Calgary hosts Emergency Preparedness Week activities May 5 - 11

A police car sits stuck in a parking lot of an apartment building after heavy rains have caused flooding, closed roads, and forced evacuation in Calgary, Alta., Friday, June 21, 2013. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh)

The City of Calgary is hoping to help people prepare for emergencies by hosting a week of preparedness activities.

Emergency Preparedness Week takes place across Canada annually, and this year it runs from Sunday, May 5 to Saturday, May 11.

During that time, city officials will host a series of events to help people get ready for potential disasters.

The emergency preparedness booths will be held:

• Tuesday, May 7 at Immigrant Services Calgary from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.;
• Wednesday, May 8 at Vivo from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.;
• Thursday, May 9 at Shawnessy YMCA/Library from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.;
• Friday, May 10 at the Seton YMCA/Library from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., and
• Saturday, May 11 at Village Square Leisure Centre from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

A Friday news release from RCMP says due to the geographic diversity of the province, there are a number of different emergency situations that can affect Albertans.

Preparedness "We can experience infrastructure failures like power outages, train derailments, and oil spills, or natural disasters like floods, wildfires, blizzards, tornadoes, and heat waves."

"Emergencies can happen anytime and anywhere," says Sue Henry, Calgary Emergency Management Agency (CEMA) spokesperson.

"While we can’t always prevent emergencies, we can take steps to prepare for them."

CEMA has created a video series for those wanting to prepare and protect their homes before, during and after an emergency.

Meanwhile, RCMP say its important to create a household preparedness plan, including emergency exists, evacuations routes, safe meeting spots and important contact information.

Once you have a plan in place, it’s time to prepare a readily accessible emergency kit including: water, food that won’t spoil, a manual can opener, wind up or battery-powered flashlight and radio, a first aid kit, extra car and house keys, cash, prescription medications, pet supplies, and baby food.

Children between the ages of seven and 12, can take part in Ready Squad, a free online program to learn about emergency preparedness.

Having animal-friendly accommodations in place in case of evacuation is also important, and the same goes for farms.

"Create a list of equipment, supplies, and tools needed to evacuate or transport livestock,” states a news release.

"Keep records of equipment, livestock, and supplies on your premises. As well, have a plan to identify livestock in case of evacuations, i.e. tattoos, tags, etc."

For more information on Emergency Preparedness Week you can visit GetPrepared.gc.ca.