May 2-8, 2010 is Emergency Preparedness Week in Canada.
May 2-8, 2010 is Emergency Preparedness Week in Canada and, for the second year in a row, the City of Steinbach is recognizing the week with a major event.
Most Steinbach and area residents can recall last years realistic tornado exercise conducted in May. The exercise enabled the Steinbach Emergency Operations and Response Teams to test the Citys Emergency Plan and response to a scenario of a tornado touching down in the southeast portion of the city. Complete with realistic looking injuries courtesy of the SRSS Cosmetology students and excellent actors from the community, the scenario was a positive step towards making sure the City has the best Emergency Plan possible.
This year, the City has taken another step in better preparing our community for emergency situations, specifically for severe weather. On Thursday, May 6, the City of Steinbach will officially become StormReady certified. This certification marks the end of an almost two year journey to become the first StormReady community as part of a pilot project in Canada. The StormReady program began in the United States in 1999 and, as of April 27, 2010, there were 1601 StormReady certified communities / counties in 48 states, Puerto Rico, and Guam.
Emergency Preparedness Week is a significant national event, said Denis Vassart, Emergency Planning Coordinator. Its important for each of us to take time and think about our own emergency preparedness plans for our families. The StormReady program will greatly enhance Steinbach’s Emergency Plan and help prepare our community for a severe weather event.
This new program will increase the safety of our residents in the event of severe weather, said Mayor Chris Goertzen. Steinbach residents can be proud of the fact that our community is taking the lead in Emergency Preparedness.
For more information on Steinbachs Emergency Plan, visit the Citys Emergency Preparedness StormReady booth Friday, May 7 Saturday, May 8 at Clearspring Centre as part of the South Eastman Health Wellness Symposium.
