-by Hub staff
According to the Canadian Disaster Database, Owen Sound has not seen one – a disaster that is - since 1867. That does not stop us from keeping our city's Emergency Response Plan polished up and ready to go.
In assessing our risks – what is most likely and would have the biggest impact on the lives of Owen Sound residents- snow gets the highest score – a 6 – for being "almost certain". Other risks include freezing rain, hail, tornado, pandemic, explosion or fire, and anything that might happen to a lot of people at once. Think high wind + Summerfolk or Salmon Spectacular + beer tent. Landslides were added to our list of potential risks after the 8th Street hill collapsed on a man's house last year. You will be delighted to know that the city's risk from space objects, natural or man-made is rated at only a 1 - "rare".
Only the Mayor can declare a situation an official emergency. Now that we have a Deputy Mayor, she would act in the absence of the Mayor, and if they were both "out sailing on the bay beyond contact", as Mayor Boddy posed as a hypothetical scenario, the Acting Mayor as spelled out in by-law 2014-194 would take the lead for the municipality.
In case of a full emergency, the Mayor, senior members of the city staff, the fire and police chiefs - also known as the Municipal Emergency Control Group (or MECG) - will meet in the Emergency Operations Centre (or EOC) to discuss who needs what and how they are going to get it. Their first priority will be the safety of Owen Sound residents.
The Bayshore Community Centre, not including the ice surface, has the capacity to be the evacuation centre for up to 3000 residents. (That is, if someone is designated to call the staff there to unlock the door – a lesson learned during the evacuation of a high-rise last year and added to the plan.) The Legion too has suitable space, parking, heat and back-up power for evacuees. And beer. But that is not part of the plan.
Next on the agenda will be the continuity of essential services – securing the critical infrastructure of water and wastewater, fuel, transportation, communications, banks and food.
Documentation of everyone's actions during an emergency has become increasingly important, as municipalities learned during the inquest into the collapse of the Algoma Mall. Mayor Boddy asked about available notepads and the Community Emergency Management Coordinator Greg Nichol suggested his cell phone might be a more convenient way to record his activities in 2016.
When the Mayor , Council, or perhaps even the Premier have declared that the emergency is over the Post Disaster Long Term Assistance Network takes over, led by Victims' Services. Their work is quiet and confidential, rallying their colleagues in all the social services to assure that everyone's needs are met even after the headlines stop.
The city's Emergency Response Plan is revisited every year by provincial mandate. It appears to be appropriate and comprehensive, and can now be continuously updated on a protected website. Let's hope it gathers virtual dust because noone ever has to use it.
