Hey everyone, check out the information from PreparedBC about recognizing and treating heat-related illnesses – stay safe and keep cool!
Flooding…
Hey everyone, with the weather alerts notifying us all of heavy rainfall, and the notices of flooding risks in the Province, we wanted to highlight the importance of staying connected to local emergency resources.
The Central Okanagan Emergency Operations Centre has been activated in response to localized flooding. Find out more here.
Get connected to your local emergency operations and keep up to date on emergency information! Stay safe and stay prepared.
Get connected!
Hey everyone, just a reminder as we head into the holiday weekend to check out the Family Support Institute’s Calendar for Connection – get connected with local events, or get connected online!
Mental health: Empathy & listening
Hey everyone, we’re raising awareness about mental health this month and today we’re asking you to consider how you listen!
Do you listen to others to understand, or do you listen to others to judge? Check out the difference here!
Listening is the communication skill that links up with EMPATHY – which is what CMHA has featured in their mental health week campaign this year. The great news is that they’ve also published an article with a checklist that goes through steps to effective listening! Check it out here and brush up on your listening skills.
Everybody Belongs!
Hey everyone, the (previously postponed) Inclusion BC conference “Everybody Belongs!” is coming up in Surrey at the end of the month! You can get more information about the conference and register here.
Emergency Preparedness Week: BUILD A KIT!
Hey everyone, as part of Emergency Preparedness Week we want to share some helpful resources to support everyone to build their emergency kit.
Check out this video that walks through the process of putting together a kit — and some special considerations, like medications and mobility.
Check out the lists on this page to make your own kit, or start off with a guide like this one. You can also find information online about where to get a kit. There’s also a great resource here about preparing a kit on a budget.
Don’t forget to consider having an emergency car kit if you drive or own a vehicle! You can check out information on emergency car kits here.
All About Empathy!
Hey everyone, we posted about CMHA Mental Health week and the focus on empathy in this year’s campaign — but what exactly does “empathy” mean, and how can we “tune in” better? Check out the answer here!
Emergency Preparedness: Distress vs De-stress!
Hey everyone, we’ve been posting emergency planning information and resources for Emergency Preparedness Week, and we want to take time to talk stress.
Emergencies can be stressful to think about. Planning for emergencies might seem like a big chore, or it might seem like it’s an impossible job to be ready for anything, or it might make you feel scared or sad.
It’s important to know that having a plan is one of the best emergency response strategies you can have: it will help you stay calm if you’re ever faced with a real emergency. So, while emergency planning might seem like a challenge, it’s definitely worthwhile!
Here’s some videos to help lighten things up and simplify some key concepts (and a website to got with them!).
GRAB AND GO BAG:
EMERGENCY KIT:
GRAB AND GO BAG vs. EMERGENCY KIT (What’s the difference?)
Emergency Preparedness Week: MAKE A PLAN!
Hey everyone, as part of Emergency Preparedness Week we want to focus in on supporting everyone to make an emergency plan that keeps you ready for anything!
Check out this video for a helpful walk-through of what to consider and what to do in case of some examples like 1) flooding while you’re not home, 2) a severe storm while you’re are home, and 3) a wildfire evacuation order.
Check out this page for access to 9 free online emergency preparedness guides you can use to plan for an emergency specific to your needs — from pets, to power outages, to pocket guides.
Finally, check out this page for some tips on how you can (and can’t) use technology when you’re planning what to do in case of an emergency, like these helpful hints:
- Non-voice channels like text messaging, email or social media use less bandwidth than voice communications and may work even when phone service doesn’t.
- Keeping phone conversation brief conserves your phone’s battery.
- Waiting 10 seconds before redialing if you can’t complete a call helps reduce network congestion.
- Cordless phones rely on electricity and will not work during a power outage.
- Save your safe meeting location on your smartphone’s mapping application.
- Conserve your smartphone’s battery by reducing the screen’s brightness, placing your phone in airplane mode, and closing apps you are not using.
Emergency Preparedness WEBINAR TONIGHT!
Hey everyone, this interactive webinar about emergency preparedness is taking place TONIGHT – register below!
