Be Prepared: Emergency Preparedness Information Delivered to You
If an emergency happens, will you be ready?
That is a question we hope Watson Lake households have a chance to think about before an emergency occurs.
Town of Watson Lake Protective Services, through Emergency Management, has completed a community-wide maildrop of the new Be Prepared Emergency Preparedness Pamphlet — a practical, take-home guide designed to help residents prepare themselves, their families, their pets and their property for emergencies in and around our community.
You will soon find yours in the mail, Take a few minutes to look through it, fill out the parts that apply to your household, and keep it somewhere you can easily find it when you need it.
Why Put Emergency Information in Every Mailbox?
Most of us are used to reaching for our phones when we need information. During an emergency, however, things may not work the way they normally do.
Power can go out. Internet or cellular service can be interrupted. Roads can close. Conditions can change quickly. And when something serious is happening, it is much harder to start figuring out where to look, what to pack, who to call or what your family should do next.
That is why we wanted residents to have something physical at home, information that does not depend on a phone battery, an internet connection or remembering which website to search.
The Be Prepared pamphlet gives you a starting point. It contains practical information that you can read now, talk about with your household and come back to later if an emergency occurs.
More Than Just a Pamphlet
The guide has been designed to cover some of the questions that can become very important very quickly during an emergency. Inside, residents will find information on building an emergency preparedness kit, preparing pets, keeping emergency supplies in a vehicle, dealing with severe weather, and understanding the difference between instructions such as Shelter in Place and an Evacuation Order. It also provides quick links to emergency information and resources that residents may need before, during or after an emergency The printed guide itself will stay the same once it is in your home, but that does not mean the information stops there.
A Printed Guide That Connects You to Current Information
Throughout the pamphlet you will notice QR codes. Scanning these codes with your phone takes you directly to online emergency resources that can be updated as information and conditions change. This means your pamphlet can act as a starting point when you need information quickly, while the QR codes can take you to current Town information, Yukon emergency updates, road conditions, alert services and other useful resources when internet service is available.
At the centre of those resources is the Town's Emergency Preparedness Hub:
The Emergency Preparedness Hub gives residents one place to find emergency preparedness information and official links. Whether you are preparing ahead of time or looking for information during an emergency, the goal is to make it easier to find what you need without searching through multiple websites. The online hub includes links and information related to Town alerts, Yukon emergency updates, 511 Yukon road conditions, weather, wildfire, flood and air quality information, emergency kits, household planning, pet and vehicle preparedness, and common emergency instructions.
Fill It Out. Cut It Out. Keep It Handy.
One part of the pamphlet was designed specifically to become something your household can keep separate from the rest of the guide.
The Household Accountability Contact Card can be filled out and cut out of the pamphlet.
It gives your household a place to record:
- Household members
- Important emergency contacts
- An out-of-town contact
- Your immediate meeting place
- Your neighbourhood meeting place
- Other important household information
Once completed, keep the card somewhere that is easy to find and easy to grab — with your emergency kit, near your important documents, or another location everyone in your household knows.
If family members become separated, you have to leave home quickly, or normal communication becomes difficult, you will already have some of your most important information written down in one place.
Register for Watson Lake Alerts
Preparedness is also about knowing when something is happening.
Residents are encouraged to register for Watson Lake Alerts so important local emergency notifications can be sent directly to you.
An emergency pamphlet can help you prepare, but alerts can help tell you when conditions are changing and when there is important information you need to know.
If you have not registered yet, take a few minutes to do so. A link is available through the Emergency Preparedness Hub at watsonlake.ca/emergencies.
Consider the Household Emergency Support Registry
The pamphlet also introduces Watson Lake's Household Emergency Support Registry. The registry is voluntary and is intended to help emergency planners better understand which households in the community may require additional consideration or support during situations such as an evacuation, extended power outage, severe weather event, wildfire, flood or other emergency. Residents are encouraged to learn about the registry and consider whether providing their household information would be helpful to emergency planners.
Information about the registry, including access to the online registration system, can also be found through watsonlake.ca/emergencies.
Preparedness Starts Before the Emergency
You do not need to prepare for everything in one day.
Start with the pamphlet. Read through it. See what you already have at home and what may be missing from your emergency kit. Talk with your family about where you would meet if you could not return home. Think about your pets. Check what you keep in your vehicle. Fill out and cut out your Household Accountability Contact Card.
Register for Watson Lake Alerts.
Consider adding your household to the Emergency Support Registry.
And bookmark watsonlake.ca/emergencies on your phone or computer so you know where to go when you need current information.
The purpose of the maildrop is not to make residents worry about the next emergency. It is to make preparedness a little easier and to put useful information within reach before the moment you need it most.
Keep the pamphlet. Keep the card handy. Know where to find information.
Be prepared. For yourself, your family, your pets and your property.
Town of Watson Lake Protective Services
Emergency Management
```