By Angela Hill

Emergency Preparedness

May 7, 2011 | 7:34 AM

Knowing what to do during the first 72 hours after a disaster is important to survival — this is the message emergency organizations are taking to the public.

“Someone comes and says to you, you’ve got 10 minutes to leave the house, what are you going to take?” said Lyle Karasiuk, public affairs officer of Parkland Ambulance.

This emergency preparedness week, Karasiuk joined forces with the Red Cross and Emergency Preparedness Canada to make sure people in Prince Albert were ready in cases of disaster.

“We kind of think that it’s never going to happen to us, but look what happened to us last July, here in the city when we had severe weather. Look at what’s happening in our province in terms of flooding,” he said.

With the earthquake and tsunami in Japan and other disasters fresh in people’s minds, this Emergency Preparedness Week, which ran from May 1 – 7, was a good time to talk about being ready, Karasiuk said.

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“We’re trying to get to these various groups and say to them, ‘take some time. Be prepared, (it’s) easy. Follow the guide that’s prepared by Emergency Planning Canada and you’re taking huge steps in making sure that your families and homes and properties are that much safer,” he said.

They’re visiting schools so the students start to have the discussion in the classroom, but also take the message home. They are visiting the Girl Guides as well as other groups.

For those first 72-hours after a disaster, as long as no one is injured, one of the safest places to be is at home.

Emergency Preparedness Canada has a guide of what to pack to be ready for those first few hours.

Personal hygiene items, phone list, board game, important papers and at least one litre of water per day, per family member, Karasiuk said all of these are important items.

“Often what people think of, is they think of the system, or the city or my rural municipality will look after me,” Karasiuk said.

But, that’s not always the case as seen in New Zealand and Japan where it took a while for systems to be put back in place.

Karasiuk said he feels that people are listening to their message.

“We’re really pleased with the response we’ve gotten from the public.”

ahill@panow.com