Thank you to first responders, emergency service volunteers and the citizens of the Alberni Valley

 The City of Port Alberni and the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District (ACRD) would like to express their gratitude to first responders, emergency service volunteers and the citizens of the Alberni Valley for their amazing response to the recent tsunami warning.

While there is much to celebrate in the way of successes, it is the lessons learned that we must turn our attention to. Both the City and the ACRD have identified a number of steps to improve upon the existing Emergency Response Plan. These include:

·        Building a communications protocol to ensure the timely dissemination of information

·        Improving the disaster response resource web page www.acrd.bc.ca/emergency-preparedness

·        Developing a joint emergency preparedness education campaign

·        Investigating a community notification system that utilizes cell phone technology

·        Seeking funding for the purpose of undertaking tsunami modelling in the Alberni Valley.

If you have ideas on ways to improve, we want to hear from you. Tell us what worked well, what didn’t, and how can we improve in the future.

Share your thoughts with us at citypa@portalberni.ca or mailbox@acrd.bc.ca to help strengthen our Valley’s Emergency Response Plan.

Remember, surviving a disaster is everyone’s business so please take steps to ensure personal preparedness in your household.  For more information on this, please go to www.acrd.bc.ca/emergency-preparedness .