Emergency preparedness « Transition Brockville

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Tag : Emergency preparedness (40)

Will your EV keep the lights on when the grid goes down?

GTM / Justin Gerdes / 08 November 2019

Last month’s preventative power shutoffs in California highlighted the vulnerability of the electricity grid to threats exacerbated by a changing climate.

In the wake of the forced outages, much has been written about the ability of solar PV arrays working in tandem with stationary battery storage systems to keep the lights on when the grid goes down. But what about the mobile battery packs carried in the hundreds of thousands of electric vehicles now on the road in California?

For much of any given day, EVs are parked in garages or at offices. When paired with a power control system, the battery packs in those EVs are functionally little different than a stationary battery system.

One big difference: EV battery packs are much larger.

[ FULL ARTICLE ]

Emergency Preparedness for Rural Residents

Transition Brockville / 13 November 2019

How communities can build psychological resilience to disaster

National Observer / Nicole Westman / 08 November 2019

As climate change makes natural disasters more common and more extreme, cities and communities are working to improve their resilience—their ability to withstand disaster, and bounce back quickly when it occurs. But disasters don’t just cause physical damage; they can leave communities struggling mentally and emotionally, as well. Working to shore up physical structures only tackles part of the problem, says Gerald Galloway, a professor of civil and environmental engineering in the Center for Disaster Resilience at the University of Maryland. “If a community can’t stand on its own two feet psychologically, all the work on having stronger buildings isn’t going to get you anywhere.”

[ FULL ARTICLE ]

Multi-Sector Climate Impact Assessment

Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks / 07 November 2019

The assessment will help the province better understand where and how it is vulnerable to the effects of climate change, and will provide information to communities to help them undertake a more strategic approach to adaptation planning and infrastructure investments to prevent and mitigate climate change risks.

“Our government is taking action in the global fight to reduce emissions and strengthen our resilience to the impacts of climate change that are already happening in our communities, such as more frequent extreme weather events and flooding,” said Jeff Yurek, Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. “This impact assessment will help the province, municipalities, Indigenous communities and other local partners make more informed and timely decisions to keep communities and people healthy and safe.”

[ FULL MEDIA RELEASE ]

Emergency survival kits

Mother Earth News / Matthew Stein / December 2010/January 2011

In today’s world of blackouts, big storms, terror alerts and global warming, many of us will experience significant disruptions in the flow of electricity or goods at some point in our lives. Having an emergency survival kit can be a big comfort and aid — maybe even a lifesaver — in such a situation. Stocking up on a few supplies, learning new skills and making an emergency contingency plan don’t have to take a lot of time or money, and these steps will foster peace of mind in turbulent times.

You can’t plan for all possible scenarios, but a wise person plans for the most likely possibilities and stores at least a few basic supplies for emergencies. The tips here will help you evaluate your needs and goals, and plan for short-term emergency situations (72 hours to one week).

[ FULL ARTICLE ]

Kingston’s climate change strategy is number one in country

TVO Current Affairs / David Rockne Corrigan / 14 December 2018

The municipality that has billed itself as “Canada’s most sustainable city” since 2009 now has some solid evidence to back up the claim.

The November issue of the journal Climatic Change contains a ranking of the climate-change plans of 63 Canadian municipalities — and Kingston comes out on top.

Plans were evaluated based on eight criteria, including how a community sets its climate goals, how effective those goals are, and how it measures and achieves progress.

Municipalities are the “most vulnerable” of all levels of government when it comes to climate change, explains lead author Dave Guyadeen, of the University of Guelph, because they face the most immediate impacts. ”So we wanted to know how they are responding to it,” he says.

So what lessons can Kingston offer other municipalities trying to come up with or improve climate-change plans?

[ FULL ARTICLE ]

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