New funding to build community resiliency in events of emergency

The Province of Prince Edward Island is working with municipalities and communities to help enhance emergency preparedness infrastructure across the Island.

Through Provincial investment alongside the Government of Canada’s Hurricane Fiona Recovery Fund, PEI’s Emergency Measures Organization is administering approximately $1.4 million in supports to purchase supplies and infrastructure that will benefit preparedness and response efforts across PEI in the event of an emergency. Initiatives funded through the investment include: 

• Nine (9) provincially designated emergency sites, equipped with large capacity generators (sites in Prince, Queens and Kings County); and
• Over 50 shelter kit pallet boxes are being distributed to municipal and community reception centres across PEI in the event of an emergency. Each shelter kit pallet box includes 25 cots, 25 polar fleece blankets, inflatable cot pillows, comprehensive first aid kits, an emergency weather alert radio, and personal hygiene kits.

“We are very pleased to work with local communities across our Island to source new supplies and enhance our infrastructure in the event on another major emergency,” said Deputy Premier and Minister of Justice and Public Safety Bloyce Thompson. “As we continue to learn from the increased amount of weather events in our region and across Canada, it is critically important that we build on our preparedness to make sure we are ready to whatever comes our way.”

PEI EMO has been working with various municipalities, communities and reception centres across PEI to deliver the designated shelter kits and will continue to work with existing reception centres to provide information on the variety of supports that are offered through the Province of PEI. To find a designated reception centre in your community, visit: PrinceEdwardIsland.ca/ReceptionCentres 

Media contact:

Kip Ready
Department of Justice and Public Safety & PEI’s Emergency Measures Organization
kjready@gov.pe.ca

Backgrounder:

Provincially Designated Emergency Sites are a provincial asset that can be activated in the event of an emergency. Use of these sites will be determined at the discretion of the PEI Emergency Measures Organization and will be predicated on what is needed throughout an emergency, including but not limited to: lodging for utility and first response crews, additional reception and welcome centres, and evacuation sites. 

Locations for the nine (9) Designated Emergency Sites are as follows: 

Prince County: 

• ME Callaghan Intermediate School; Hernewood Intermediate School.

Queens County: 

• Central Queens Elementary School; Brookvale Alpine Site; Brookvale Nordic Site; Vernon River Consolidated School.

Kings County:

• Morell Regional High School; Cardigan Consolidated School; Souris Regional School.

Islanders are encouraged to take the following steps when preparing for hurricanes or other emergencies by:

• making a household emergency plan so that everyone knows what to do in case of emergency;
• updating your preparedness kits, including extra food, pet supplies, water, masks and hygiene products;
• bringing in or tying down furniture, play equipment, barbeques or anything that can become projectiles in the event of high winds;
• ensuring you have fuel for generators and vehicles, as well as propane for outdoor cooking devices such as barbeques;
• replacing batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide alarms;
• never operating a generator or barbeque anywhere inside a home, including a garage. Best practice is to keep a generator 20 feet from the home and pointing the exhaust away from the home;
• ensuring a generator is not operating in heavy rain unless the generator has a top cover protecting the electrical system; and
• keeping up with the latest information from reliable sources such as following PEI Government, local media, and law enforcement social media channels.