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Victoria Emergency Management Agency

The Victoria Emergency Management Agency (VEMA) is the City of Victoria's resource for helping our community prepare for an emergency. Responsible for training City staff and coordinating an emergency response in the event of a disaster, VEMA also educates and empowers Victoria citizens on how to be "emergency prepared." Learn more.

Emergency Preparedness Week - May 2 to 8, 2010

Emergency Preparedness Week (EP Week) is an annual event that takes place each year during the first full week of May. Activities are organized across Canada to raise awareness of the importance of having an emergency kit; making an emergency plan; and identifying risks in your region.

Below is how VEMA recognized Emergency Preparedness Week in Victoria.

• Prepare Your Pet Recipe for Disaster
  To coincide with EP Week, VEMA launched its new Prepare Your Pet Recipe for Disaster, complementing its existing Prepare at Home and Prepare at Work recipes. The series is designed to help prepare a family or small business with the knowledge, supplies and a plan to cope for a minimum of three days in the event of an emergency. The new recipe is available online as well as at local pet stores, groomers, kennels and the Victoria SPCA.

• Recipe for Disaster Tips
  A helpful Recipe for Disaster Tip appeared in the Times Colonist from Tuesday to Saturday during Emergency Preparedness Week. Each tip was also posted online and on the City's Facebook page.

• Contest!
  Thank you to all those who participated in our EP Week Tip Contest. The three draw winners of an emergency kit have been notified by email. To see some of the tips sent in, click here.

• Profile Auxiliary Communications
  VEMA profiled the role of its Auxiliary Communications team and HAM radio operations play in an emergency.

• Regional Evacuee Assistance Exercise
  The Victoria Emergency Management Agency partnered with the Oak Bay Community Disaster Assistance Team and Saanich Emergency Social Services to host a Regional Evacuee Assistance Exercise on Monday, May 3, 2010. The scenario involved the evacuation of residents from a large apartment fire and provided media the opportunity to witness what happens to evacuated residents once they step into an emergency Reception Centre.

What WILL it take... for you to prepare for an emergency?

Many people think an emergency will never happen to them, but emergencies can happen anytime, anywhere. Victoria gets its share of weather events such as windstorms and snow, which can disrupt power or make transportation difficult. We're also due for a major earthquake and need to be prepared for at least three days with no assistance.

Don’t wait for an emergency to happen.

There are simple things you can do to protect you and your family, pet or service animal, and small business in the event of a disaster. Check out our Recipe for Disaster series to learn more.

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