A Model Emergency Preparedness Community

We live in interesting times.......honest observation or old Chinese curse. Regardless, we do live in very interesting times - natural disasters, extreme weather, man-made crises, war, economic uncertainty....there is no limit to the source of interesting.

Now, some on planet Earth are better situated to adapt to these challenges, as they live or work in areas that routinely experience weather extremes, wildfires, earthquakes, sour gas leaks or oil spills. By living with these events on a semi-regular basis you create mitigation techniques to adapt or you abandon your home, your living, your friends and you go to an easier location.

Like those who chose to make a living in Tornado Alley, the people of High River, Alberta, are also challenged by seasonal weather conditions - although tornadoes do occur, they do not occur as often as flooding. This is a small prairie community with a high plains river running through it. The geographical feature that challenges the greatest with a high plains river system occurs when high water levels exceed the river banks to water flow out onto the prairie. Unlike, a river system confined by hills or mountains, on the high prairie once the water gets to high there are no natural features to confine the waters.

In 2013, a large portion of Southern Alberta bore witness to extreme flooding conditions. Discovered after the event, the volume of water in the Highwood River system in June 2013 was as great as the floods of 1995 & 2005 added together. These conditions were not recorded at this level ever in the past 100 years. How do people living in these conditions continue to stay,?? When others say you must move.

The short answer is community. High River has a true sense on community. Even residents who do not know each other, are still friendly to each other. With about 13,000 citizens in the town, it is truly difficult to say if this sense of community is due only to the small population or if there is something greater that binds the people of High River together. The local economy revolves around agriculture, however, many residents do make the daily commute to the city of Calgary for employment reasons. This is done out of necessity not by the choice of trying to escape the small town. I guess that is a favourable reason for being a citizen of High River......close enough to the city to enjoy the luxuries, but far enough away that the city does not follow you home.

The more indepth answer, still revolves around community. In recent years, post-2013, a number of strategic defensive devices have been constructed to defend the town of High River from future flood events. But, dykes and berms are not enough. The people have to be engaged. An involved citizenry is the only way for a community to sustain itself in hostile conditions. When the people take part in their community, an active part in their community, then & only then; can the community become stronger. A strong community can weather any hazard, and after, it is only a community that can pull together and help each other to rebuild that which has been lost, albeit temporarily. In a community that has a sense of itself, with citizens (who of their own free will) want to help make the community stronger; you will only require a bit of leadership and regular training commitment from civic authorities. Training and training resources only make a difference if there is a will to make a difference. Yet, the will power alone will eventually run out of steam. So, at the heart of any successful emergency preparedness program will be a strong community.