Fact sheet
Community of Halifax (CMA), Nova Scotia Fact sheet
Community of Halifax (CMA), Nova Scotia

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In 2014, information on the emergency preparedness of people living in the Census Metropolitan Area^{Note 1} of Halifax 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 Halifax, 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

People living in Halifax anticipated winter storms (including blizzards, ice storms and extreme cold) (97%), hurricanes (85%) and extended power outages lasting 24 hours or longer (83%) to be the events most likely to occur within their community.
In the event of a weather-related emergency or natural disaster (40%), industrial or transportation accident (38%), act of terrorism or terrorist threat (38%), or contamination or shortage of water or food (29%), news on the radio was most frequently named by residents as the first source of information or assistance they would turn to (Table 1.1).
News on the radio was the second most commonly anticipated source for initial help and information in the event of an extended power outage (25%), following utility companies (54%). In the event that an outbreak of a serious or life-threatening disease were to occur, hospitals, clinics, doctors or other medical professionals (37%) would commonly be the first sources of initial help and information, followed by news on the radio (27%). The police were the most common source of initial help in the event of rioting or civil unrest (35%^{Note E: Use with caution}).

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

Two-thirds (67%) of residents of Halifax have personally experienced a major emergency or disaster in Canada in a community where they were living at the time. For most (91%), this emergency or disaster was significant enough to have resulted in severe disruptions to their daily activities.
Residents who were affected by major emergencies or disasters most commonly experienced hurricanes (70%), followed by winter storms (including blizzards and ice storms) (48%) and extended power outages lasting 24 hours or longer (15%^{Note E: Use with caution}).
Most residents who experienced emergencies or disasters were unable to use electrical appliances as a result (80%). Missing work or school (79%), the inability to heat or cool the home (58%), and the inability to use roads or transportation within the community were also some of the most common disruptions to daily life experienced by residents of Halifax as a result of major emergencies or disasters. Some of the more serious disruptions experienced included home evacuation (16%) and the inability to communicate with others outside the home (15%), both of which were less commonly experienced.
Three-quarters (75%) of residents who were affected by a major emergency were able to resume their daily activities within one week of the event (7%^{Note E: Use with caution} within 24 hours, 14% within one to two days, 36% within three to five days, and 19% within six to seven days).
More than half (61%) of residents who experienced a major emergency or disaster received help during or immediately following the event. Neighbours (40%), family (39%) and friends (18%^{Note E: Use with caution}) were common sources of assistance.
Three in ten (30%) residents of Halifax who were affected by major emergencies or disasters which were significant enough to disrupt their regular daily activities experienced a loss of property or some kind of a financial impact. Long-term emotional or psychological consequences were experienced by 5%^{Note E: Use with caution} of individuals affected by a major emergency or disaster.

Emergency planning, precautionary and fire safety behaviours

Seven in ten (71%) residents of Halifax lived in households that were engaged in at least two emergency planning activities,^{Note 6} with half (49%) living in households with three or four such activities (Table 1.2). Nearly one in ten (7%^{Note E: Use with caution}) people had no emergency planning activities set in place.
Six in ten (60%) residents lived in a household with at least two precautionary measures^{Note 7} taken in case of an emergency, with more than three in ten (34%) living in a household with three or four such measures. One in ten (11%) had no precautionary measures in place within their homes.
The majority (98%) of residents reported living in a household with a working smoke detector, two-thirds (67%) stated that they had a working fire extinguisher, and less than half (43%) stated that they had a working carbon monoxide detector (Table 1.3). One-third (32%) of residents stated that they had implemented all three fire safety measures within their households.
Although the proportion of residents of Halifax who had not taken any precautionary measures (11%) was significantly higher than the proportion among residents of Nova Scotia as a whole (7%), it was still significantly lower when compared to residents of Canada’s 10 provinces (16%). Halifax had a significantly higher proportion of residents who had all four precautionary measures in place (11%) compared to the overall proportion of Canadians (7%). Contrarily, the proportion of residents who had implemented all three fire safety measures was significantly lower in Halifax (32%) than in Canada generally (42%). There were no differences in the number of emergency planning activities taken by Halifax residents compared to Nova Scotia as a whole or Canada in general.^{Note 8}
In terms of the types of activities and measures taken, some of the differences between Halifax and Nova Scotia as a whole included having a back-up generator (27% versus 36%) and having a working fire extinguisher (67% versus 71%). Differences between residents of Halifax and Canadians in general included having an emergency exit plan (70% versus 60%) and having a working carbon monoxide detector (43% versus 60%).

Social networks and sense of belonging

Approximately half (55%) of residents of Halifax had a strong sense of belonging^{Note 9} to their community.
The majority (85%) of residents described their neighbourhood as a place where neighbours generally help each other.^{Note 10} Of those who described their neighbourhood as a place where neighbours generally do not help each other, more than three-quarters (78%) still described it as a place where neighbours would help each other in an emergency.^{Note 11}
In the event of an emergency or disaster, approximately two-thirds of residents had large networks of support of more than five people to turn to for emotional support (65%), for help if physically injured (63%) as well as in the event of a home evacuation (62%). More than a quarter had more than five people to turn to for financial help (29%).^{Note 12} However, 9% reported that they had no one to turn to for financial help.
High levels of sense of belonging, self-efficacy and neighbourhood trust, social support as well as civic engagement and involvement in political activities were often 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 Halifax, Nova Scotia, 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	40
News- Internet	23
News- Television	21
Extended power outages
Utility company	54
News- Radio	25
News- Internet	9^{Note E: Use with caution}
Outbreak of serious or life-threatening disease
Hospital, clinic, doctor or other medical professional	37
News- Radio	27
News- Television	25
Industrial or transportation accident
News- Radio	38
News- Television	26
News- Internet	26
Contamination or shortage of water or food^{Table 1.1, Note 1}
News- Radio	29
Local government	21
News- Internet	21^{Note E: Use with caution}
Act of terrorism or terrorist threat
News- Radio	38
News- Television	32
Police/law enforcement	27
Rioting or civil unrest
Police/law enforcement	35^{Note E: Use with caution}
News- Television	32
News- Radio	28^{Note E: Use with caution}
^E use with caution 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 Halifax, Nova Scotia, 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), Halifax, Nova Scotia and Canada, calculated using percent units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Number of planning activities, fire safety and precautionary measures taken by residents	Halifax	Nova Scotia	Canada
	percent
Number of emergency planning activities
None	7^{Table 1.2, Note E: Use with caution}	9	8
1 activity	18	18	17
2 activities	22	21	25
3 activities	27	28	27
4 activities	22	21	19
Number of precautionary measures
None	11^{Table 1.2, Note ***}	7	16
1 measure	26^{Table 1.2, Note *}	19	27
2 measures	26	27	28
3 measures	23	27	20
4 measures	11^{Table 1.2, Note ***}	18	7
Number of fire safety measures^{Table 1.2, Note 1}^{Table 1.2, Note 2}
None	Table 1.2, Note F: too unreliable to be published	1^{Table 1.2, Note E: Use with caution}	1
1 measure	18^{Table 1.2, Note **}	18	14
2 measures	43	42	38
3 measures	32^{Table 1.2, Note **}	35	42
^E use with caution F too unreliable to be published Table 1.2, Note * significantly different from provincial level estimate (p < 0.05) Return to table 1.2, note * referrer 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 'Halifax'. 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, commuity of Halifax, Nova Scotia, 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), Halifax, Nova Scotia and Canada, calculated using percent units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Residents whose households were involved in the following:	Halifax	Nova Scotia	Canada
Residents whose households were involved in the following:	percent
Emergency planning activities
Emergency exit plan	70^{Table 1.3, Note **}	67	60
Exit plan has been practised/reviewed in last 12 months^{Table 1.3, Note 1}	46	44	46
Designated meeting place for household members^{Table 1.3, Note 2}	34	37	33
Contact plan for household members^{Table 1.3, Note 2}	56	55	55
Household emergency supply kit	48	48	47
Vehicle emergency supply kit^{Table 1.3, Note 3}	62	62	59
Extra copies of important documents	51	48	53
List of emergency contact numbers	66	67	69
Plan for meeting special health needs^{Table 1.3, Note 4}	71	68	62
Precautionary measures
Wind-up or battery-operated radio	76^{Table 1.3, Note **}	77	58
Alternate heat source	46^{Table 1.3, Note *}	57	48
Back-up generator	27^{Table 1.3, Note *}	36	23
Alternate water source	45^{Table 1.3, Note *}	55	43
Other^{Table 1.3, Note 5}	28^{Table 1.3, Note **}	28	21
Fire safety measures
Working smoke detector	98	97	98
Working carbon monoxide detector^{Table 1.3, Note 6}	43^{Table 1.3, Note **}	43	60
Working fire extinguisher	67^{Table 1.3, Note *}	71	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 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 Table 1.3, Note 6. Responses of 'don't know/not stated' were greater than 5% but not above 10% for 'Halifax'. Return to table 1.3, note 6 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 Halifax, Nova Scotia, 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 †}	52	38	34
No^{Table 1.4, Note 7}	34^{Table 1.4, Note E: Use with caution}^{Table 1.4, Note *}	20^{Table 1.4, Note E: Use with caution}^{Table 1.4, Note *}	34^{Table 1.4, Note E: Use with caution}
High level of civic engagement^{Table 1.4, Note 2}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note †}	54	40	35
No^{Table 1.4, Note 7}	37^{Table 1.4, Note *}	23^{Table 1.4, Note *}	32
High level of social support^{Table 1.4, Note 3}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note 7}^{Table 1.4, Note †}	63	41	35
No	44^{Table 1.4, Note *}	31	31
Strong sense of belonging to community^{Table 1.4, Note 4}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note 7}^{Table 1.4, Note †}	56	40	35
No	41^{Table 1.4, Note *}	27^{Table 1.4, Note *}	29
High neighbourhood trust^{Table 1.4, Note 5}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note †}	56	46	38
No^{Table 1.4, Note 7}	45^{Table 1.4, Note *}	26^{Table 1.4, Note *}	28^{Table 1.4, Note *}
High level of self-efficacy^{Table 1.4, Note 6}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note 7}^{Table 1.4, Note †}	57	39	38
No^{Table 1.4, Note 7}	42^{Table 1.4, Note *}	30	27^{Table 1.4, Note *}
^E use with caution 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 (16%) 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

Footnote 12.

Responses of ‘don't know/not stated’ were greater than 5% but not above 10% when respondents were asked about the number of people they could turn to for help if financial support is needed.

Return to note 12 referrer

Date modified:: 2016-10-13

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Fact sheet
Community of Halifax (CMA), Nova Scotia Fact sheet
Community of Halifax (CMA), Nova Scotia

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 Halifax (CMA), Nova Scotia Fact sheetCommunity of Halifax (CMA), Nova Scotia

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

Copyright

Fact sheet
Community of Halifax (CMA), Nova Scotia Fact sheet
Community of Halifax (CMA), Nova Scotia

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