Wednesday, May 7, 2008

We Interrupt Today's Regular Blogpost.....

It’s Emergency Preparedness Week!!!!!!!

Phew… I would have missed it completely if it hadn’t been for the posters and blue silicone, livestrong-type bracelets they just handed out a work.

I love it when the federal government looks after me this way. They’ve got a whole “get prepared” website (see link above) that carefully outlines absolutely everything I need to know in order to be fully prepared for an emergency. There’s even a place where you can share your emergency survival stories with your fellow Canadians so they can know what it feels like to be in a real emergency.

AND there’s a link to the Canadian Disaster Database where you can look up every disaster that ever befell Canadians (No, Brian Mulroney’s not included for some reason). It’s a fun site. Here’s one thing I found under natural disasters:

Heat Wave: Nova Scotia, Jul 26-28 1963. The longest sustained heat wave in Halifax since 1928 with temperatures of 33-34°C; greater traffic volume caused many minor accidents and several people went to hospital; four individuals drowned, and one died in a burning car.

Three days of temperatures in the low 30s (that’s like 90 or so American). Man, there must be some gripping tales coming out of that event. I'd be really interested in how a heat wave caused a burning car death, for instance. The drownings I can see -- you can't swim, but these unbearable temperatures cause you to throw yourself into the ocean. Ooops. So, if you survived the heat wave of ’63 in Halifax (JB), please share.

Me, I’ve survived the Blizzard of ’77 in Niagara, a tornado in Barrie, a hotel fire in North Bay, Hurricane Juan in Halifax and 17 years in the federal public service.

10 comments:

JB said...

I was 6 years old, and very happily living in Nova Scotia with my Mom and Dad in the summer of 1963. I don't remember it being particularly different than any other summer of my somewhat misspent youth (although most of the misspent part came after I turned 14). However, I feel the car fire was probably caused by a certain infamous land developer (Hey, George! Who ya rippin' off this week?) who used to set fires to the forests when he couldn't profit on the proerties he was building in and around them.
No, not really. George wouldn't do THAT, would he?
It was probably just spontaneous combustion. There was a lot of that in Nova Scotia in the 60's.

On the subject of Emergency Preparedness Week - I think it's amusing that this is also the week it was announced that the government has lost track of over 41,000 people who they had ordered out of the country. That's right. Persona non grata times 41,000! Now missing.
What, they gave you the slip at the gas station? You fell for the old 'fake moustache' routine, maybe? How do you "lose track" of 41,000 people? And we're supposed to be celebrating being prepared for an emergency?
Wouldn't losing track of 41,000 people you don't want in your country fall into the 'emergency' category?

XUP said...

You should get your own blog, JB - a secret blog where you can vent and rant. Send me the link.

Jazz said...

Hmmmm do I detect a note of sarcasm??

I'm thinking the 17 years in the Federal public service is the worst...

Bob said...

You're one tough cookie to survive all that, XUP.

Coincidentally, while driving to my volunteer gig at the Royal Ottawa Hospital this morning, I heard all about Emergency Preparedness Week. Last week was Volunteer Appreciation Week, but I wasn't able to attend the little "do" that the hospital put on for us, so I was given my token of appreciation today: A little LCD flashlight with a screwdriver attached. I am SO prepared now! Bring on the locust infestation!

Grandy said...

You're my HERO to survive all that time in public service, and live to tell about it. :)

XUP said...

Jazz- Wel, Juan was pretty bad, but the job is more like a water-torture kind of disaster.. a slow drip, drip, drip, day after day, bit by bit... eroding my faculties and will to live. But the pay's not bad.

Bob - All you need now is a can of beans and you're ready for anything.

Grandy - Yes, thank you. See note above to Jazz.

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