Are you ready for the next weather emergency?

A great ice storm brought down over one thousand power transmission lines in Eastern Canada 28 years ago this week, plunging millions of Canadians into darkness and cold for days—and in some cases, several weeks.

In 2023, we asked Canadians if they had taken steps to prepare for an emergency. Just over two-thirds of Canadians households (69%) responded that they had.

Households in Atlantic Canada, famous for the dreaded nor’easter, were most likely to have taken steps to prepare for an emergency in 2023, led by households in Nova Scotia (92%) and Prince Edward Island (91%).

Conversely, just under two-thirds of households in Quebec and Alberta (at 64% each) had taken steps to prepare for an emergency, the lowest rates nationally.

Households in rural and small-town areas were more likely to have taken steps to prepare for an emergency than urban dwellers (75% versus 67%).

Stocking up on food (74%) and emergency lighting such as flashlights (70%) were the most common steps taken by households preparing for an emergency in 2023.

Over half of Canadian households who had taken steps to prepare for an emergency reported having a three-day water supply (57%), medication (53%) or money on hand (51%).

Approximately one in three households taking steps for an emergency reported having a battery-powered radio (35%), while one in five reported having a portable backup generator (20%).

Households in rural and small-town areas were much more likely to report having a portable backup generator than those in larger cities (36% versus 15%).

As the earth’s climate continues to change, the rate of extreme weather events is expected to increase. This may put First Nations people, Métis and Inuit at a disproportionate risk of suffering adverse effects of extreme weather because of factors such as remoteness, community size and limited access to emergency resources.

Over the course of their lives, about 8 in 10 First Nations people living off reserve (82%), Métis (81%) and Inuit (78%) experienced an extreme weather event or natural disaster that caused a severe disruption to their daily activities.

Approximately one in five First Nations people living off reserve (22%), Métis (18%) and Inuit (17%) reported that they were extremely concerned or very concerned about extreme weather events or natural disasters affecting themselves or members of their household in 2024. These figures were consistent with findings from the fall of 2022, when 20% of the total population in Canada reported the same level of concern.

Among those who reported at least some level of concern, a winter storm was the most reported event, with 36% of First Nations people living off reserve, 33% of Métis and 45% of Inuit reporting concern.

When asked to rate their own level of preparedness for an extreme weather event or natural disaster, 18% of First Nations people living off reserve, 21% of Métis and 17% of Inuit said that they were extremely prepared or very prepared in 2024. Just over one-fifth (21%) of Inuit living inside Inuit Nunangat reported a high degree of preparation, while the share among Inuit living outside Inuit Nunangat was 11%.

Respondents were also asked what items they had in their home or vehicle in case of an extreme weather event or natural disaster. The most common items were emergency lights, non-perishable food and first aid kits.