The Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) has issued a caution notice throughout the Grand River watershed, leading the Cambridge Fire Department (CFD) and City of Cambridge Emergency Management Team to monitor the weather situation to ensure the safety of the community.
"With the current mild temperatures causing snow melt and expected high levels of rainfall, we want to remind everyone to stay clear of rivers and creeks. Have a conversation with your children and keep your pets on a leash if walking in the area of a river or creek,” said Fire Chief Brian Arnold.
More information on the caution notice, including flood status reports for the area, can be found on the GRCA’s website.
Here are some home safety tips from the CFD in the event of flooding or a power outage:
- Portable generators are designed to be used as a back-up power source only when the main power is interrupted. Use generators outdoors and ensure that the exhaust fumes do not enter the home. Always store fuel in safety-approved containers away from the home and generator and when refueling generators ensure the generators are shut off.
- Barbeques are not designed to provide backup heat for a home. Never use a barbecue inside a house nor in the garage and do not use or store propane tanks indoors.
- If the main power is interrupted, use flashlights or battery-operated lanterns as temporary lighting. In order to avoid fires, do not use candles.
- If you come across a downed power line, call 911 for assistance. If you are in a car, do not exit your vehicle. Call 911 and wait for help. Keep away from any tree branches that have damaged hydro lines.
- In the event of a power outage, having smoke and carbon monoxide alarms with battery-backup is the recommended preference for an alarm as they will not work if they rely solely on electrical supply from your home.
- Every family and household should have an emergency kit with sufficient supplies for at least 72 hours. For information on emergency preparedness, visit the Government of Canada’s website, www.getprepared.ca
- Avoid flooding in your home by making sure your eavestroughs, as well as the nearest storm water catch basins, are not obstructed with leaves and debris.
- Do not enter a flooded basement unless you are sure that the power is disconnected and, if an electrical panel appears to be damaged, contact a qualified electrical contractor.
For more information on fire and safety, please visit the Cambridge Fire Department website.
Residents are also encouraged to visit the Alert Waterloo Region website, where there is useful emergency preparedness information for floods and severe weather.
Alert Waterloo Region is a service that provides residents with important public safety messages in the event of a large-scale emergency such as a flood, severe weather, or other emergency situations. The service can deliver notifications to residents’ preferred devices via telephone, cell phone, text message (standard text message rates may apply from a wireless provider) and e-mail. When a notification is issued a resident will receive a message via voice, text or e-mail depending on how the resident chose to receive notifications. Visit www.AlertWR.ca to register for this service.
As a reminder to all residents, only call 911 when you require immediate police, fire or ambulance response, to report a fire or other dangerous situation, to save a life or to stop a crime in progress.
For updated weather-related summaries, please visit the Environment Canada website.