Fact sheet
Community of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu (CA), Quebec
In 2014, information on the emergency preparedness of people living in the Census AgglomerationNote 1 of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu 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 Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, 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 Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu anticipated winter storms (including blizzards, ice storms and extreme cold) (95%), extended power outages lasting 24 hours or longer (87%) and floods (78%) to be the most likely emergency-type events to occur within their community.
- Residents anticipated turning to the police as an initial source for help and information if they were faced with rioting or civil unrest (66%), an act of terrorism or terrorist threat (53%), or an industrial or transportation accident (31%) (Table 1.1). Local government was the most commonly anticipated source for initial help and information if faced with a contamination or shortage of water or food (53%) or in the event of a weather-related emergency or natural disaster (30%). If faced with an extended power outage, utility companies (63%) were commonly reported as the first source of help and information for residents of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, while hospitals, clinics, doctors and other medical professionals (70%) were the most commonly anticipated sources in the event of an outbreak of a serious or life-threatening disease.
Prior lifetime experience with a major emergency or disasterNote 5
- Close to four in five (77%) people in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu have personally experienced a major emergency or disaster within Canada in a community where they were living at the time. For most (90%) of these individuals, the events they experienced were severe enough to disrupt their regular daily activities.
- Winter storms including blizzards and ice storms were the most common type of emergency or disaster experienced by residents (90%), followed by floods (12%Note E: Use with caution) and extended power outages (6%Note E: Use with caution).
- Residents who were affected by a major emergency or disaster most often had to miss work or school (78%), miss an appointment or a planned activity (57%) or were unable to use electrical appliances (54%) as a result. More than half had to evacuate their homes due to the emergency (54%), and a quarter were unable to use roads or transportation within the community (25%).
- Less than a quarter (22%Note E: Use with caution) of residents were able to resume their daily activities within one week of the event. Most (78%) needed more than a week to resume their daily activities—for instance, 9%Note E: Use with caution needed more than a week but less than two weeks, 29% needed two to less than four weeks and 38% needed one to two months.
- About four out of five (78%) residents received help either during or immediately following the emergency, most often from family members (52%) and local government (21%).
- More than half (57%) of the residents of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu who experienced major emergencies or disasters endured a loss of property or another financial impact. One in seven (14%Note E: Use with caution) experienced long-term emotional or psychological consequences as a result of the emergency.
Emergency planning, precautionary and fire safety behaviours
- Nearly two-thirds (63%) of residents of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu lived in households that were engaged in at least two emergency planning activitiesNote 6Note 7 (Table 1.2). More than a third (37%) lived in households with three or four such activities. About one in ten (11%) people lived in a household that had not participated in any emergency planning activities.
- Three in five (61%) residents lived in a household with at least two precautionary measuresNote 8 taken in case of an emergency, with one-quarter (25%) living in a household with three or four such measures. One in ten (11%) people lived in a household with no precautionary measures in place.
- Most (97%) residents reported living in a household with a working smoke detector (Table 1.3). Two-thirds (66%) reported living in a household with a working fire extinguisher and close to half (45%) stated that they had a working carbon monoxide detector in their home. One in three (34%) residents reported that they had all three fire safety measures within their households.Note 9
- Some differences existed in the number of emergency planning activities, fire safety and precautionary measures taken by residents of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu and residents of Quebec and Canada’s 10 provinces. For example, the proportion of residents of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu who had implemented all four planning activities (13%)Note 10 was significantly lower than the national proportion (19%), while the proportion of residents who had not participated in any precautionary measures (11%) was significantly lower than the overall proportion of Quebec residents (17%) and Canadians in general (16%).Note 11
- The types of activities and measures that residents of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu were involved in sometimes differed from Quebec as a whole and from Canadians in general. For example, residents of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu were less likely to have an emergency exit plan (42%) or extra copies of important documents (46%) than Canadians in general (60% and 53%, respectively), but they were more likely to have a wind-up or battery-operated radio (67%) than both Quebec residents and Canadians overall (58% each).
Social networks and sense of belonging
- Close to four in ten (37%) people in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu had a strong sense of belongingNote 12 to their community.
- The majority (83%) of residents described the neighbourhood they lived in as a place where neighbours generally help each other.Note 13 Of those who did not describe their neighbourhood this way, seven in ten (71%) still described it as a place where neighbours would help each other in an emergency.Note 14
- Approximately half 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 emotional support (54%), if physically injured (54%) or in case of a home evacuation (50%). One in five people had such a large network of support if financial help was needed (20%), and one in ten reported that they had no one to turn to for financial help (10%Note E: Use with caution).Note 15
- Generally, the level of social and political involvement of residents of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu did not significantly impact their 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 | |
Local government | 30 |
Police/law enforcement | 26 |
News- Internet | 13 |
Extended power outages | |
Utility company | 63 |
Provincial government | 12Table 1.1 Note E: Use with caution |
Local government | 9Table 1.1 Note E: Use with caution |
Outbreak of serious or life-threatening disease | |
Hospital, clinic, doctor or other medical professional | 70 |
News- Internet | 10Table 1.1 Note E: Use with caution |
News- Television | 9Table 1.1 Note E: Use with caution |
Industrial or transportation accident | |
Police/law enforcement | 31 |
First responders | 21Table 1.1 Note E: Use with caution |
Local government | 21 |
Contamination or shortage of water or foodTable 1.1 Note 1 | |
Local government | 53 |
Hospital, clinic, doctor or other medical professional | 10Table 1.1 Note E: Use with caution |
Act of terrorism or terrorist threat | |
Police/law enforcement | 53 |
911 | 19Table 1.1 Note E: Use with caution |
News- Radio | 13Table 1.1 Note E: Use with caution |
Rioting or civil unrest | |
Police/law enforcement | 66 |
911 | 14Table 1.1 Note E: Use with caution |
Local government | 10Table 1.1 Note 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 | Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu | Quebec | Canada |
---|---|---|---|
percent | |||
Number of emergency planning activitiesTable 1.2 Note 1 | |||
None | 11 | 10 | 8 |
1 activity | 21 | 22 | 17 |
2 activities | 26 | 26 | 25 |
3 activities | 24 | 26 | 27 |
4 activities | 13Table 1.2 Note ** | 14 | 19 |
Number of precautionary measures | |||
None | 11Table 1.2 Note *** | 17 | 16 |
1 measure | 25 | 29 | 27 |
2 measures | 36Table 1.2 Note *** | 28 | 28 |
3 measures | 18 | 17 | 20 |
4 measures | 7Table 1.2 Note E: Use with caution | 8 | 7 |
Number of fire safety measuresTable 1.2 Note 1 Table 1.2 Note 2 Table 1.2 Note 3 | |||
None | Table 1.2 Note F: too unreliable to be published | Table 1.2 Note F: too unreliable to be published | 1 |
1 measure | 20Table 1.2 Note ** | 24 | 14 |
2 measures | 39 | 42 | 38 |
3 measures | 34Table 1.2 Note ** | 28 | 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: | Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu | Quebec | Canada |
---|---|---|---|
percent | |||
Emergency planning activities | |||
Emergency exit plan | 42Table 1.3 Note ** | 46 | 60 |
Exit plan has been practised/reviewed in last 12 monthsTable 1.3 Note 1 | 38 | 40 | 46 |
Designated meeting place for household membersTable 1.3 Note 2 | 36 | 34 | 33 |
Contact plan for household membersTable 1.3 Note 2 | 45Table 1.3 Note ** | 51 | 55 |
Household emergency supply kit | 46 | 47 | 47 |
Vehicle emergency supply kitTable 1.3 Note 3 | 47Table 1.3 Note ** | 46 | 59 |
Extra copies of important documents | 46Table 1.3 Note ** | 47 | 53 |
List of emergency contact numbers | 67 | 68 | 69 |
Plan for meeting special health needsTable 1.3 Note 4 | 69 | 61 | 62 |
Precautionary measures | |||
Wind-up or battery-operated radio | 67Table 1.3 Note *** | 58 | 58 |
Alternate heat source | 51 | 48 | 48 |
Back-up generator | 24 | 22 | 23 |
Alternate water source | 39 | 38 | 43 |
OtherTable 1.3 Note 5 | 22 | 20 | 21 |
Fire safety measures | |||
Working smoke detector | 97 | 98 | 98 |
Working carbon monoxide detector | 45Table 1.3 Note *** | 34 | 60 |
Working fire extinguisher | 66 | 67 | 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 † | 37 | 25 | 37 |
No | 41Table 1.4 Note E: Use with caution | Table 1.4 Note F: too unreliable to be published | Table 1.4 Note F: too unreliable to be published |
High level of civic engagementTable 1.4 Note 2 | |||
YesTable 1.4 Note 7 Table 1.4 Note † | 41 | 26 | 41 |
NoTable 1.4 Note 8 | 33 | 21Table 1.4 Note E: Use with caution | 28Table 1.4 Note * |
High level of social supportTable 1.4 Note 3 | |||
YesTable 1.4 Note † | 42 | 23Table 1.4 Note E: Use with caution | 43 |
No | 36 | 26 | 33 |
Strong sense of belonging to communityTable 1.4 Note 4 | |||
YesTable 1.4 Note † | 40 | 27 | 37 |
NoTable 1.4 Note 7 | 36 | 25 | 34 |
High neighbourhood trustTable 1.4 Note 5 | |||
YesTable 1.4 Note † | 41 | 27 | 34 |
NoTable 1.4 Note 7 Table 1.4 Note 8 | 35 | 25 | 36 |
High level of self-efficacyTable 1.4 Note 6 | |||
YesTable 1.4 Note † | 42 | 30 | 33 |
NoTable 1.4 Note 7 Table 1.4 Note 8 | 33 | 23 | 37 |
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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