Fact sheet
Smaller communities of Newfoundland and Labrador Fact sheet
Smaller communities of Newfoundland and Labrador

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

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

Residents of smaller communities of Newfoundland and Labrador anticipated winter storms (including blizzards, ice storms and extreme cold) (95%), extended power outages lasting 24 hours or longer (85%), and wildfires or forest fires (62%) as the events most likely to occur within their communities.
In smaller communities of Newfoundland and Labrador, the initial source of help that people would turn to depended on the type of emergency or disaster. In the event of a weather-related emergency or natural disaster, residents would most commonly turn to news on the radio (26%) or television (19%), while many would first turn to a utility company (50%) if faced with an extended power outage lasting 24 hours or longer (Table 1.1). People commonly anticipated turning to police first if an act of terrorism or terrorist threat (49%^{Note E: Use with caution}), rioting or civil unrest (49%^{Note E: Use with caution}) or an industrial or transportation accident (27%^{Note E: Use with caution}) was to occur. In the event of an outbreak of a serious or life-threatening disease, residents would commonly first turn to a hospital, clinic, doctor or other medical professional (63%). Local government (49%) was most commonly anticipated to be the initial source of help if faced with a contamination or shortage of water or food.

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

Over one-third (38%) of people living in smaller communities of Newfoundland and Labrador have experienced a major emergency or disaster in Canada in a community where they were living at the time. For most (80%), 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 (48%) were the most common emergencies or disasters experienced by residents. Wildfires or forest fires (18%^{Note E: Use with caution}) and hurricanes (17%^{Note E: Use with caution}) followed, but experiences with these types of emergencies were less widespread.
The most common types of disruption to daily activities were an inability to use electrical appliances (65%), a need to boil drinking water or drink bottled water (56%), a need to miss school or work (51%), or miss an appointment or a planned activity (51%). Impacts that were more severe but less common were the inability to use roads or transportation within the community (24%^{Note E: Use with caution}) and home evacuations (18%^{Note E: Use with caution}), both experienced by less than a quarter of affected residents.
Three out of four (76%) residents of Newfoundland and Labrador’s smaller communities who endured major emergencies were able to resume their daily activities within one week of the event; more than half (56%) of residents were able to resume activities in two days or less.
More than half (59%) of residents affected by emergencies and disasters received help during or immediately following the emergency. Family members (35%^{Note E: Use with caution}) and neighbours (19%^{Note E: Use with caution}) were the most common sources of help.
Nearly one in five (18%^{Note E: Use with caution}) residents of Newfoundland and Labrador’s smaller communities who experienced major emergencies or disasters that were significant enough to disrupt their regular daily activities also endured a loss of property or some kind of a financial impact. Experiencing other types of long-term implications such as emotional, psychological, physical or health consequences was rare.

Emergency planning, precautionary and fire safety behaviours

More than three-quarters (78%) of people living in smaller communities of Newfoundland and Labrador lived in households that were engaged in at least two emergency planning activities,^{Note 6} with approximately half (52%) living in households with three or four such activities (Table 1.2). A small proportion (6%^{Note E: Use with caution}) of residents did not have any emergency planning activities in place in their homes.
About three out of four (72%) residents lived in households with at least two precautionary measures^{Note 7} taken in case of an emergency, with less than half (44%) living in a household with three or four such measures. Less than one in ten (8%^{Note E: Use with caution}) lived in a household with no precautionary measures in place.
Almost all (99%) residents reported living in a household with a working smoke detector, and 85% 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. About two in five (39%) people stated that they had implemented all three fire safety measures within their households.
Generally, the number of planning activities, fire safety and precautionary measures taken by residents of the smaller communities of Newfoundland and Labrador did not vary significantly from the province as a whole. However, there were some differences in the types of activities and measures residents were engaged in. For example, residents of smaller communities were less likely to have had a wind-up or battery-operated radio when compared to Newfoundland and Labrador’s proportion (69% versus 75%), though they were slightly more likely to have an alternate water source than the province as a whole (50% versus 48%).^{Note 8}
The number of measures taken in the event of an emergency frequently differed between residents of smaller communities of Newfoundland and Labrador and those residing in Canada’s 10 provinces. For example, the proportion of residents in smaller communities of Newfoundland and Labrador (18%) who were engaged in all four precautionary measures was more than double that of the overall Canadian proportion (7%).

Social networks and sense of belonging

Close to three-quarters (73%) of people in Newfoundland and Labrador’s smaller communities had a strong sense of belonging^{Note 9} to their community.
Most (94%) residents believed the neighbourhood they lived in was a place where neighbours generally help each other.^{Note 10} Of those who did not describe their neighbourhood this way, more than three-quarters (78%) still described it as a place where neighbours would help each other in an emergency.^{Note 11}
More than two-thirds of 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 (71%), for emotional support (68%) or in case of a home evacuation (69%). About one in three (36%) had more than five people they could turn to if financial help was needed. However, 9% reported that they had no one to turn to for financial help.
High levels of self-efficacy and neighbourhood trust, as well as civic engagement and involvement in political activities 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 smaller communities of 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	26
News- Television	19
News- Internet	16
Extended power outages
Utility company	50
News- Radio	18
Family	11^{Note E: Use with caution}
Outbreak of serious or life-threatening disease
Hospital, clinic, doctor or other medical professional	63
News- Television	14^{Note E: Use with caution}
News- Radio	11^{Note E: Use with caution}
Industrial or transportation accident
Police/law enforcement	27^{Note E: Use with caution}
News- Internet	19^{Note E: Use with caution}
Local government	17^{Note E: Use with caution}
Contamination or shortage of water or food
Local government	49
News- Radio	16^{Note E: Use with caution}
News- Internet	10^{Note E: Use with caution}
Act of terrorism or terrorist threat
Police/law enforcement	49^{Note E: Use with caution}
News- Radio	32^{Note E: Use with caution}
Rioting or civil unrest
Police/law enforcement	49^{Note E: Use with caution}
^E use with caution 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, smaller communities of 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), Smaller communitites of Newfoundland and Labrador, 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	Smaller communities of Newfoundland and Labrador	Newfoundland and Labrador	Canada
	percent
Number of emergency planning activities
None	6^{Note E: Use with caution}	7	8
1 activity	14^{Table 1.2, Note **}	15	17
2 activities	26	27	25
3 activities	29	27	27
4 activities	23	22	19
Number of precautionary measures
None	8^{Note E: Use with caution}^{Table 1.2, Note **}	7	16
1 measure	20^{Table 1.2, Note **}	19	27
2 measures	28^{Table 1.2, Note *}	31	28
3 measures	26^{Table 1.2, Note **}	26	20
4 measures	18^{Table 1.2, Note **}	16	7
Number of fire safety measures^{Table 1.2, Note 1}
None	Note F: too unreliable to be published	Note F: too unreliable to be published	1
1 measure	10^{Table 1.2, Note **}	11	14
2 measures	49^{Table 1.2, Note **}	48	38
3 measures	39	38	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 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 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, smaller communities of 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), Smaller communitites of Newfoundland and Labrador, Newfoundland and Labrador and Canada, calculated using percent units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Residents whose households were involved in the following:	Smaller communities of Newfoundland and Labrador	Newfoundland and Labrador	Canada
Residents whose households were involved in the following:	percent
Emergency planning activities
Emergency exit plan	63	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}	41^{Table 1.3, Note **}	39	33
Contact plan for household members^{Table 1.3, Note 2}	55	56	55
Household emergency supply kit	51	51	47
Vehicle emergency supply kit^{Table 1.3, Note 3}	61	61	59
Extra copies of important documents	52	51	53
List of emergency contact numbers	80^{Table 1.3, Note ***}	76	69
Plan for meeting special health needs^{Table 1.3, Note 4}^{Table 1.3, Note 6}	67	72	62
Precautionary measures
Wind-up or battery-operated radio	69^{Table 1.3, Note ***}	75	58
Alternate heat source	59^{Table 1.3, Note **}	57	48
Back-up generator	48^{Table 1.3, Note ***}	44	23
Alternate water source	50^{Table 1.3, Note ***}	48	43
Other^{Table 1.3, Note 5}	25	25	21
Fire safety measures
Working smoke detector	99	99	98
Working carbon monoxide detector	42^{Table 1.3, Note **}	42	60
Working fire extinguisher	85^{Table 1.3, Note **}	84	66
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 Table 1.3, Note 6. Responses of don't know/not stated greater than 5% but not above 10% for 'Smaller communities of Newfoundland and Labrador'. 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, smaller communities of 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 †}	54	45	36
No	38^{Note E: Use with caution}^{Table 1.4, Note *}	29^{Note E: Use with caution}^{Table 1.4, Note *}	36^{Note E: Use with caution}
High level of civic engagement^{Table 1.4, Note 2}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note †}	55	47	36
No	45	35^{Table 1.4, Note *}	37
High level of social support^{Table 1.4, Note 3}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note †}	57	48	40
No	49	43	38
Strong sense of belonging to community^{Table 1.4, Note 4}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note †}	54	45	38
No	46	42	40
High neighbourhood trust^{Table 1.4, Note 5}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note †}	58	48	39
No	45^{Table 1.4, Note *}	40	37
High level of self-efficacy^{Table 1.4, Note 6}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note †}	58	41	36
No	45^{Table 1.4, Note *}	47	41
^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 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.

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 1 referrer

Footnote 2.

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 2 referrer

Footnote 3.

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 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 (14%) 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 equal to 18% 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
Smaller communities of Newfoundland and Labrador Fact sheet
Smaller communities of 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 sheetSmaller communities of Newfoundland and Labrador Fact sheetSmaller communities of 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
Smaller communities of Newfoundland and Labrador Fact sheet
Smaller communities of Newfoundland and Labrador

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