Climate Emergency Preparedness

This afternoon workshop will explore different aspects of climate change emergency preparedness. As we move into a new era of weather extremes and sea level rise, homeowners, neighbourhoods and communities will need to be more prepared for a host of new threats.

There is an increased importance for emergency preparedness due to flooding, wind damage and power outages due to increased storm strength; greater wildfire risks due to the increasingly severe summer droughts; and coastal erosion and flooding due to storm surges and sea level rise. In addition, there is a need for greater levels of community preparedness to cope with the potential for extended grid-down events, and supply- chain shocks to fuel, food or other basic necessities due to increased global fragilities.

Speakers:

• Erica Fleck, Division Chief, Emergency Management, HRM Fire & Emergency – Community emergency preparedness. Community risks equal the hazards and the vulnerabilities, the exposures to the impacts and our capacity to cope with the climate variability and the extreme weather that we are seeing. Prevention plans and evacuation plans are more important than ever.
• Kara McCurdy, Wildfire Prevention Officer, Nova Scotia Department of Lands and Forestry – Home wildfire risk assessments and prevention/mitigation techniques. Why wildfires seem to be getting worse and what are some tools residents need to know to protect themselves. Increase your homes survivability in a wildfire.
• Alex MacDonald, Climate Change Specialist, HRM Energy and Environment – Sea level rise, storm surges and other coastal climate risks. Coastal areas face multiple threats from climate change that pose significant risk to built environments and human landscapes. How do governments, communities and homeowners safeguard these built environments and landscapes? What tools are appropriate to mitigate climate change risks and/or enhance resiliency?
• Robert Cervelli, Chair, Transition Bay St Margarets – Deep climate adaptation and resilience for neighbourhoods and communities. We may be entering a period in history described as the ‘Long Emergency,’ where there is increased stress and fragility around global systems. How can communities ‘future proof’ themselves through locally redundant supplies of basic needs, especially for food and power?
• Ann Morrow, Community Activist, Level 2 Training – Trauma Resiliency Model – The Community Resiliency Model. After a stressful event, humans can experience a nervous system that is knocked out of its “resilient zone.” These reactions are normal responses (such as fight, flight and freeze). The Community Resiliency Model is designed to teach individuals and entire communities how to restore inner balance and a sense of wellbeing after experiencing a traumatic event.

Who should attend: individual residents, homeowners, community organizations, and municipal officials.

The workshop is free and open to the public. Advanced registration is required. Please visit our Eventbrite listing to reserve your spot.

For more information, contact: info@transitionbay.ca.