Evacuations and Shelter-in-Place

Due to different circumstances, the evacuation of people and pets may be sudden with little advance notice.

Before an evacuation

• Preparedness is key, planning for the possibility of an evacuation begins at home:
  • Prepare an emergency kit for your household
  • Make an emergency plan for your household
• Be aware
• Listen to the local media
• Sign up for emergency alerts 
  
• Tune in to this website, Facebook or Twitter
• Arrange with neighbours to tell one another of an emergency notification
• Know the risks

Voluntary evacuation notice - definition

A risk is present in the region. Remaining in the area is becoming dangerous. The notice provides time for high-risk populations to evacuate and allows people to choose between evacuating or remaining in the area.

Mandatory evacuation order – definition

For your safety, immediately evacuate the designated areas. Emergency workers may not be able to help you.

Three stages of an evacuation

When ordered to evacuate

• Take your emergency kit with you
• Follow the instructions of local emergency officials
• Do not remain in the area under an evacuation order
• Each family member should have waterproof clothing and footwear
• Remember your neighbours, particularly the elderly who may need your help or the help of emergency services
• Turn off the main breaker or switch off the circuit breaker panel or power supply box
• Turn off the water main where it enters your home (protect the valve, inlet pipe, and meter or pump with blankets or insulation material)
• Secure your home by locking all doors and windows
• Leave a note for your family members telling them you've left and where they should meet you
• Follow all designated evacuation routes
• If you run across a barricade, go another way
• Register at the Reception Centre, even if you're not staying
• Drain all water from your plumbing system
  • Starting at the top of the home, open all taps, and flush the toilets several times
  • Go to the basement and open the drain valve
  • Drain your hot water tank by attaching a hose to the tank drain valve and running it to the basement floor drain (if you drain a gas-fired water tank, the pilot light should be turned out – call your local gas supplier to re-light it)
  • Unhook washing machine hoses and drain
  • Do not worry about small amounts of water trapped in the pipes
  • Add a small amount of glycol or anti-freeze to water left in the toilet bowl, sink and bathtub traps

Reception centres

During an evacuation, the Municipality will establish reception centres to receive evacuees. Reception centres provide many services such as registration and inquiry, temporary lodging, emergency clothing and meals.

See Emergency Social Services (ESS) for more information.

Shelter-in-place

“Shelter-in-place” refers to remaining inside your home, school, or places of work during certain types of emergencies.

Based on the circumstances, emergency officials will let residents know if shelter-in-place is appropriate, or if an evacuation is required.

• Listen to local media
  • Sign up for Emergency Alerts 
    
  • Tune in to this website, Facebook or Twitter
  • Arrange with neighbours to advise one another of an emergency notification

When instructed to shelter-in-place

• Go indoors immediately and stay there
• Use stairwells instead of elevators, if possible
• Close all windows and doors
• Turn off all furnaces, hot water heaters, ventilation and air condition systems
• Do not operate kitchen vents, bathroom vents, or the clothes dryer (or anything that will allow outside air to enter your home)
• Do not use fireplaces – close all dampers
• Choose an inside room as a safe room
• Seal cracks or openings around the safe room's doorway with wide tape and a rolled-up damp towel at the base of the door
• If there is a window, tape a plastic sheet over the window to seal it
• Stay tuned for information updates
• Wait for the all-clear announcement

Safe room specifications

• Above ground level
• No or few windows
• A telephone (if not available bring a cell phone for emergency use)
• Enough room for everyone who needs to shelter
• Access to water if possible (room with an adjoining bath is an excellent choice)
• If possible, try to store your emergency kit in the room

All-clear announcement

An all-clear announcement will be made by an emergency official who may come door-to-door to deliver the information or provide it through local media/social media and it will only be made if the danger has passed.

Emergency officials will continue to monitor the events after the danger has passed. However, everyone should be aware of the possibility that the danger may return, and emergency officials may direct you to shelter-in-place again. They may also issue an evacuation alert or evacuation order depending on the circumstance. Therefore, it is very important for everyone to remain alert and to follow all instructions.

What to do after an evacuation

• You may be instructed to ventilate your home
• Open all windows and doors
• Turn on all furnaces, hot water heaters, ventilation, and air conditioning systems
• Once the home is properly ventilated, all systems can be returned to their normal settings