Mayor’s Monday Mailbag – May 6, 2024 – What Can I Do To Prepare Myself For An Emergency?

Welcome to the Mayor’s Monday Mailbag, an initiative Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward and the Mayor’s Office launched to share weekly answers to questions from the public we’ve received through our main email inbox at mayor@burlington.ca or the Mayor’s social media platforms.At the end of the month, we publish a roundup of those most pressing questions we’ve received in the weeks prior.Mayor’s Monday Mailbag – May 6, 2024QUESTION:"What can I do to prepare myself and my family/household if there's ever an emergency, to help keep us safe?”ANSWER:May 5-11, 2024, is Emergency Preparedness Week, and the City of Burlington is sharing the top things you can do to keep yourself, and your family/household safe during an emergency.1. MAKE A PLANMake a plan for what you and your family will do in an emergency. Do you know what will you do if you can’t access your home or if your family is not together when an emergency happens? What will you do if there is no electricity for an extended time in the summer? Talk to your household often about how the weather, seasonal changes or upcoming events might impact your emergency plans.Visit burlington.ca/emergencyprep for more information about emergency preparedness, including a detailed emergency preparedness guide, preparedness information related to pets and several hazards, as well as directions on what to do if you are asked to evacuate or shelter-in-place during an emergency.2. BUILD AN EMERGENCY KITEveryone should have basic essentials to last 3 days in an emergency. It is recommended to keep your emergency kit in a location that is safe from flooding and easily accessible. Be sure to replace the food, water and medications in your kit before any of these items expire. To avoid waste, consider swapping out food, water and medications each season.Households are recommended to have a home emergency kit as well as a vehicle emergency kit. The following items are recommended:

• Home Emergency Kit
  • A basic first-aid kit
  • A battery-powered radio
  • A small amount of cash
  • Blankets
  • Copies of your important documents
  • Flashlights and batteries
  • Extra clothing
  • A one-week supply of medications for your family and pets
  • A three-day supply of non-perishable food
  • Twelve litres of water per person
  • Consider adding additional items based on your household needs
• Vehicle Emergency Kit
  • Blanket
  • Extra clothing and footwear
  • Flashlight (crank or battery powered) and extra batteries, as applicable
  • Candle in a deep can with matches
  • Road map
  • Work gloves
  • Shovel and ice scraper
  • Jumper cable
  • Tow rope
  • Sand or kitty litter
  • De-icer
  • Road flares
  • Non-perishable food (that doesn’t need to be refrigerated)
  • Water (in water bottles)
  • Phone charger

3. STAY INFORMEDStay informed by following trustworthy sources of information. The City’s social media (@cityburlington), online newsfeeds and Service Burlington (905-335-7777) will be updated frequently during large-scale emergencies. To subscribe to the City’s newsfeeds, visit burlington.ca/subscribeAnother way to stay informed is by subscribing to Alert Burlington, which is Burlington’s public notification system for community emergencies. Residents and anyone who works within Burlington are encouraged to subscribe to Alert Burlington.In the event of a large-scale community emergency, Alert Burlington will send important messages by text, email and/or recorded phone message to subscribers. Alert Burlington notifications can also be sent out in several languages, depending on your communication preferences.To register for Alert Burlington, go to burlington.ca/alertburlington. You will be asked to create an account with your name, address and mobile phone number, land-line phone number and/or email address.The small actions we take today can help make a significant difference in the future. For emergency preparedness tips, visit: www.burlington.ca/emergencyprep

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