Fact sheet
Community of Charlottetown (CA), Prince Edward Island
In 2014, information on the emergency preparedness of people living in the Census AgglomerationNote 1 of Charlottetown 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 Charlottetown, which could help improve the understanding of community resilience in the event of an emergency.Note 3Note 4
Risk awareness and anticipated sources of help in an emergency or disaster
- Residents of Charlottetown anticipated winter storms (including blizzards, ice storms and extreme cold) (95%), extended power outages lasting 24 hours or longer (75%), and hurricanes (63%) as the events most likely to occur within their community.
- Residents named news on the radio as the source of initial help and information that they would turn to in most emergencies or disasters. More specifically, in the event of an industrial or transportation accident (39%), a riot or civil unrest (39%Note E: Use with caution), a weather-related emergency or natural disaster (38%), an act of terrorism or terrorist threat (36%Note E: Use with caution), or a contamination or shortage of water or food (28%), news on the radio was the source that people in Charlottetown would turn to first for information or assistance (Table 1.1).
- News on the radio was the second most common source of initial help and information in the event of an extended power outage lasting 24 hours or longer (31%), following contacting a utility company (41%). In the event of an outbreak of a serious illness or a life-threatening disease, a hospital, clinic, doctor or other medical professional (32%) was reported as the most common source of initial help, followed by news on the internet (24%).
Prior lifetime experience with a major emergency or disasterNote 5
- One in three (34%) residents of Charlottetown have personally experienced a major emergency or disaster in Canada in a community where they were living at the time. For more than three-quarters (78%) of them, this emergency or disaster was significant enough to have resulted in severe disruptions to their daily activities.
- Hurricanes (44%) and winter storms which include blizzards and ice storms (43%) were the emergencies or disasters most commonly experienced by residents, followed by extended power outages lasting 24 hours or longer (22%Note E: Use with caution).
- The most common types of disruption to daily activities which happened as a result of emergencies included a need to miss work or school (73%), an inability to use electrical appliances (67%) and a need to miss an appointment or a planned activity (56%). More severe types of disruptions included the inability to use roads or transportation within the community, experienced by nearly half of individuals affected by an emergency (47%), and the need to evacuate the home, experienced by one in ten (10%Note E: Use with caution) people.
- The majority (85%) of residents who had experienced a major emergency were able to resume their daily activities within one week of the event (11%Note E: Use with caution within 24 hours, 37% within one to two days, 28% within three to five days, and 9%Note E: Use with caution within six to seven days).
- Half (51%) of residents who were affected by a major emergency or disaster received help during or immediately following the event, most often from family (45%) or neighbours (33%Note E: Use with caution).
- One-third (34%) of people in Charlottetown who were affected by major emergencies or disasters that were significant enough to disrupt their regular daily activities experienced a loss of property or some kind of a financial impact.
Emergency planning, precautionary and fire safety behaviours
- Two in three (67%) people in Charlottetown lived in households that were engaged in at least two emergency planning activities,Note 6 with about four in ten (42%) living in households with three or four such activities (Table 1.2). One in ten (10%) residents lived in a household that had not engaged in any emergency planning activities.
- Many (64%) residents lived in a household with at least two precautionary measuresNote 7 taken in the event of an emergency, with one-quarter (26%) living in a household with three or four such measures. Conversely, one in ten (10%Note E: Use with caution) people lived in a household with no precautionary measures set in place.
- Most (98%) residents reported living in a household with a working smoke detector, and 72% reported living in a household with a working fire extinguisher (Table 1.3). Less than half (44%) stated that they had a working carbon monoxide detector in their household. About one in three (35%) residents stated that they had all three fire safety measures within their households.
- The number of emergency planning activities taken by residents of Charlottetown did not differ significantly from Prince Edward Island as a whole or from Canada’s 10 provinces. Although the proportion of residents of Charlottetown (10%Note E: Use with caution) who had no precautionary measures was significantly higher than that of the province (7%), this proportion was significantly lower than residents of Canada (16%). Residents of Charlottetown were less likely to have had all three fire safety measures when compared to the overall proportion of Canadians (35% versus 42%).Note 8
- There were some significant differences in the types of measures and activities taken between residents of Charlottetown and the province of Prince Edward Island, as well as between those in Charlottetown and residents of Canada in general. For example, residents of Charlottetown were less likely to have had an emergency exit plan (61%) or an alternate water source (44%) when compared to the provincial proportions (65% and 53%, respectively). When compared to Canadians, residents of Charlottetown who indicated that they have someone in their household with special medical needs were significantly more likely to have an emergency plan set in place for meeting special health needs (74% versus 62%).
Social networks and sense of belonging
- More than half (60%) of Charlottetown’s residents had a strong sense of belongingNote 9 to their community.
- The majority (91%) of 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, most (90%) still described it as a place where neighbours would help each other in an emergency.Note 11
- Close to three-quarters 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 (73%) or for emotional support (72%). In the event of a home evacuation (66%), two-thirds of residents had at least five people to turn to, compared to about one-third for financial support (35%). However, 8%Note E: Use with caution reported that they had no one to turn to for financial help.
- High levels of sense of belonging, self-efficacy, social support as well as civic engagement were often associated with a higher level of emergency preparedness (Table 1.4).
Data tables
Most common sources of initial help and information by type of emergency or disaster | percent |
---|---|
Weather-related emergency or natural disaster | |
News- Radio | 38 |
News- Internet | 27 |
News- Television | 17 |
Extended power outages | |
Utility company | 41 |
News- Radio | 31 |
Family | 12Note E: Use with caution |
Outbreak of serious or life-threatening disease | |
Hospital, clinic, doctor or other medical professional | 32 |
News- Internet | 24 |
News- Radio | 23 |
Industrial or transportation accident | |
News- Radio | 39 |
News- Internet | 22 |
Police/law enforcement | 14Note E: Use with caution |
Contamination or shortage of water or food | |
News- Radio | 28 |
News- Internet | 23 |
Local government | 17Note E: Use with caution |
Act of terrorism or terrorist threat | |
News- Radio | 36Note E: Use with caution |
News- Internet | 34Note E: Use with caution |
Police/law enforcement | 20Note E: Use with caution |
Rioting or civil unrestTable 1.1 Note 1 | |
News- Radio | 39Note E: Use with caution |
News- Internet | 30Note E: Use with caution |
E use with caution
Source: Statistics Canada, Survey of Emergency Preparedness and Resilience in Canada, 2014. |
Number of planning activities, fire safety and precautionary measures taken by residents | Charlottetown | Prince Edward Island | Canada |
---|---|---|---|
percent | |||
Number of emergency planning activities | |||
None | 10 | 10 | 8 |
1 activity | 21 | 19 | 17 |
2 activities | 25 | 25 | 25 |
3 activities | 25 | 26 | 27 |
4 activities | 17 | 17 | 19 |
Number of precautionary measures | |||
None | 10Note E: Use with cautionTable 1.2 Note *** | 7 | 16 |
1 measure | 24 | 21 | 27 |
2 measures | 38Table 1.2 Note *** | 33 | 28 |
3 measures | 22 | 25 | 20 |
4 measures | 4Note E: Use with cautionTable 1.2 Note *** | 13 | 7 |
Number of fire safety measuresTable 1.2 Note 1 | |||
None | Note F: too unreliable to be published | Note F: too unreliable to be published | 1 |
1 measure | 18Table 1.2 Note ** | 16 | 14 |
2 measures | 43 | 45 | 38 |
3 measures | 35Table 1.2 Note ** | 35 | 42 |
E use with caution F too unreliable to be published
Source: Statistics Canada, Survey of Emergency Preparedness and Resilience in Canada, 2014. |
Residents whose households were involved in the following: | Charlottetown | Prince Edward Island | Canada |
---|---|---|---|
percent | |||
Emergency planning activities | |||
Emergency exit plan | 61Table 1.3 Note * | 65 | 60 |
Exit plan has been practised/reviewed in last 12 monthsTable 1.3 Note 1 | 43 | 45 | 46 |
Designated meeting place for household membersTable 1.3 Note 2 | 34 | 36 | 33 |
Contact plan for household membersTable 1.3 Note 2 | 51 | 51 | 55 |
Household emergency supply kit | 42 | 45 | 47 |
Vehicle emergency supply kitTable 1.3 Note 3 | 53Table 1.3 Note ** | 56 | 59 |
Extra copies of important documents | 49 | 47 | 53 |
List of emergency contact numbers | 64Table 1.3 Note ** | 63 | 69 |
Plan for meeting special health needsTable 1.3 Note 4 | 74Table 1.3 Note ** | 72 | 62 |
Precautionary measures | |||
Wind-up or battery-operated radio | 75Table 1.3 Note ** | 78 | 58 |
Alternate heat source | 44Table 1.3 Note * | 53 | 48 |
Back-up generator | 20Table 1.3 Note * | 29 | 23 |
Alternate water source | 44Table 1.3 Note * | 53 | 43 |
OtherTable 1.3 Note 5 | 25 | 24 | 21 |
Fire safety measures | |||
Working smoke detector | 98 | 98 | 98 |
Working carbon monoxide detector | 44Table 1.3 Note ** | 42 | 60 |
Working fire extinguisher | 72Table 1.3 Note *** | 75 | 66 |
Source: Statistics Canada, Survey of Emergency Preparedness and Resilience in Canada, 2014. |
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 activitiesTable 1.4 Note 1 | |||
YesTable 1.4 Note † | 41 | 27 | 36 |
No | 47Note E: Use with caution | Note F: too unreliable to be published | Note F: too unreliable to be published |
High level of civic engagementTable 1.4 Note 2 | |||
YesTable 1.4 Note † | 43 | 29 | 37 |
No | 40 | 15Note E: Use with cautionTable 1.4 Note * | 27 |
High level of social supportTable 1.4 Note 3 | |||
YesTable 1.4 Note † | 52 | 30 | 43 |
No | 37Table 1.4 Note * | 24 | 31Table 1.4 Note * |
Strong sense of belonging to communityTable 1.4 Note 4 | |||
YesTable 1.4 Note † | 47 | 28 | 39 |
No | 35Table 1.4 Note * | 22 | 28Table 1.4 Note * |
High neighbourhood trustTable 1.4 Note 5 | |||
YesTable 1.4 Note † | 41 | 28 | 38 |
No | 44 | 24 | 33 |
High level of self-efficacyTable 1.4 Note 6 | |||
YesTable 1.4 Note † | 50 | 28 | 38 |
No | 35Table 1.4 Note * | 24 | 33 |
E use with caution F too unreliable to be published
Source: Statistics Canada, Survey of Emergency Preparedness and Resilience in Canada, 2014. |
Notes
E use with caution
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