Post-ice storm report suggests ways to improve emergency response

Ontario gets a passing grade, but 24 recommendations would help to "mitigate the consequences" of future events.


Thestar.com
March 2, 2015

The ice storm of 2013 saw two years worth of freezing rain fall in two days, the weight of which snapped off branches and toppled trees.

Power lines were brought down in their wake with the result that more than 400,000 Toronto Hydro customers - at least a million people - went without electricity and heat, some for days and weeks.

The province jumped in to offer support to municipalities across Ontario and a new report by the Office of the Fire Marshal and Emergency Management has given the government’s response a passing grade.

The review, called the 2013 Southern Ontario Ice Storm report, also contains two dozen recommendations to improve communications and co-ordination efforts when future emergencies occur.

“While the province’s response was effective overall, there are areas for improvement,” said a joint statement from the Office of the Fire Marshal and the Emergency Management office.

The recommendations include improved information sharing between provincial ministries and municipal governments, enhanced co-ordination efforts between people involved in emergency management and those in the infrastructure sector, and updating the province’s emergency response plan.

The report also recommends the province establish a “lead” to address the needs of vulnerable persons in emergency situations.

The recommendations, “when implemented, ensure that Ontario is better prepared for, and able to mitigate the consequences of future emergencies,” a news release said.

“The 2013 ice storm was a significant event that was widely felt around the GTA and communities across southern Ontario. The impacts affected persons directly, and in some cases for a prolonged period of time,” the statement said.

The Emergency Management office is already taking steps to implement the recommendations as part of a broader review of the province’s system for dealing with emergencies, the release said.

“We will continue to keep our communities safe by ensuring the province is well-prepared for future incidents.”

After more than a year, Toronto and other municipalities crippled by the 2013 ice storm are finally seeing some of the promised provincial financial relief.

Interim payments are trickling in to 49 municipalities, including Toronto, which has been offered $22.5 million, or about 35 per cent of the $64.2 million originally requested.