After Fiona, Three Rivers considers changes to emergency response

Simply months earlier than post-tropical storm Fiona hit Prince Edward Island, the city of Three Rivers finalized its first emergency preparedness plan. 

Now, given what it realized through the storm, it needs to make some adjustments. 

“There’s undoubtedly extra co-ordination to be accomplished by the province and their EMO committee and in addition ourselves so far as what we do regionally and the way we reply regionally,” former mayor Ed MacAulay informed Island Morning‘s Laura Chapin. 

“What we wish to do for Three Rivers is to take a look at each chance and the way we’re going to have the ability to reply appropriately.”

After the storm, members of the city’s Emergency Operations Committee (EOC) met with fireplace chiefs and different officers to talk about enhancements to make the subsequent emergency response run smoother.

MacAulay was a part of these discussions. He mentioned one of many issues they’re doing is increasing the community of volunteer emergency groups in every group. 

“I used to be interested by this on reflection, how will every of those little communities have handled Fiona in the event that they had been on their very own?” he mentioned.

“We’ll want individuals regionally to do issues in these rapid hours throughout an occasion to examine on individuals, so we’re going to attempt to develop our community within the native communities.”

MacAulay mentioned the evaluate is nonetheless in its early levels, however to this point emergency administration officers have recognized some areas for enchancment. One of many issues they want to see is elevated accessibility of electrical energy and water outdoors warming centres.

“Particularly within the early levels, these are normally the fundamental wants that individuals have — if they will hold their telephones charged, know what is going on on and get water,” he mentioned.

“Even when the warming centre shouldn’t be open, if we might have {an electrical} outlet there that may be turned on for these intervals of time, individuals can go and so they can cost their telephones and get water and so forth.”

MacAulay mentioned conversations have to proceed between the EOC and the brand new city council approaching board. He mentioned he would additionally wish to see extra follow-up conferences between communities throughout the Island and provincial emergency administration officers.   

“I feel we’re actually going to develop that, as a result of I feel that is the one means P.E.I. goes to indicate its resiliency subsequent time round,” he mentioned.