Fact sheet
Community of St. John’s (CMA), Newfoundland and Labrador Fact sheet
Community of St. John’s (CMA), Newfoundland and Labrador

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In 2014, information on the emergency preparedness of people living in the Census Metropolitan Area^{Note 1} of St. John’s was collected through the Survey of Emergency Preparedness and Resilience in Canada (SEPR).^{Note 2} This fact sheet presents information on the risk awareness and level of emergency preparedness of the residents of St. John’s, which could help improve the understanding of community resilience in the event of an emergency.^{Note 3}^{Note 4}

Risk awareness and anticipated sources of help in an emergency or disaster

Winter storms (including blizzards, ice storms and extreme cold) (97%), extended power outages lasting 24 hours or longer (96%), wildfires or forest fires (59%) and hurricanes (58%) were named by residents of St. John’s as the emergencies or disasters most likely to occur within their community.
Radio news was named as the source of information residents would turn to first in most emergencies or disasters. More specifically, in the event of a weather-related emergency or natural disaster (47%), an extended power outage lasting 24 hours or longer (40%), an industrial or transportation accident (39%), a riot or civil unrest (38%^{Note E: Use with caution}) or an act of terrorism or terrorist threat (32%^{Note E: Use with caution}), news on the radio was the source that the people of St. John’s would turn to first for information or assistance (Table 1.1).
Radio news was the second most common source for initial help and information in the event of a contamination or shortage of water or food (32%), following local government (33%). Radio news was also the second choice in the event of an outbreak of a serious illness or a life-threatening disease (23%), following seeking help or information from a hospital, clinic, doctor or other medical professional (44%).

Prior lifetime experience with a major emergency or disaster^{Note 5}

More than half of people (56%) in St. John’s have experienced a major emergency or disaster in Canada in a community where they were living at the time. For most (82%), this emergency or disaster was significant enough to have resulted in severe disruptions to their daily activities.
Extended power outages lasting 24 hours or longer (75%) were the most commonly experienced emergencies or disasters, followed by winter storms (including blizzards and ice storms) (26%) and hurricanes (21%).
The most common types of disruption to daily activities endured by people in St. John’s who experienced emergencies included a need to miss work or school (74%), an inability to use electrical appliances (73%) and a need to miss an appointment or a planned activity (63%). Conversely, the least common types of disruptions experienced were an inability to communicate with people outside of the household (12%^{Note E: Use with caution}), an inability to use roads or transportation within the community (18%) and a need to evacuate the home (19%).
Most (91%) people who experienced an emergency or disaster were able to resume their daily activities within one week of the event (29% within 24 hours, 31% within one to two days, 23% within three to five days, and 8%^{Note E: Use with caution} within six to seven days).
Half (49%) of residents who had experienced an emergency or disaster received help during or immediately following the event, many of whom turned to family (42%) for the help, followed by neighbours (24%^{Note E: Use with caution}) and local government (16%^{Note E: Use with caution}).
Nearly one in five (18%) people in St. John’s who experienced major emergencies or disasters which were significant enough to disrupt their regular daily routine also endured a loss of property or some kind of a financial impact. Experiencing other types of long-term implications was rare.

Emergency planning, precautionary and fire safety behaviours

Nearly three-quarters (73%) of the residents of St. John’s lived in households that were engaged in at least two emergency planning activities,^{Note 6} with almost half (45%) living in households with three or four such activities (Table 1.2). Almost one in ten (9%^{Note E: Use with caution}) people in St. John’s lived in a household that had not participated in any emergency planning activities.
Most (73%) residents lived in a household with at least two precautionary measures^{Note 7} taken in case of an emergency, with more than one-third (38%) living in a household with three or four such measures. Conversely, 7%^{Note E: Use with caution} lived in a household with no precautionary measures in place.
The majority (98%) of residents reported living in a household with a working smoke detector, and 82% reported living in a household with a working fire extinguisher (Table 1.3). Less than half (42%) stated that they had a working carbon monoxide detector in their household. However, just over one-third (37%) of the residents stated that they had implemented all three fire safety measures within their households.
The types of emergency planning activities, precautionary and fire safety measures taken by residents of St. John’s did not frequently differ from the behaviours of Newfoundland and Labrador’s residents overall. There were, however, some differences when compared to residents of Canada’s 10 provinces overall. For example, the proportion of residents of St. John’s who had a wind-up or battery-operated radio (84%) or a working fire extinguisher in their home (82%) was significantly higher than Canadians as a whole (58% and 66%, respectively). Conversely, St. John’s residents were less likely to have a working carbon monoxide detector (42%) when compared to Canadians in general (60%).^{Note 8}
Generally, while residents of St. John’s (37%) were less likely than those in Canada (42%) to have all three fire safety measures in place in their homes, they were more likely to be engaged in three (25%) or four (13%) precautionary measures (20% and 7%, respectively). There were no significant differences between residents of St. John’s and Newfoundland and Labrador, or between St. John’s residents and Canadians in terms of the number of emergency planning activities taken.

Social networks and sense of belonging

More than half (58%) of St. John’s residents had a strong sense of belonging^{Note 9} to their community.
Most (89%) residents described the neighbourhood they lived in as a place where neighbours generally help each other.^{Note 10} Of those who did not describe their neighbourhood this way, nearly three-quarters (73%) still described it as a place where neighbours would at least help each other in an emergency.^{Note 11}
Many residents had a large network of support in the event of an emergency or disaster, with more than five people to turn to for help if physically injured (70%), for emotional support (68%), in case of a home evacuation (65%), or for financial help (31%). However, 7%^{Note E: Use with caution} reported that they had no one to turn to for financial help.
High levels of self-efficacy and social support, as well as civic engagement, were sometimes associated with a higher level of emergency preparedness (Table 1.4).

Data tables

Table 1.1
Most commonly anticipated sources of initial help and information, by type of emergency or disaster, residents of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, 2014
Table summary
This table displays the results of Most commonly anticipated sources of initial help and information. The information is grouped by Most common sources of initial help and information by type of emergency or disaster (appearing as row headers), percent (appearing as column headers).
Most common sources of initial help and information by type of emergency or disaster	percent
Weather-related emergency or natural disaster
News- Radio	47
News- Internet	16
Local government	13
Extended power outages
News- Radio	40
Utility company	37
Family	8^{Note E: Use with caution}
Outbreak of serious or life-threatening disease
Hospital, clinic, doctor or other medical professional	44
News- Radio	23
News- Internet	14^{Note E: Use with caution}
Industrial or transportation accident
News- Radio	39
News- Internet	22
News- Television	17^{Note E: Use with caution}
Contamination or shortage of water or food^{Table 1.1, Note 1}
Local government	33
News- Radio	32
Provincial government	15^{Note E: Use with caution}
Act of terrorism or terrorist threat
News- Radio	32^{Note E: Use with caution}
Police/law enforcement	30^{Note E: Use with caution}
News- Television	25^{Note E: Use with caution}
Rioting or civil unrest
News- Radio	38^{Note E: Use with caution}
Police/law enforcement	38^{Note E: Use with caution}
News- Television	26^{Note E: Use with caution}
^E use with caution Table 1.1, Note 1. Responses of 'don't know/not stated' were greater than 5% but not above 10% when respondents were asked about their likely sources of initial help and information. Return to Table 1.1, note 1 referrer Note: Respondents who perceived their community was at risk for any form of emergency or disaster were then asked where they would turn to first for information or assistance in the event of the perceived emergency or disaster. Respondents could provide more than one response. Responses of 'don't know/not stated' are included in the total for the percentage calculation but are not footnoted when representing 5% or less of respondents. Source: Statistics Canada, Survey of Emergency Preparedness and Resilience in Canada, 2014.

Table 1.2
Number of emergency planning activities, fire safety and precautionary measures taken by residents, community of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, 2014
Table summary
This table displays the results of Number of emergency planning activities. The information is grouped by Number of planning activities, fire safety and precautionary measures taken by residents (appearing as row headers), St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador and Canada, calculated using percent units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Number of planning activities, fire safety and precautionary measures taken by residents	St. John's	Newfoundland and Labrador	Canada
	percent
Number of emergency planning activities
None	9^{Note E: Use with caution}	7	8
1 activity	16	15	17
2 activities	28	27	25
3 activities	23	27	27
4 activities	22	22	19
Number of precautionary measures
None	7^{Note E: Use with caution}^{Table 1.2, Note **}	7	16
1 measure	19^{Table 1.2, Note **}	19	27
2 measures	35^{Table 1.2, Note ***}	31	28
3 measures	25^{Table 1.2, Note **}	26	20
4 measures	13^{Table 1.2, Note **}	16	7
Number of fire safety measures^{Table 1.2, Note 1}^{Table 1.2, Note 2}
None	Note F: too unreliable to be published	Note F: too unreliable to be published	1
1 measure	11	11	14
2 measures	46^{Table 1.2, Note **}	48	38
3 measures	37^{Table 1.2, Note **}	38	42
^E use with caution F too unreliable to be published Table 1.2, Note significantly different from Canada level estimate (p < 0.05) Return to Table 1.2, note referrer Table 1.2, Note * significantly different from both provincial and Canada level estimates (p < 0.05) Return to Table 1.2, note * referrer Table 1.2, Note 1. Responses of 'don't know/not stated' were greater than 5% but not above 10% for 'Canada'. Return to Table 1.2, note 1 referrer Table 1.2, Note 2. Responses of 'don't know/not stated' were greater than 5% but not above 10% for 'St. John's'. Return to Table 1.2, note 2 referrer Note: Responses of 'don't know/not stated' are included in the total for the percentage calculation but are not footnoted when representing 5% or less of respondents. Emergency planning activities include: an emergency exit plan, an emergency supply kit, photocopies/electronic copies of important documents and a list of emergency contact numbers. Precautionary measures include: a battery-operated or wind-up radio, an alternative heat source, a back-up generator and an alternative water source. Fire safety measures include a working smoke detector, a working carbon monoxide detector and a working fire extinguisher. Source: Statistics Canada, Survey of Emergency Preparedness and Resilience in Canada, 2014.

Table 1.3
Planning activities, fire safety and precautionary measures residents engaged in, community of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, 2014
Table summary
This table displays the results of Planning activities. The information is grouped by Residents whose households were involved in the following: (appearing as row headers), St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador and Canada, calculated using percent units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Residents whose households were involved in the following:	St. John's	Newfoundland and Labrador	Canada
Residents whose households were involved in the following:	percent
Emergency planning activities
Emergency exit plan	64	63	60
Exit plan has been practised/reviewed in last 12 months^{Table 1.3, Note 1}	50	50	46
Designated meeting place for household members^{Table 1.3, Note 2}	35	39	33
Contact plan for household members^{Table 1.3, Note 2}	58	56	55
Household emergency supply kit	50	51	47
Vehicle emergency supply kit^{Table 1.3, Note 3}	62	61	59
Extra copies of important documents	49	51	53
List of emergency contact numbers	71^{Table 1.3, Note *}	76	69
Plan for meeting special health needs^{Table 1.3, Note 4}	79^{Table 1.3, Note **}	72	62
Precautionary measures
Wind-up or battery-operated radio	84^{Table 1.3, Note ***}	75	58
Alternate heat source	54^{Table 1.3, Note **}	57	48
Back-up generator	36^{Table 1.3, Note ***}	44	23
Alternate water source	43^{Table 1.3, Note *}	48	43
Other^{Table 1.3, Note 5}	26^{Table 1.3, Note **}	25	21
Fire safety measures
Working smoke detector	98	99	98
Working carbon monoxide detector	42^{Table 1.3, Note **}	42	60
Working fire extinguisher	82^{Table 1.3, Note **}	84	66
Table 1.3, Note * significantly different from provincial level estimate (p < 0.05) Return to Table 1.3, note * referrer Table 1.3, Note significantly different from Canada level estimate (p < 0.05) Return to Table 1.3, note referrer Table 1.3, Note * significantly different from both provincial and Canada level estimates (p < 0.05) Return to Table 1.3, note * referrer Table 1.3, Note 1. Percentage based only on those indicating that they have an emergency exit plan. Return to Table 1.3, note 1 referrer Table 1.3, Note 2. Excludes Canadians living in single-person households. Return to Table 1.3, note 2 referrer Table 1.3, Note 3. Excludes those who reported that they lived in a household that did not have a vehicle. Return to Table 1.3, note 3 referrer Table 1.3, Note 4. Percentage based only on those indicating that they or someone in their household has special medical needs. Return to Table 1.3, note 4 referrer Table 1.3, Note 5. 'Other precautionary measures' include having an escape/rescue plan for pets, extra supply of fuel, checking and replenishing emergency supplies, and keeping exits clear. Return to Table 1.3, note 5 referrer Note: Responses of 'don't know/not stated' are included in the total for the percentage calculation but are not footnoted when representing 5% or less of respondents. Source: Statistics Canada, Survey of Emergency Preparedness and Resilience in Canada, 2014.

Table 1.4
High or moderately high levels of emergency planning, fire safety and precautionary measures taken by residents, by social and political involvement, community of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, 2014
Table summary
This table displays the results of High or moderately high levels of emergency planning. The information is grouped by Social and political involvement (appearing as row headers), Percentage of residents who had high or moderately high levels of..., Planning activities, Precautionary measures and Fire safety measures, calculated using percent units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Social and political involvement	Percentage of residents who had high or moderately high levels of...
	Planning activities	Precautionary measures	Fire safety measures
	percent
Engagement in political activities^{Table 1.4, Note 1}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note †}	48	39	35
No	36	34	38
High level of civic engagement^{Table 1.4, Note 2}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note †}	47	44	35
No^{Table 1.4, Note 7}	42	30^{Table 1.4, Note *}	36
High level of social support^{Table 1.4, Note 3}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note 7}^{Table 1.4, Note †}	54	40	41
No	42^{Table 1.4, Note *}	38	36
Strong sense of belonging to community^{Table 1.4, Note 4}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note †}	50	38	37
No^{Table 1.4, Note 7}	40	39	38
High neighbourhood trust^{Table 1.4, Note 5}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note †}	51	43	42
No^{Table 1.4, Note 7}	42	35	33
High level of self-efficacy^{Table 1.4, Note 6}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note †}	52	46	40
No^{Table 1.4, Note 7}	39^{Table 1.4, Note *}	30^{Table 1.4, Note *}	33
Table 1.4, Note * significantly different from reference category (p < 0.05) Return to Table 1.4, note * referrer Table 1.4, Note † reference category Return to Table 1.4, note † referrer Table 1.4, Note 1. Includes individuals over the age of 17 years who are eligible to vote, and who have participated in or volunteered for political parties or events in the past 12 months, including municipal, provincial, or federal elections, or expressed views on political or social issues through signing a petition, contacting news agencies or politicians, or attended a meeting involving social or community issues. Return to Table 1.4, note 1 referrer Table 1.4, Note 2. Civic engagement measures individuals over the age of 17 years who were involved in a recreational group or organization in the past 12 months, and includes engagement in political activities. A 'high level' is defined as having been involved in at least 4 activities in the past 12 months. Return to Table 1.4, note 2 referrer Table 1.4, Note 3. A 'high level of social support' is defined as having five or more people whom that individual could turn to for help in an emergency if they are physically injured, require emotional support, shelter, and/or financial assistance. Return to Table 1.4, note 3 referrer Table 1.4, Note 4. A 'strong sense of belonging to community' is rating one's own sense of belonging to their community as a 4 or a 5 on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 represents "very weak" and 5 "very strong". Return to Table 1.4, note 4 referrer Table 1.4, Note 5. 'High neighbourhood trust' is rating one's own trust in the people in one's neighbourhood as 4 or 5 on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 represents "cannot be trusted at all" and 5 represents "can be trusted a lot", as well as having a response of "very likely" when asked about the likelihood of someone in their neighbourhood returning a lost wallet or purse containing two hundred dollars with the money still inside. Return to Table 1.4, note 5 referrer Table 1.4, Note 6. A 'high level of self-efficacy' is derived from having a high self-rating on a scale of 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent) for the following three categories: an ability to think clearly and solve day-to-day problems, to handle unexpected and difficult problems, and to figure out what to do if faced with an emergency situation. Return to Table 1.4, note 6 referrer Table 1.4, Note 7. Responses of 'don't know/not stated' were greater than 5% but not above 10% for 'Fire safety measures'. Return to Table 1.4, note 7 referrer Note: Responses of 'don't know/not stated' are included in the total for the percentage calculation but are not footnoted when representing 5% or less of respondents. Households with ‘moderately high’ or ‘high’ levels of emergency planning engaged in 3 or 4 of the following: having an exit plan, an emergency supply kit, extra copies of important documents and an emergency contact list. 'Moderately high' or 'high' levels of precautionary measures include having 3 or 4 of the following: a wind-up or battery operated radio, a back-up generator, an alternate source of heat and additional water. 'Moderately high' or 'high' levels of fire safety measure include having all 3 of the following: a working smoke detector, a working fire extinguisher, and a working carbon monoxide detector. Source: Statistics Canada, Survey of Emergency Preparedness and Resilience in Canada, 2014.

Notes

^E use with caution

Footnote 1.

A Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) or a Census Agglomeration (CA) is formed by one or more adjacent municipalities centred on a population centre (known as the core). A CMA must have a total population of at least 100,000 of which 50,000 or more must live in the core. A CA must have a core population of at least 10,000. To be included in the CMA or CA, other adjacent municipalities must have a high degree of integration with the core as measured by commuting flows derived from census data.

Return to note 1 referrer

Footnote 2.

The target population for the SEPR included all persons 15 years of age or older, residing in households in Canada’s 10 provinces, excluding full-time residents of institutions (e.g. nursing homes, group homes, hospitals).

Return to note 2 referrer

Footnote 3.

The SEPR covers three types of communities: Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs), Census Agglomerations (CAs) with population greater than 50,000, and ‘smaller communities’ which include CAs with population 50,000 or less and those areas that fall outside of CMAs and CAs. All CMAs and CAs (with population greater than 50,000) were included in the SEPR. A sample of households were selected from smaller communities within each province to represent all households within the province in similar communities. Additional information on the SEPR and its sampling methodology can be found in the ‘Survey description’ section.

Return to note 3 referrer

Footnote 4.

Throughout this fact sheet, responses of 'don't know/not stated' are included in the total for the percentage calculation but are not footnoted when representing 5% or less of respondents.

Return to note 4 referrer

Footnote 5.

This section focuses on personal experiences with emergencies or disasters that happened in Canada, in a community where the person was living at the time, and was significant enough to severely interrupt the individual’s regular daily activities.

Return to note 5 referrer

Footnote 6.

Emergency planning activities include: having an emergency exit plan, a household emergency supply kit, extra copies of important documents and an emergency contact list.

Return to note 6 referrer

Footnote 7.

Precautionary measures include: having a wind-up or battery-operated radio, an alternate heat source such as a non-electric stove or heater or a wood-burning fireplace, a back-up generator and an alternative water source such as a well, tank or litres of stored water.

Return to note 7 referrer

Footnote 8.

Unless otherwise specified, differences are statistically significant (p < 0.05).

Return to note 8 referrer

Footnote 9.

A 'strong sense of belonging to community' is rating one's own sense of belonging to their community as a 4 or a 5 on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 represents "very weak" and 5 "very strong".

Return to note 9 referrer

Footnote 10.

A proportion (11%) of respondents were not asked questions regarding neighbourhood helpfulness in the event of an emergency and as such these cases are not included in the analysis on neighbourhood helpfulness in general or in the event of an emergency.

Return to note 10 referrer

Footnote 11.

Responses of ‘don't know/not stated’ were greater than 5% but not above 10% when respondents were asked about whether their neighbourhood is a place where neighbours would help each other if there is an emergency.

Return to note 11 referrer

Date modified:: 2016-10-13

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Fact sheet
Community of St. John’s (CMA), Newfoundland and Labrador Fact sheet
Community of St. John’s (CMA), Newfoundland and Labrador

Risk awareness and anticipated sources of help in an emergency or disaster

Prior lifetime experience with a major emergency or disaster^{Note 5}

Emergency planning, precautionary and fire safety behaviours

Social networks and sense of belonging

Data tables

Notes

Fact sheetCommunity of St. John’s (CMA), Newfoundland and Labrador Fact sheetCommunity of St. John’s (CMA), Newfoundland and Labrador

Risk awareness and anticipated sources of help in an emergency or disaster

Prior lifetime experience with a major emergency or disasterNote 5

Emergency planning, precautionary and fire safety behaviours

Social networks and sense of belonging

Data tables

Notes

Note of appreciation

Standards of service to the public

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Fact sheet
Community of St. John’s (CMA), Newfoundland and Labrador Fact sheet
Community of St. John’s (CMA), Newfoundland and Labrador

Prior lifetime experience with a major emergency or disaster^{Note 5}