Backgrounder OTTAWA, May 30, 2005 - Summer is on the way and, when it comes to weather, expect the unexpected! One minute it can be sunny and beautiful; the next, a thunderstorm can form, bringing with it intense lightning, heavy rain, damaging hail and even tornadoes. On May 31st 1985, the City of Barrie, Ontario was hit by one of the most powerful and devastating tornadoes ever recorded in Canada. More than 800 people were left homeless, 60 seriously injured and eight dead. In addition, a separate tornado generated from another thunderstorm called the Grand Valley Tornado killed 4 additional people, 2 in Grand Valley and 2 in Tottenham. Environment Canada, Emergency Management Ontario and the City of Barrie are making a joint effort to promote public awareness of the importance for Canadians to protect themselves against the results of these types of high-impact weather events. The goal is to enhance awareness of risks, consequences and potential strategies to ensure Canadians are better prepared to protect their families and properties. While we can't control the weather, we can control what we do to prepare for it. Watching the sky and knowing what to do during an extreme weather event can help to save lives and protect personal property. "Being prepared can mean the difference between life and death," says Geoff Coulson, one of Environment Canada's Warning Preparedness Meteorologists for Ontario. "Staying tuned to Environment Canada's forecast and warning information and taking a few simple steps can ensure that Ontario's summers are enjoyable and safe." "Emergency Management Ontario is committed to building 'disaster-resilient' communities by means of the development of comprehensive emergency management programs throughout the province, building on the principles of mitigation, prevention, preparedness, response and recovery," said Ernest Hills, EMO Community Officer for the Georgian Sector of Ontario. "While we cannot eliminate the reality of extreme weather events, through a comprehensive emergency management program - in situations like the 1985 Barrie tornado - we can hope to minimize the risk to life, reduce damage to property and, where events occur, return people as quickly as possible to enjoying the quality of life communities provide." "The 1985 tornado is not a distant memory for us, even though it was 20 years ago," says Cynthia Ross Tustin, Assistant Chief and Manager of Fire Prevention and Development, Barrie Fire and Emergency Service. "It has made our residents watchful of storm-darkened skies, wary of nature's destructive power and mindful of the need to be prepared for the next possible emergency. The City of Barrie has a newly-updated emergency response plan that has been developed based on our risk profile and severe weather is a major consideration for us. We encourage people to use this anniversary as an opportunity to ensure that their own families are prepared for the next emergency. That means simple things like having a safe meeting place, keeping your car full of gas and having some cash on hand." Environment Canada monitors the weather 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Canadians are becoming more aware that when Environment Canada issues watches, advisories or warnings through national, regional and local radio and television stations, they need to listen and prepare accordingly. While severe weather is a reality in Canada, many disaster losses are preventable. Investments in public alerting, mitigation, improvements in land-use planning, enforcement of effective building codes, hazards safety research and more active public education are a few options that can reduce the adverse impact of severe weather hazards. The nature of weather prediction has changed and improved significantly in recent years. Today's weather forecasters are using the latest science and technological developments to help them make increasingly more precise predictions to meet Canada's future requirements. Today's new technology such as Doppler Radars, lightning detection networks, satellite imagery and supercomputers results in increasingly precise predictions of severe weather events. In addition to new technologies, Canadians now have access to the latest weather and severe weather information on the internet, on Automated Telephone Answering Devices (ATAD's) and through Weatheradio. In addition, Environment Canada has added a free weather internet service fully customized to meet Canadian media needs to provide their customers with the most up to date weather forecasts and severe weather warnings possible. - 30 - For More Information: Jack Saunders Environment Canada Ph: 416-739-4785 Jack.Saunders@ec.gc.ca
