EARTHQUAKE PREPAREDNESS

Hi Neighbours,

Our community-led effort to prepare and respond to an emergency has survived the COVID emergency measures and taken a huge step forward – we have a re-energized management team and have officially incorporated the Dunbar Earthquake and Emergency Preparedness Society, opening the doors for expansion and fundraising.

This is the culmination of efforts by many, especially the founding members, who have worked very hard over the past decade to organize and sustain DEEP with the goal to build and strengthen Dunbar and the larger community's capacity to respond to and recover from disaster.

Our purpose is to:

1. Educate the Dunbar and broader community about disaster and emergency preparedness, so community members have the knowledge and skills to prepare for, respond to and recover from an emergency.

2. Organize and maintain a Disaster Support Hub with trained volunteers, who in the event of an emergency will: a) serve as an information hub for City and Provincial updates; b) collect important information on local situations, needs and resources; and c) connect local people with needs to available support and resources.

Our core ‘Map Your Neighbourhood’ MYN program teaches 9 important steps to follow immediately after a disaster: first to secure your home and then to help your neighbourhood. And our well-stocked Disaster Support Hub container and location at the Dunbar Community Centre serves as a location for coordinating local response in the event of disaster - sharing information and organizing neighbourhood response in the event city resources are otherwise overwhelmed.

Upcoming events are focused on education, with opportunities for training:

Feb 20, 7 pm – Tsunamis in Georgia Strait - SFU Professor John Clague

March 21, 7 pm - Earthquake hazards, identification and risk analysis – Tim Beale www.dunbaremergency.ca

May - DEEP participation in the annual Emergency Preparedness Week, with a full DSH set up and training on the various roles, May 11.

Presentations will be both in-person at Dunbar Community Centre and online. We welcome volunteers and look forward to seeing you at our events.

For more information about DEEP, and to register for our upcoming activities and Map Your Neighbourhood Program, please go to the website. www.dunbaremergency.ca

(Feb 2024) Article by Ann Lacey