It’s Emergency Preparedness Week!!!!!!!
Phew… I would have missed it completely if it hadn’t been for the posters and blue silicone, livestrong-type bracelets they just handed out a work.
I love it when the federal government looks after me this way. They’ve got a whole “get prepared” website (see link above) that carefully outlines absolutely everything I need to know in order to be fully prepared for an emergency. There’s even a place where you can share your emergency survival stories with your fellow Canadians so they can know what it feels like to be in a real emergency.
AND there’s a link to the Canadian Disaster Database where you can look up every disaster that ever befell Canadians (No, Brian Mulroney’s not included for some reason). It’s a fun site. Here’s one thing I found under natural disasters:
Heat Wave: Nova Scotia, Jul 26-28 1963. The longest sustained heat wave in Halifax since 1928 with temperatures of 33-34°C; greater traffic volume caused many minor accidents and several people went to hospital; four individuals drowned, and one died in a burning car.
Three days of temperatures in the low 30s (that’s like 90 or so American). Man, there must be some gripping tales coming out of that event. I’d be really interested in how a heat wave caused a burning car death, for instance. The drownings I can see — you can’t swim, but these unbearable temperatures cause you to throw yourself into the ocean. Ooops. So, if you survived the heat wave of ’63 in Halifax (JB), please share.
Me, I’ve survived the Blizzard of ’77 in Niagara, a tornado in Barrie, a hotel fire in North Bay, Hurricane Juan in Halifax and 17 years in the federal public service.