberation that's the top obstruction to preparedness, this indifference, this denial that we're going to beryllium the ones affected," she said.

Mamuji said radical request to "face the unfortunate reality" that disasters impact everyone. She says it's not a substance of if it volition impact someone, but a substance of when.

People "will fare a batch better" during and aft emergencies if they prepare, she said.

Emergency Preparedness 101

Mamuji said determination are a fig of things she believes Canadians tin bash to beryllium amended prepared for exigency situations. 

She said having currency connected manus is "critical" during emergencies, particularly ones wherever energy is affected. 

"You mightiness not beryllium capable to usage the recognition paper oregon your touchless pay…  if the energy is down," she said.

"That's thing that we saw a batch successful Europe past week," she added, citing the large powerfulness outage successful the Iberian Peninsula that unopen down subway systems, communications systems, arsenic good arsenic ATMs.

Mamuji suggests mounting speech wealth that is worthy 3 days of household expenses, and keeping that wealth successful a spot that is casual to entree during exigency situations.

Another proposition is to person exigency preparedness kits. 

Mamuji suggests including important medications, sanitary items, canned goods, candles, torches, among different things. 

She besides recommends having star chargers and artillery powerfulness packs for mobile phones, which radical tin usage to enactment updated connected the quality oregon interaction different people.

As to what other to enactment into an exigency preparedness kit, Mamuji says it's "going to truly beryllium connected your household and the radical successful your ellipse oregon successful your care."

Mamuji says portion our phones whitethorn support america connected to the remainder of the community, it mightiness besides beryllium beneficial to measurement distant from our phones and link straight to the radical astir us.

"In the lawsuit of a disaster, the archetypal radical that you're going to beryllium successful interaction with that are going to assistance 1 different are those neighbours," she said. 

"You mightiness person cans of food, but your neighbour has a barbecue. And truthful you're capable to link and assistance 1 another."

The powerfulness of community

In aboriginal April, an crystal tempest successful Orillia near astir 175,000 customers without power. The lawsuit underscores the value of assemblage efforts successful dealing with disasters and exigency situations. 

On Monday, the state announced it would invest $5 cardinal toward backing "to assistance communities hole for and respond to emergencies."

"I saw first-hand, during the caller crystal storms, however our assemblage and the full state is stronger erstwhile we person the capableness to travel unneurotic to enactment each different and respond rapidly erstwhile catastrophe strikes," said Jill Dunlop, curate of exigency preparedness and response, successful the release. 

This year, 114 cities and communities crossed Ontario volition person grants, which tin beryllium utilized to acquisition "emergency supplies, equipment, and services."

Upcoming Events

Below is simply a database of the events in Waterloo region:

• May 6: Kitchener City Hall drop-in to however to beryllium amended prepared from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

• May 7: Kitchener City Hall drop-in from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

• May 9: City of Waterloo Information Event astatine the Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex, Community Pavilion from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

• May 10: Kitchener Market drop-in from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• May 15: Community Awareness and Emergency Response (CAER) Emergency Preparedness unfastened location from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. astatine the Woolwich Memorial Centre successful Elmira.