The extreme flooding in Zhoda earlier this fall has prompted the RM of La Broquerie to get a new emergency communications tool.

Emergency Services Coordinator Louis Tetrault says his municipality launched CONNECT La Broquerie Wednesday evening; a free system that allows for easy dialogue between the RM and residents affected by disaster.

“CONNECT gives the RM the ability to send either text messages, email messages, or voice messages to the computers, cell phones, or landlines of people living in a specific geographical area of the community.”

In the case of the Zhoda flooding, Tetrault says this would have been a major asset.

“If people from Zhoda would have been registered, we could have communicated with them specifically, told them what services we were offering, let them know how they could access those services, and they could have communicated their requirements back to us too.”

Read more: Zhoda Residents Prepare For The Worst

While Tetrault acknowledges that the primary purpose behind CONNECT is related to disaster relief, he says the system could also be useful to La Broquerie’s Leisure Services and Public Works departments.

“We could also inform our residents of road closures and suggested detours,” Tetrault adds.

Residents are encouraged to sign up for CONNECT La Broquerie on the RM website because, as Tetrault explains, the more people who register, the more effective the service will be.