May is Emergency Preparedness Month in High River and the Town and its partners have a series of initiatives planned to help prepare and educate residents and businesses to be ready for all types of emergencies or disasters. Council made the official proclamation at the Monday, Apr. 27 council meeting.

“It’s important for all residents and businesses to be ready for any kind of emergency,” said Mayor Craig Snodgrass. “An emergency or disaster can happen at any time and it is everyone’s responsibility to be prepared.”

The theme for the month is “Extend a hand: Neighbours helping neighbours” as the Town is encouraging the community to look out for each other in the event of an emergency.

“During a disaster residents need to be able to look after themselves while emergency officials respond to immediate dangers and the Town works to repair critical infrastructure,” said Carly Benson, emergency management coordinator for the Town. “We want to encourage everyone to think about family, friends or neighbours who may need assistance during an emergency.”

There are a variety of ways that residents can support each other. “It could be as simple as knocking on your neighbour’s door to make sure they received a notification from High River Alert and Alberta Emergency Alert, or heard the outdoor sirens,” says Benson. “Or even dropping someone off at a reception centre.”

Some of the initiatives and events for Emergency Preparedness Month include:

• Live test of the outdoor sirens and High River Alert system on Wednesday, May 6 at 12 p.m.
• Emergency Preparedness for Seniors seminar (lunch provided) put on by the Canadian Mental Health Association on Wednesday, May 6 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Seniors Friendship Centre. This event is free but registration is required by calling 403-261-6055.
• Business Emergency Preparedness session on the topic of Business Continuity hosted by the High River and District Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, May 7 from 12 to 1 p.m. at the Highwood Memorial Centre. For more information contact 403-652-3336 or hrdccxtra@gmail.com.
• Emergency Preparedness Expo on Saturday, May 9 from 1 to 5 p.m. at the recreation complex that will include fun activities for families, prizes, demonstrations and resources. Exhibitors will include Alberta Emergency Management Agency, Alberta Health Services, High River Fire Department, RCMP, Town departments, utility companies, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and more.
• Public education throughout the month.

For any community groups or organizations that are planning an event for Emergency Preparedness Month, email details to communications@highriver.ca and it will be added to the list of events.