Submitted by Karen Church-As a step towards our development of an Official Community Plan, the Tow Hill Advisory Committee, through the sub-committee on emergency preparedness for tsunami and earthquake, has prepared an interim plan for response to such emergencies. Most residents will have received the interim plan printout at their doorstep last month.
Since delivery of the plan, some phone numbers have been added to the phone tree. The updated phone tree is now posted at the kiosk for residents to review. Input to the phone tree is appreciated and should be promptly e-mailed to: dr_culebra@hotmail.com. The phone tree will be re-evaluated on a regular basis. Please check the kiosk for updates. We hope to be able to mail out the updated version soon.
As there are a number of part-time residents in our area, we are encouraging those people to keep themselves in the loop. This article has been submitted, in part, to ensure that seasonal residents are informed. Please remember that, as per the interim emergency plan, if you do not have phone service it is up to you to ensure that another resident with a phone will contact you in case of emergency. Here are a few others notes for to remember for the phone tree:
1. When you receive a phone tree activated tsunami watch or tsunami warning phone call, call the next people on your list and keep the message as brief as possible. (It should not take more than 30 seconds to convey the message.)
2. If the person you are calling on the phone tree does not respond, then you have to phone the persons that they would have phoned. If you think that a resident on your list is home but not answering the phone, you should honk your vehicle horn for 30 seconds straight. As much as possible the phone tree has been designed with respect to proximity.
3. Please keep phone lines as open as possible when there is a tsunami watch.
4. There will be a test of the phone tree in the near future.
If you are a resident with rental accommodations, you should obtain a copy of the draft "Provincial Emergency Preparedness Program, Hotel and Resort Guidebook". Please ensure your tenants are aware of emergency procedures.
Haaw7aa / thank-you to Greg Chappel, Barb and Peter Rempel for their work developing the phone tree, and distributing the interim emergency plan document to residents. For further information on the interim plan for emergency preparedness for tsunami and earthquake for the Tow Hill area, a digital copy of the draft hotel and resort guidebook, or to provide input to the emergency plan, please e-mail trees@island.net. haaw7aa / thank-you.