Emergency Preparedness Week

This is the 30th anniversary of Emergency Preparedness Week in Canada, and in B.C. this year's theme is 'in it together', which recognizes that everyone's readiness and resilience is strengthened when we're looking out for one another.

Everyone has a role to play, and a good way to start is by creating a household emergency plan and having a grab-and-go bag ready.

During this week, we had a successful Emergency Preparedness Expo at the Legislative building in Victoria. It was excellent to see the innovation and passion in British Columbia about new ways for keeping us all safe in the event of an emergency.

In this newsletter, I want to share photographs from the expo, and give a huge thanks to the partners who made the event a success.

Further, I have included information on making a grab-and-go bag for your household, and where to check road conditions before your summer getaways.

Emergency Preparedness Expo at the Legislature: Photo Gallery

Thank you to our amazing partners who made the Emergency Preparedness Expo happen!

We were delighted to be joined by: Metchosin Search and Rescue, First Nations' Emergency Services Society of BC, BC Search and Rescue Association, BC AdventureSmart, Prepared BC, BC Earthquake Alliance, The Salvation Army of BC Division, Canadian Red Cross/Croix-Rouge, The Salvation Army in Canada, The City of Victoria, Victoria Ready, BCIT, Insurance Brokers Association of BC, The University of Victoria, FireSmart BC, BC Wildfire Service, and BC Hydro.

Grab-and-Go Bag

When building a grab-and-go bag, which is a kit that is ready to take with you in the instance of an emergency, you need the following items:

• Food (ready to eat) and water

• Phone charger and battery bank

• Small battery-powered or hand-crank radio

• Battery-powered or hand-crank flashlight

• Extra batteries

• Small first-aid kit and personal medications

• Personal toiletries and items, such as an extra pair of glasses or contact lenses

• Copy of your emergency plan

• Copies of important documents, such as insurance papers and identification

• Cash in small bills

• Local map with your family meeting place identified

• Seasonal clothing and an emergency blanket

• Pen and notepad

• Whistle

As Minister for Emergency Management and Climate Readiness, my mandate is to increase disaster preparedness for all British Columbians, and that starts with education. A variety of multilingual emergency guides from Prepared BC are available in my constituency office in Steveston, at 115-4011 Bayview Street, and come visit us for resources on how to get prepared!

I will be additionally sharing emergency preparedness information on both my Instagram and Facebook accounts, so come and follow me over there.

Instagram: Kelly Greene (@kellyrichmondbc) • Instagram photos and videos

Facebook:Kelly Greene | Facebook

Interactive and PDF guides can be found: Make Your Emergency Ready Plan

Emergency guide and grab-and-go bag preparedness can be found: Build an emergency kit and grab-and-go bag - Province of British Columbia

For emergency planning on a budget, visit: Get prepared for emergencies on a budget

Know Before You Go

Before you embark on your summer road trips, ensure to check road condition and hazard updates. Below are some key resources for staying up-to-date with BC roads:

• DriveBC Map: DriveBC

  
  

• DriveBC Cameras: DriveBC - Cameras

  
  

• Emergency Updates: EmergencyInfoBC Home - EmergencyInfoBC

  
  

  • Twitter/X updates: EmergencyInfoBC (@EmergencyInfoBC) / X

    
    

  • Facebook updates: EmergencyInfoBC | Facebook

Know a Chinese speaker who wants to read government news more easily? Refer them to the official BC government Weibo - @卑诗省府GovernmentofBC 的个人主页 - 微博 (weibo.com) 

For general BC vaccination info, visit this page.

To read and better prepare for household safety, visit PreparedBC webpage.