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| How is the North Shore preparing for a disaster? |
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The North Shore takes an all hazards approach to preparing for disasters. This means that we are building the capacity to respond to any type of emergency. Within BC, there are 57 different identified hazards and on the North Shore some of our higher risks would be earthquakes, landslides, severe weather, debris torrents, localized flooding, power outages, structural fires and interface wildfires.
The North Shore Emergency Management Office (NSEMO) helps the North Shore municipalities to prepare through developing emergency plans, identifying hazards and risks, creating relationships between key stakeholders and facilitating joint planning between response agencies and other organizations.
In addition, staff who serve in key positions within the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) are trained and have opportunities to be involved in exercises to practice their skills.
An operationally ready Emergency Operations Centre is available for use by the municipalities and can be activated at anytime to support the response agencies that are in the field directly responding to the emergency.
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| Who do I call in an emergency? |
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If you have a sewer or water emergency, you should contact your municipality for assistance. Note: Inside water leaks are the responsibility of the home owner, not the municipality..
District of North Vancouver
Sewer and Water daytime inquiries 604-990-3860
After hours emergencies 604-990-3666
City of North Vancouver
Sewer and Water daytime inquiries 604-987-7155
After hours emergencies 604-988-2212
District of West Vancouver
Sewer and Water daytime inquiries 604-925-7101
After hours emergencies 604-925-7100
To request assistance from North Shore Rescue, for a search and rescue emergency, dial 911 and ask for police.
Police, fire and medical emergencies, when immediate actoin is required: if lives or property are in danger or a crime is in progress, call 911.
RCMP non-emergency number - 604-985-1311
West Vancouver Police non-emergency number - 604-925-7300
Bear Aware - 604-980-5021
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| Clarification of the information in the "Triangle of Life" email |
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The province of British Columbia has adopted "Drop, Cover and Hold" as the appropriate response to an earthquake in British Columbia. Because of building codes and standards in North America we commonly don't see full building collapses. Most damage and injury is due to non-structural damage (items falling off shelves and walls or appliances, bookcases, etc. falling over). The recommended way to protect yourself during an earthquake in North America is to “Drop, Cover, and Hold”.
Theory and messages from Mr. Copp circulate frequently and, while we offer no qualitative assessment of his work, you may wish to check his background as there is quite a bit of information about him and his work on the internet.
Please refer to this website for further information on earthquake safety:
http://www.earthquakecountry.info/dropcoverholdon/
Another interesting website is www.snopes.com - a very comprehensive website resource that validates or debunks widely spread information including e-mail forwards. |
| Which agencies are involved in an emergency response? |
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The response agencies involved will depend on the type of emergency. On the North Shore we have highly trained professional responders in all three municipalities. In addition, we have volunteer teams who support our community during emergencies .
We are fortunate to have many support organizations which assist us during times of crisis including:
- The Salvation Army
- St. John Ambulance
- Harvest Project
- Canadian Red Cross
- Tzu Chi
- BC Housing
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| What will the North Shore do in an emergency? |
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The majority of all emergencies are handled by our highly trained response agencies in the field. However, there are a small number of incidents which occur that exceed the normal capacity of our responders and result in them requiring support. This support is provided through the Emergency Operations Centre and could be in the form of sourcing and providing additional equipment and resources, releasing important safety or situational information to the public, media liaison, evacuee assistance, establishing a call centre, or any other activity that will help responders in the field focus their energy on responding to the emergency.
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| What are the first things I should do during a disaster? |
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First, ensure the safety of yourself and your family. Check for injuries and administer first aid. Follow the instructions and information provided by emergency officials via media, municipal websites, Community Alert Network (CAN), or your battery-operated radio.
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| How much food and water should I have on hand? |
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At a minimum you should store 4 litres per person per day for at least 3 days. This is sufficient for drinking, cooking and some washing. Having a one week supply of emergency food and water is recommended.
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