Japan has taught the entire world a major lesson about life – it is full of the unexpected.
We watched with sheer horror as buildings swayed and a massive waves removed entire towns …and thought …could that happen here on the Quay? After all we are blessed to live on the shores of the Fraser – could a Tsunami happen to us?
Both Quakes and Tsunami’s are not only possible here at the Quay but according to some science is probable at some point in the not-to-distant future. Recent events have renewed the conversation of preparedness among residents of the Quay.
Do you have a kit in your car or condo? Do you have a plan to assist your neighbours? Does your building have an ‘emergency meeting place’ or an ‘evacuation plan’? Should the Quay exercise a mock emergency drill specific to the Quay in tandem with the City?
Big questions for The Big One. Have your say on how you and the Quay can best prepare for a Quay Quake.
While we are more serioius about the bottle water, wind-up radio, blankets etc, I think that the QCB should organize the stratas to create 'cache' such as they have in the artic etc , to stock pile emergency goods such as water, blankets and first aid....our building is also talking about how to look after the elderly and handi-abled. But the City appears to have done nothing concrete in the way of Emergency plan at the Quay or anywhere...or am I missing something. There certainly has not been a Quay strategy in place that I am aware of and there should be
ReplyDeleteWe should have a giant rehearsal of an earth quake drill in the community....I will volunteer!
ReplyDeleteThe City of New Westminster has made some significant investments and done a lot of pre-planning. The city has tried to reach out to the Quayside area through the Quayside Community Board without a lot of success. Were you aware that we had an emergency broadcast station (CHNW 88.7 FM), that we are equipped to generate tens of thousands of bottles of clean water daily - even drawing it from the Fraser River if necessary - or that we had an emergency command vehicle? Now that the election is over and this isn't as likely to be seen as a political statement I'd encourage everyone to take a look at what New Westminster has achieved, we are way beyond most other communities in the province. Your tax dollars have gone into some pretty un-glamorous things. Most importantly, take a look at what you need to do to be personally prepared and as self-sufficient as possible for a few days so that the resources the city has available can be used to assist those in dire need. Take a look at the Emergency Management Page: http://www.newwestcity.ca/residents/public_safety/emergency_preparedness/index.php, call Dave Jones or Cory McLaren at Emergency Services; ask when the next public presentation is. You'll find them a wealth of information and a good start but make no mistake, we need to be prepared and some of what we need, especially in the first hours or few days following a disaster will need to be provided by ourselves so that Emergency Services, our police and fire departments and other resources can prioritize and help those who are really in trouble.
ReplyDeleteActually Wobbly Willie your incorrect that the city has been unsuccessful in reaching out to the Quayside Board. We had Dave Cole at our board meeting in the spring during the potential run off. We were the most active with the city during this time in communicating concerns to the city and getting reports on a weekly basis regarding the rising river and issuing this to every building. We participated in the first ever meeting at Fraser River Discovery Center for Emergency Preparedness. We have a representative on that committee and he has been active in promoting communication with all resident associations. We suggested a rehearsal for the Quayside Community on Earthquake preparedness. The Quayside Board was the most informed and prepared association during the potential flood a number of years ago. If you lived here at the time you would know there were reps watching underground parking water levels, repairs were made to sump pumps, lists for every building were prepare in the event of evacuation, alternate parking was arranged and many many other initiatives were accomplished in cooperation with the city. Election or not the safety of our members is and has always been paramount in our community. You need only look at the constant warnings regarding break ins, representation on various committees like traffic and policing along with the constant communication with city departments to ensure this membership is in touch dealing with issues affecting our neighbourhood. We even requested that the city look into emergency packs that our members could purchase from the city to ensure people had the right supplies to be prepared.
ReplyDeletePlease ensure you are informed before making such generalizations. Volunteers work hard to make our community safe, clean and vibrant. We agree that more can be done and I hope that you are one of the volunteers that will help make that happen.
Regards,
James Crosty
President