The Comox Valley Regional District (CVRD) is encouraging local residents and businesses to participate in ShakeOut BC Day on Thursday, October 15, 2015 at 10:15 a.m. and to practice how to “Drop, Cover, and Hold On.”
BC is located in an actively seismic region and it is essential to learn how to be prepared. The goal of ShakeOut BC Day is to ensure people are prepared, so that disasters don’t become catastrophes. Individuals, families, businesses, schools, and government agencies are all encouraged to be part of this annual province-wide exercise.
“We’ve seen examples of local emergencies such as flooding in our region in late 2014 and more recently, the power outages in the lower mainland due to wind storms,” said Mike Fournier, coordinator of the Comox Valley Emergency Program. “Residents could find themselves without access to electricity or water and it’s important to prepare to be self-sufficient for at least 72 hours.”
As part of the drills that morning, and as part of the CVRD’s emergency response preparation, CVRD staff will be launching a test of the “emergency notification” banner on its website at www.comoxvalleyrd.ca at approximately 10:30 a.m. The banner will remain active for 15 minutes and residents can view it to become familiar with how an emergency response mechanism will work locally in the event of a disaster. A screen shot of this emergency page will also be shared the same day on the CVRD’s social media channels, which are found by following comoxvalleyrd on Facebook and Twitter.
To register for this free event, and for more information on ShakeOut BC, visit http://shakeoutbc.ca . For more information about local emergency preparedness resources, visit www.comoxvalleyrd.ca/emergency .
The Comox Valley Regional District is a federation of three electoral areas and three municipalities providing sustainable services for residents and visitors to the area. The members of the regional district work collaboratively on services for the benefit of the diverse urban and rural areas of the Comox Valley.