Dennis Vassart with emergency preparedness documents

The Emergency Coordinator for Steinbach and the RM of Hanover has been closely monitoring Hurricane Sandy which slammed into the eastern seaboard of the United States Monday.

Dennis Vassart says the biggest lesson from what he has seen so far is to expect the unexpected. He explains, despite all the preparation, the storm did some unpredictable things which left people stranded where that was not expected to happen. "They were showing people that were evacuating their homes with water up over their waists and they had thought they would be able to ride out the storm. It does happen and it can happen and has happened here."

Vassart says this reinforces the need for everyone to have an Emergency Kit at home. "Again, we ask people to be prepared to look after themselves. We will prepare to look after the municipal infrastructure the best we can and we will look after the people, but it takes time. We have only so many emergency preparedness people and so many responders, so it will take time to get to you."

He notes that lesson also came through when a snow storm struck southeastern Manitoba in early October. "In the RM of Piney, for example, roadways, you couldn't get down them until they went out and cut the trees off of them so people were stranded at home and emergency responders couldn't get to them. You have to be prepared to look after yourself because there's going to be a time when nobody can get to you."

Yet, Vassart notes, a recent Red Cross survey on the Prairies found 67 per cent of residents do not have an Emergency Kit in their homes. "I'm not really surprised, a little disappointed, but not really shocked. I think a lot of us have the mentality it doesn't happen here but, if you ask the people in New York, or that area, they all thought it wouldn't happen to them too."

Vassart says an Emergency Kit should contain things like a 72 hour supply of water and non-perishable food and a first aid kit.