Resources

These resources can help get you and your family, or your business, prepared so that you will know what to do before, during and after an emergency or disaster. You’ll also find some excellent resources on ways to make your community more resilient.

However, we do not accept responsibility for the accuracy or quality of information found in these links.

You Are the Help Until Help Arrives

Life-threatening emergencies can happen fast and emergency responders aren’t always nearby. You may be able to save a life by taking simple actions immediately. You Are the Help Until Help Arrives. From FEMA.

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Your Emergency Preparedness Guide

This guide from Public Safety Canada explains in greater detail the steps to take to become better prepared for emergencies. Included are a Family Emergency Plan template and list of emergency kit items.

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How to Practice Emergency Preparedness as Self-Care

WIRED article on how preparedness is not just about buying a lot of stuff from a list. The key to being ready is all about framing your planning with gratitude, rest, and community.

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Water Needs, Storage and Treatment

Ready.gov has detailed information on how to build a supply of water that will meet your family’s needs during an emergency.

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Business Continuity Plan and Templates for Entrepreneurs

The Business Development Bank of Canada has developed a series of templates to help mitigate the potential effects of an emergency,

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Community Recovery Handbook

The Australian Disaster Resilience Knowledge Hub has put together an extensive community recovery handbook for emergency management agencies, local governments, non-government organisations, and community groups.

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Three Steps to Cost-Effective Home Flood Protection

The Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation (University of Waterloo) has developed a variety of resources to help Canadians take action to reduce their home flood risk. Here's a one page summary of the top actions residents can take to reduce home flood risk.

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Where to place a rainwater harvesting system

An article from phys.org on how satellite data can help identify suitable locations for rainwater harvesting systems.

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Flash Flooding – How to Stay Safe

Tips from the American Red Cross on how to stay safe during a heavy rainfall, and the difference between a flash flood watch and flash flood warning.

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The five types of flooding explained - the science behind the weather

The Weather Network storm hunter Mark Robinson explores the science behind flooding.

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Home Flooding Mitigation Techniques

The Insurance Bureau of Canada offers some advice on how to prevent or limit water damage and what to do if water floods your home.

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Survivors: Beware of Fraud, Scams After Disasters

After a disaster, scam artists, identity thieves and other criminals often try to take advantage of disaster survivors. FEMA offers some tips on how to avoid falling for a disaster scam.

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Pumping Out a Flooded Basement

A brief guide from First District Health Unit - North Dakota on why you shouldn't rush to pump out a flooded basement, how to safely pump out water, and what to do after draining your basement.

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Rough Guide to Community Energy

A guide for community energy groups, to explain what community energy projects are and to help readers set one up, by Duncan Clark & Malachi Chadwick.

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Why Cancer Patients Need a Natural Disaster Plan

It is important for cancer patients and their families to have a plan in case of a catastrophic event or natural disaster. Learn how to make a cancer emergency plan with your family and your health care provider. From the Mesothelioma Center

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4 Rules for Electrical Safety After a Flood

When floodwaters run into your basement, don't rush down there to get started on the cleanup. Here's what you need to know to stay safe. From Popular Mechanics.

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Using Portable / Emergency Generators Safely

The US Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response has tips for staying safe when using an emergency generator during a power failure.

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How Disasters Bring Out Our Kindness

This Time Magazine article explains how, during disasters, it is human nature to band together and be kind to one another in order to survive.

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The Key To Disaster Survival? Friends And Neighbours

NPR article on how it is the personal ties among members of a community that determine survival during a disaster, and recovery in its aftermath.

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Ten tips for surviving a crowd crush

This article published by The Conversation examines why crushes sometimes occur within crowds, and how to survive a crowd crush.

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What Not to Do in a Disaster

BBC article on how survival is less about heroic actions than avoiding mindless mistakes.

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Restore Your Economy

RestoreYourEconomy.org provides resources and best practice information for public and private stakeholders seeking to rebuild their local economies.

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Emergency Financial First Aid Kit (US)

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has put together this collection of resources to help Americans to become financially prepared for emergencies.

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Prepared Neighborhoods (book)

Prepared Neighborhoods walks you step by step through creating a more resilient — and enjoyable — neighborhood and community.

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Emergency Preparedness Guide for People with Disabilities / Special Needs

This guide was prepared by Public Safety Canada in collaboration with twenty public and private organizations who were consulted for their subject matter expertise and special insights.

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Emergency Food Supply

Which food should you store, how should you store it, and how do you cook it during an emergency? Find out at Ready.gov.

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Pet Disaster Preparedness Kit

The CDC’s Healthy Pets, Healthy People website has a detailed checklist of items to include in your pet’s emergency kit.

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Food Safety During Power Outages

Use this reference chart at Foodsafety.gov to help you determine whether you should save or discard refrigerated and frozen food after a power failure.

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Turn Around - Don't Drown

Flood safety information from the US National Weather Service. Learn about the dangers of flash flooding and never drive through flooded roadways.

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Home Flood Protection Check-Up

Most homes are at risk of flooding due to increasingly heavy rainstorms and plumbing leaks. The Home Flood Protection Check-Up helps you take action to reduce your flood risk and reduce damage in the event of a flood.

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How to install a rain barrel

The Insurance Bureau of Canada has produced a video on how to install rain barrels, which can help help prevent excess rainwater from seeping into basements and provide free water for maintaining lawns and gardens.

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Just In Time Disaster Training Library

The Disaster Resistant Communities Group created an online library for individuals, agencies and organizations to access training videos on disaster mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery.

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Flood Ready

The Government of Canada has put together flood readiness resources for communities, businesses and households.

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How to keep your business afloat during a flood

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business has tips on how to minimize the potential damage to your business in the event of a flood.

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When the Earth Shakes

An animated video from FEMA about how to prepare for an earthquake and what to do during an earthquake.

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Texas Manual on Rainwater Harvesting

The Texas Water Development Board has written an extensive manual on best practices for residential and small-scale commercial rainwater harvesting systems design.

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Clean Energy Technologies Threaten to Overwhelm the Grid. Here’s How it Can Adapt

Vox article on how the centralized, top-down power grid is outdated. Time for a bottom-up redesign.

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Local Energy Technology Options

A free toolkit from Local Energy Scotland to help communities determine which type of renewable energy project is right for them.

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Build and Manage an Emergency Compost Toilet

In response to the Christchurch, New Zealand earthquakes, Relieve Association has produced a guide for households explaining how to set up and manage a simple, effective composting toilet for emergency or everyday use.

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Food and Water Safety During Power Outages and Floods

The US Food and Drug Administration has tips on how to safely handle food and water in the event of flooding or power failure.

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Sandbag Resources

North Dakota State University has produced a video on how to build a sandbag dike, posters on filling and stacking sandbags, and a four page guide on sandbagging for flood protection.

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How to Survive a Disaster

BBC article on the importance of mental preparation when faced with a life-threatening event.

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Retired Navy SEAL Explains How to Prepare for Any Situation

WIRED produced this video featuring Clint Emerson, retired Navy SEAL and crisis management professional, who explains how we can prepare for almost any emergency situation by being ultra aware of our surroundings.

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Pay it forward: the New Zealand town where your time is a currency

Guardian article about the port town of Lyttleton, NZ and how, after a series of earthquakes, time banking helped the community harness the resources to rebuild.

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Outbreaks, Epidemics and Pandemics Explained

WebMD explains the difference between outbreaks, epidemics and pandemics.

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Get Prepared

Get Prepared is a resource from the Government of Canada to help Canadians understand the risks in their area, create a household emergency plan and build an emergency kit.

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Build an Emergency Kit

Advice from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on what you should include in your emergency kit.

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Natural catastrophe and disaster fraud

Catastrophic events are a beacon for opportunistic predators. Here are the latest schemes, conditions for fraud, and prevention and detection methods. From Fraud Magazine.

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Emergency Preparedness for Farm Animals

A guide from Public Safety Canada aimed at Canadian farmers explaining the steps that should be taken to ensure farm animals, livestock, and poultry are protected during an emergency.

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Food Safety in a Disaster or Emergency

Find out how to keep food safe before, during, and after emergencies, such as floods, fires, natural disasters, or the loss of power, from foodsafety.gov.

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Getting Started With Community Energy

Learn how to set up a community energy organisation in your area. From Community Energy England's "Our How To section for all things community energy".

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Natural Disaster Scams

Here are some of the most common natural disaster scams as well as tips to avoid becoming a victim of natural disaster fraud. From the Attorney General of Kentucky.

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What Is Flash Flooding, and How Can You Avoid It?

New York Times article on flash flooding, which claims the lives of eighty-eight people on average each year in the United States following heavy rainstorms and kills more people than tornadoes, hurricanes or lightning.

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8 Steps for Planning Your Emergency and Disaster Plan

The Business Development Bank of Canada has outlined eight steps to create a business continuity plan.

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Pet Project: 5 Ways to Prep Your Pet for Emergencies

The CDC has advice on how to include your pets in your emergency preparedness plans.

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FloodPlain Maps

FloodSmart Canada has put together a list of floodplain maps across Canada. Floodplain maps help to identify areas that may be at risk of flooding during severe storms and are critical tools for informing communities about their flood risk.

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14 Hurricane Safety Tips for Pets

PetMD provides some simple hurricane safety tips to help ensure that you and your pets have everything you need in the event of a hurricane.

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Down the drain: Here's why we should use rainwater to flush toilets

An article from phys.org on how the use of rainwater for flushing toilets can reduce household water bills and mitigate flood risk.

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The Economics Of Citizen Preparedness

This blog post at InCaseOfEmergency Blog.com addresses the economics and ethics of personal preparedness.

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Personal Hygiene and Handwashing After a Disaster or Emergency

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has advice on basic personal hygiene and hand washing to help prevent the spread of illness and disease following a disaster or emergency.

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Disaster Sanitation Planning Guide

PHLUSH (Public Hygiene Lets Us Stay Human) has put together this guide to enable local communities at risk of infrastructure failure to design post-disaster sanitation systems.

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Sandbag Dike Construction

The Goverment of Manitoba has put together this guide on how to construct a sandbag dike.

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Password security: Complexity vs. length

An article from Infosec Resources on how to choose a secure password.

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Disasters and Emergencies

Resource page from Ready.gov with guidance on different types of hazards and preparedness guides and plans.

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Community Energy Guidance

A guide aimed at local groups who are interested in setting up a community energy project, from the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (UK).

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Home Owners Guide to Flood Resilience

The Know Your Flood Risk campaign has put together this guide on flood risk and on how to protect your home from flooding.

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How can shop local be better incentivized?

Blog post from RetailWire on how to encourage local shopping, with some interesting replies in the comments section.

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