Welcome

Emergency managers had a busy summer in Manitoba, and we’ve once again seen the importance of emergency preparedness and the strength of our capacity to deal with disasters.

Ice jamming on the Red River north of Winnipeg caused the evacuation of several hundred residents in the Selkirk area in April, and also caused considerable property damage. Severe windstorms in June resulted in damage across southern Manitoba especially in Elie, where several homes were destroyed by a tornado that Environment Canada has identified as the most powerful ever recorded in Canada. In July, forest fires in Northern Manitoba caused the evacuation of residents from South Indian Lake. A severe storm with baseball-sized hail hit Dauphin in August, causing extensive damage to roofs, crops, and vehicles.

Each of these incidents has shown the broad range of activities taken into account when emergency managers respond to an emergency. Emergency plans in Manitoba take into account the requirements at all phases of an emergency – beginning with steps to limit of eliminate the threat of harm, to the requirements for evacuations and response activities, to the supports and programs required for a complete recovery afterward. Manitoba EMO works closely with a wide range of governmental and non-governmental organizations to ensure all necessary agencies are working in a coordinated and effective way when there are people and communities in need.

C.R. (Chuck) Sanderson
Executive Director
Manitoba EMO

September 2007