Fires, floods highlighted during Emergency Preparedness Week - BERITAJA

It’s not a matter of if —  but when.

In Lethbridge, immoderate residents person already knowledgeable evacuations arsenic portion of emergencies successful 2026.

“The very first occurrence we had this year, it was scary really adjacent it sewage to those condos connected Scenic (Drive),” said Troy Hicks, main occurrence marshal for Lethbridge Fire and Emergency Services.

Across Alberta, floods and fires person immoderate communities connected edge.

“We are seeing immoderate overland flooding from crystal jams, arsenic good arsenic this play location were besides 2 awesome wildfires,” said Breea Tamminga, emergency guidance coordinator for Lethbridge County.

Even successful barren areas for illustration Lethbridge, wherever it’s been complete a decade since the past awesome flood, a spark could beryllium catastrophic.

“If we do person a monolithic arena (in the stream valley), you look astatine the arteries it could trim off. It could trim disconnected the expertise to spell down Whoop-Up (Drive) to spell to the westbound side. It could, depending connected wherever it’s located, it could extremity up closing Highway 3,” said Hicks.

These changeless concerns are prompting experts to punctual everyone to person a basal emergency kit.

“The much resilient we could beryllium and the much prepared we could be, the amended disconnected and the person to betterment we go pinch each those steps,” said Jamie Anderson, emergency readying administrator pinch the City of Lethbridge.

Emergency kits don’t person to break the bank, either.

“We really person a slew of caller resources this twelvemonth that look astatine preparedness from different financial value points, truthful what could you do from $0-$100.”

For Emergency Preparedness Week 2026, the taxable is ‘In It Together’ for Canada, aliases ‘Be Prepared, Know Your Risks’ for Alberta.

Municipalities for illustration Lethbridge County opportunity some ideas are critical.

“Knowing your neighbours is simply a large piece. That way, if location is thing that happens successful your community, you could scope retired to your neighbours — they could cheque successful connected your house, you could cheque successful connected them,” said Tamminga.

The region is besides showcasing the value of school children to understand the basics of disaster mentation to thief build a instauration of knowledge wrong a family unit.

“Getting the accusation (from kids) to recreation up to the adults successful the family is really going to thief support that relationship to emergency preparedness.

The City of Lethbridge and Lethbridge County each person much accusation connected their websites about what an emergency kit should look like.