Municipal Hall

May 4, 2012 / 2:00 PM

On May 10, 2012, the District will host three Free Emergency Preparedness sessions in the Council Chambers at Municipal Hall. The sessions, each approximately 90 minutes in length, are run by Barbara Morgan, one of the key leaders of the Emergency Program team in Maple Ridge. The sessions will provide information on:

• Why we should be prepared and what to do in an earthquake
• How to prepare your home
• What the contents of an emergency kit could look like
• Family preparations that could be done ahead of time
• What to do with your gas and electricity

Maple Ridge's Council Chambers are located at Municipal Hall at 11995 Haney Place and seat approximately 100 people, so we are asking people to call Sandra Ramsay at 604-467-7477 to reserve a seat for these popular sessions.

"Last year, Council had the opportunity to sit through Barb's presentation which talks about how we can all make a plan to be self sufficient for a minimum of 72 hours. I used the resources provided by Barb and everyone in the Daykin household sat down and made sure we had a communication plan and all the elements necessary for our home emergency kit," said Mayor Ernie Daykin. "Every time there is a natural disaster in the world the interest in personal Emergency Preparedness becomes elevated. I strongly urge everyone to take advantage of the opportunity to get some really well thought out and practical information so that you can be prepared," he added.

Barb Morgan, Emergency Program Assistant, for the District of Maple Ridge said, "In 2011, the interest around Emergency Planning was raised by the tragic events surrounding the earthquake and tsunami in Japan and the major earthquake in New Zealand. This year, the phone started ringing when people heard about the flooding in the BC Interior just a couple of weeks ago." She continued, "Last year we provided training for more than 600 residents, and we hope to have a full house for each of the upcoming sessions so that we can give folks the important information that will help them to better manage the consequences of a disaster. From a wind storm to an earthquake, we all need to be prepared."

Almost a month ago, District staff began their annual work monitoring river conditions relating to the annual snow melt along the entire Fraser River system. Snow conditions are similar to those in 2007, which is the last time the Fraser River levels threatened the community. In the next few weeks, based on the weather conditions and information from the BC River Forecast Centre, District staff will activate the appropriate components of the Emergency Response Plan relating to neighbourhood meetings in areas where there may be a risk of flooding. On the District's website, mapleridge.ca, under the Emergency Services tab there are links to important resources and information, including the elevation maps of the community. Typically, the waters tend to peak in June as the snow pack melts off.

"In 2007, the primary sources of information on the conditions of the Fraser River were the District's website, mapleridge.ca, and the local newspapers. These will continue to be important sources for information, and we strongly urge citizens to follow us on our Social Media sites - Facebook and Twitter," said Fred Armstrong, Manager Corporate Communications, for the District. "Both Facebook and Twitter use the name 'yourmapleridge' and will be used to provide updates to followers on the latest available information on the Fraser River conditions and to provide links to key resources that are mentioned as part of the upcoming Emergency Preparedness sessions. Since 2007, the growth in the number of people using smart phones and the ability for people to get alerts on important information have been integrated into our District communications toolkit," he concluded.

For more information on the Emergency Preparedness sessions, contact:

Barbara Morgan
Emergency Program Assistant/Emergency Social Services Director
Tel: 604-467-7301
Email: bmorgan@mapleridge.ca

To register for one of the free sessions, contact:
Sandra Ramsay
Executive Assistant
Tel: 604-467-7477
Email: sramsay@mapleridge.ca