Richmond Hill ice storm clean-up almost done

Councillors discussed lessons learned from emergency

Richmond Hill Liberal
May 8, 2014
By Kim Zarzour

With just two weeks to go until the anticipated completion date for the ice storm clean-up, town staff and council have a few ideas about what to do next time an emergency hits Richmond Hill.

Deputy Fire Chief Bryan Burbidge told councillors at a council committee meeting this week that the clean-up is progressing well, but there have been lessons learned from the ice storm of Dec. 21, 2013.

With temperatures warming up, it would be easy to forget, but four months ago thick ice rained down on Richmond Hill, causing severe damage to an estimated 5,000 municipal trees, blocking streets and, by 11 a.m. Dec. 22, wiping out hydro services to 36,000 customers in the town.

Since then, municipal employees have been busy clearing debris, removing 700 park damaged trees and 700 street trees, Mr. Burbidge said. All parks and trails were inspected and reopened by the end of February and work is expected to wrap up by May 16.

In hindsight, there were three important lessons learned from the experience, Mr. Burbidge said.

Clearly defined roles and responsibilities, creating and strengthening relationships with community partners, and effective communication are all crucial elements in a community emergency, he said.

Members of council focused on the latter as a key lesson from the ice storm, as many residents and the town itself struggled to stay on top of news during the event.

“The whole thing I found a little bit confusing during the ice storm is a reporting mechanism,” Ward 5 Councillor Nick Papa said. “I believe we should have a central place where everybody knows they can get information.

“The electricity was off, computers were off... We were completely in chaos.”

Seniors, especially, were at a loss, he said.

Regional Councillor Brenda Hogg said she and her husband spent three and a half days in the dark and cold and it was a “one of the nicer holidays”, but it would have been different had they had to worry about children or elderly relatives.

Mill Street residents who did not lose power kept their lights on to convey the comforting message they were available in case of emergency, she said.

“I thought that was a good show of neighbourly responsibility.”

Another option to communicate would be signs or flags posted on front doors to alert those walking or driving past that help is required, she suggested.

Generators in senior homes might be warranted, Ms Hogg said, and warming centres should be located closer to transit and commercial centres.

With fewer people using traditional landline phones, many are without a means of communication in a power outage, said Deputy Mayor Vito Spatafora.

He suggested the town set up a well-publicized, centralized number or command spot. A growing number of high-rises and an aging population with limited mobility are further challenges that must be addressed, he added.

Ward 6 Councillor Godwin Chan suggested the community establish two permanent emergency centres, one for the north end of town, another for the south.

A data base of seniors would be helpful as a way to reach out to those lacking access to transportation or electronic communication options, said Ward 3 Councillor Castro Liu.