We are so lucky in Northern Ontario. We don’t have hurricanes, earthquakes, cyclones, tornadoes … (No wait! We had a tornado warning on Saturday night!)
On the negative side though, we do have blizzards, floods and forest fires.
News of the floods and fires have dominated the news and we sincerely feel sympathy for those who have been given 15 minutes to evacuate their homes, not knowing if there will ever be a building to come home to. Natural disasters can strike at any time. We should not be complacent.
I took my concerns about our area’s preparedness to Tom Laughren recently and in our hour together, I challenged him on various scenarios. Tom treated my concerns in a positive manner and made me feel much more secure living in the city.
Laughren has had a long history of dealing with emergencies, having been a firefighter for 40 years, a city alderman for 10 and our mayor for eight years. He was recently appointed as fire chief for the City of Timmins and with that task, he also holds the position of Community Emergency Management Coordinator.
We have grown accustomed to blizzards and heavy snowfalls. An ice storm though, could knock out power for days.
Flooding of the Mattagami River in May, 1960 saw 200 flooded homes and 2,000 people evacuated. In response, the region took a pro-active approach to what was assured to be an ongoing problem. That area of flooded homes in Mountjoy Township was deemed unfit for rebuilding. That decision of 59 years ago was not widely accepted, but we note the Province of Quebec is today, encouraging flooded property owners to move to higher ground.
My next fear was fresh in my memory, as in 2012, Timmins Fire No. 9 closed highways 144 and 101 west. At that same time, another fire, Timmins No. 10, south of Schumacher, breached Highway 101 and crossed at the bottom of Rae Hill and that to my eyes, was coming far too close to home.
So, who actually protects us during these natural disasters? As management coordinator for the City, Laughren headed the Upper Mattagami River Watershed Management Committee during the recent flood threat.
On that committee, were representatives of the MRCA (Mattagami Region Conservation Authority), OPG (Ontario Power Generation) and MNRF (Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry).
Not directly on the committee, but at the ready, would be the Timmins Police Services, the Timmins Fire Department), the Ontario Provincial Police, and EMS (Emergency Medical Service). As well, the committee could call in outside services including the Armed Forces, if any region was determined to be a disaster zone. There are evacuation plans at the ready, should evacuation ever be necessary and could possibly even involve the ONR (Ontario Northland Railway), whose chairman is currently Tom Laughren.
Besides the aforementioned, other agencies such as the Canadian Red Cross, Timmins Search and Rescue and St. John’s Ambulance personnel could be called in to help in a disaster.
As much as the city is ready for action, we as citizens should also take the motto of the Girl Guides and Boy Scouts to heart. “Be Prepared” means to stop and think ahead. If, because of an ice storm, the electricity was out and you were told to be self-sufficient for three days, what would you do? If you were given 15 minutes to leave your home, what would you do? Do you keep your gas tank full? Have you ever given thought to assembling an emergency kit of food, water, cash, blankets, matches and candles? Medications and vital insurance papers? A charger for your cellphone? A crate and food for your dog or cat? Could you assemble them all in 15 minutes? The Canadian Red Cross has a free leaflet of suggestions available just by dropping off at their office at 60 Wilson Ave.
We hope it will never happen, but why not take that 15 minutes now and “Be Prepared” – just in case?
That’s my view from Over the Hill.