North Bay’s Emergency Management Coordinator, Grant Love, believes North Bay is in good shape when it comes to being prepared for weather related natural disasters.
That response comes after a well renowned Canadian Meteorologist called out Canadian municipalities in the national media, believing most are not ready for what nature and the weather could bring.
In the last five years, Canadian cities have been buried in record-breaking snowfall, scorched by unprecedented wildfires, blasted by tornadoes and limping from one natural disaster to the next as the bills for emergency repairs climb.
David Philliips, a senior climatologist with Environment Canada says municipal officials continue to build infrastructure based on decades-old weather patterns that are no longer the norm, leading to potentially disastrous consequences.
"You've got to keep pace with it and we haven't kept pace with it," David Phillips said in a recent interview.
Love says the City’s Emergency Management committee meets on a a regular basis and in the past have tried to prepare for the unthinkable with mock disaster training which is done on an annual basis.
“The unfortunate thing nowadays is with the way the natural disasters are going its not usually small things that happen, it’s more big things,” said Love supporting the comment made by Phillips.
“While you may be prepared for it, it does tax your resources when they do happen.”
Love reflected back to the microburst in July of 2006 that caused millions of dollars in damage across the North Bay region.
He says the area and its people stood up to the test back then.
“The municipality has shown throughout the years that we are fairly resilient when it comes to things like this and that’s partly because most of the citizens and residents of the area are prepared to look after themselves unless there is something dire happening,” he said noting the city works with partners such as North Bay Hydro, the Red Cross, and the Salvation Army to name just a few.
“Even in 2006 when the microburst happened we were prepared to open up some emergency shelters and those types of things and the need wasn’t there because people went to friends and relatives that were in an area of the community that wasn’t effected, which is very beneficial.”
However, if something more serious does arrive, Love knows they have to be ready for it.
“We need to be always thinking that we need to be prepared so that when it happens in this area that we are ready to go.”
