Municipal Affairs
May 27, 2008The following statement by was
issued by the
Honourable Dave Denine, Minister of Municipal Affairs. It was also read
in the House of Assembly:
Provincial Government Joins Community
Partners to Enhance Emergency Preparedness Education and Awareness
I rise today to inform members of this honourable
house of an important partnership that our government entered into
earlier this morning with two community partners (The Canadian Red Cross
and Newfoundland Power), with the objective of enhancing emergency
preparedness throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.
Over the years, the Government of Newfoundland and
Labrador, the Canadian Red Cross, Newfoundland Power, and a host of
other agencies, departments and corporations have carried and
established strong histories in emergency response. When a disaster
strikes, representatives from all these organizations are among the
first groups to respond. Although each operates to achieve different
objectives during an emergency situation, there was a clear opportunity
for partnership identified which involves maximizing response when a
disaster strikes.
When individuals and families are prepared for
emergency situations it benefits not only the responders, but also those
people who find themselves in situations requiring immediate aid. In
choosing to "get prepared" individuals help themselves and others by
giving emergency personnel the ability to respond to those who need it
most.
Thus, the Ready.Kit.GO! partnership was developed with
the purpose of providing education and awareness to Newfoundlanders and
Labradorians on how to prepare themselves for the unexpected.
As I�m sure we can agree, adverse weather and its
impacts are a major concern in Newfoundland and Labrador. The
Ready.Kit.GO! partners will work together to encourage individuals to
take action by being prepared for any potential emergencies including
flooding, ice storms, heavy snowfalls, high winds and seas, etc. The
partnership objectives include:
To maximize "emergency preparedness" education
and awareness in Newfoundland and Labrador;
To increase the number of people who are educated
about and prepared for potential emergency situations;
To increase confidence in an individual�s ability
to handle an emergency situation; and
To strengthen the ability of emergency personnel
to respond in the most effective manner possible.
I thank our community partners and encourage all
Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to do their part as well, because
emergency preparedness starts with the individual.
2008 05 27
1:40 p.m.
