The Region of Peel is advising Peel residents and businesses to be prepared for adverse weather conditions that may be caused by Hurricane Sandy.
Be prepared for flooding or a power outage.
In advance of the storm:
· move any valuables off the basement floor to an upper level of your home
· keep catch basins clear of leaves and other debris.
In the event of basement flooding:
· call your insurance company
· do not lift manhole covers; open manholes do not improve the situation.
Response times will vary depending on the severity of the storm.
Personal and family emergency kit:
Be prepared for any impacts from the storm by assembling your 72-hour personal/family emergency kit. The following items are recommended:
· bottled water (4 litres per person, per day)
· food that won’t spoil (such as canned food)
· a first aid kit
· medication
· toilet paper and other personal hygiene items
· a crank radio or a radio with batteries
· a flashlight and batteries
· a whistle
· duct tape
· blankets or sleeping bags
· clothing.
Store these items in a waterproof container (but be ready to transfer them to a gym bag or duffle bag if you suddenly need to leave your home). For more information about preparing for emergencies, visit peelregion.ca/prep.
TransHelp customers may cancel or reschedule trips booked for Tuesday, Oct. 30, without penalty. There may be significant delays in travel times.
Waste and recycling:
Flying debris can pose a safety hazard. To prevent your recyclables from taking flight:
· place your recyclable material in a tied transparent (clear or tinted blue) recycling bag
· stack your blue boxes with the heavier box on top
· place heavier items on top of lighter ones
· don’t overload your blue boxes
Road hazards:
· For road hazards created by the storm, such as flooding, downed trees or large branches, shoulder washouts, traffic lights/signals outage, etc. please call and report to the Region of Peel’s 24-hour call centre at 905-791-7800.
· Road crews will be responding to potential safety issues and flooding in order of priority; there may be delays in response due to call volumes.
· Please slow down and use caution when travelling through periods of heavy rain and wind.
· Watch for flooding during periods of heavy rain in low lying areas and underpasses.
· Use extreme caution when driving through construction zones and on gravel surfaced roads; rough road conditions or washouts could exist from prolonged periods of wet weather conditions.
The severe weather is not expected to have an impact on water operations.
For the latest updates on Public Works related services, visit peelregion.ca or the Public Works Twitter account twitter.com/peelpublicworks.
Region of Peel service updates:
· Children’s Services: In the event of extreme weather conditions, the Region of Peel’s Children’s Services Division follows the direction of the Peel District School Board (PDSB) in determining whether the Learn.Play.Care. Centres will remain open.
· All Regional child care centres will close if the PDSB closes its schools. School bus cancellations do not necessarily mean that centres are closed.
· Please visit the PDSB’s website at peel.edu.on.ca or listen to local news reports for updates on school reopenings.
· Health clinics: Extreme weather may result in the interruption of services at clinics in the community, including healthy sexuality clinics and ongoing flu clinics.
For more information on the Region of Peel, please call 905-791-7800, or visit peelregion.ca.
