Water Haller: Fiona puts us to the test
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As I write this, barely a few days have passed since Hurricane Fiona hammered our East Coast. The damage has been unbelievable to see on television. I can’t imagine what it was like for those of you living through this. Our thoughts are with all of our colleagues affected by this storm.
Now as crews struggle to get power restored and the clean up commences, we look to our emergency plans and test our readiness. We all have back-up generators, and we all have plans for natural disasters, but we cannot always prepare fully for how severe it could be. But as always, we count on the dedication of municipal staff to rise to the call and for communities to come together in times of crisis. CWWA has been connected to the work of Operators Without Borders to get trained water professionals into disaster sites to assist with recovery. Most of OWB’s work has been in the Caribbean, and now we’re preparing to support Ukraine. But, of course, we know we can count on each other here in Canada too.
Beyond the emergency preparedness, we are forced to think again about the effects of climate change on our communities. These storms are more severe and more often. Climate adaptation and GHG reduction are both major focuses of our sector and, therefore, our association.
The National in Halifax in November!
Despite this storm, Halifax is ready and waiting to host us for the National Conference this November 6-9. We will be addressing climate change and infrastructure and emergency preparedness and more. We have sponsors and exhibitors and a great Kitchen Party planned. We just need to get more of you to get REGISTERED!! Don’t wait and stress me out…just get yourself registered already!!
