By Cecilia Nasmith

Northumberland Emergency Management Coodinators are marking Emergency Preparedness Week (May 5 to 11 across Ontario) with the launch of a new smart-phone app designed to help members of the community improve their personal preparedness.

The new Northumberland Emergency Preparedness App is available at no cost, offering such tips and tools as a family emergency plan template, checklists for building a 72-hour emergency kit (as well as a pet emergency kit and a car survival kit), a list of potential hazards and how to respond to each one, and information about evacuations and shelter-in-place orders.

In the announcement, Northumberland County Community Emergecy Management Coordinator Ken Stubbings said this is a useful tool with simple steps people can take immediately to ensure they are prepared to be self-sufficient in the event of an emergency.

“By gathering supplies and working an emergency plan wih families and neighbours, Northumberland residents will be better prepared for the unexpected,” Stubbings said.

“In turn, first responders can focus their attention on the most critical issues in the initial stages of an emergency.”

The app is available through the Apple App and Google Play stores (search for Northumberland Emergency Preparedness).

Emergency-preparedness information is also available at Northumberland.ca/BePrepared.