Seventy-two hours
Andrea Macko It’s funny how time changes things; a mere week ago, the town was starting to hunker down to the new reality of having potentially 420 houseguests from Northern Ontario stay for between one and three weeks at our polished and shiny-new Pyramid Centre. The physical realization of 420 new faces in town was just one issue at hand; how our town would react, socially and culturally, to these new faces was another. Old stereotypes and concerns bubbled back to the surface, for a few at least  — but, in the grand scheme, we didn’t really have the chance to test our perceptions and preconceptions.
The evacuees were in town for just under 48 hours, but, as we all know, they were dealing with rising flood waters long before that. The town was planning for their impending arrival for almost 72 hours — which is also the length of time you should be able to survive if an emergency hits and immediate help isn’t available.
It’s a strange coincidence that, the week after St. Marys once-in-a-lifetime role as emergency shelter providers, it’s national Emergency Preparedness Week. The town has had an emergency plan for a long time — and, while you can’t prepare for everything, having simple things such as lists of required items for personal comfort and safety and a chain of command can go a long way toward turning a spastic response into one that’s more logical and effective.
It’s a threatening world out there. Food crises, temperamental world leaders in possession of nuclear warheads, climate change, spiralling fuel prices and wacky weather patterns have changed the face of survival for many of our earth’s dwellers. Thankfully, for us who live in the first world, we’ve not been hit too hard ...yet. And thankfully, we have the luxury (currently, anyway) of being able to prepare, on some level, for the inevitable yet unplanned events that could alter our lives for the worse.
The organizers of Emergency Preparedness Week aren’t asking for too much.
Create a kit with enough non-perishable food (don’t forget the can opener), potable water, flashlights, batteries, keys, cash, blankets and first aid items to last 72 hours.
They’re also asking that you have a plan in place if there is an emergency.
You can do it at www.getprepared.ca, or, if you prefer the old-fashioned way, write down safe exit routes from your house and neighbourhood, meeting places, designated child care, health information, places for pets to stay and locations of things like fire extinguishers, gas valves, electrical boxes and floor drains.
According to Public Safety Canada, Ontarians have many risks; aside from floods, tornados and wildfires, we also have to consider terrorism, industrial accidents and   disease outbreaks. Calling in the helicopters and being transported to another community may not always be possible, but, in the words of the Red Cross, we can “expect the unexpected — and plan for it.”               
 —A.M.