Fact sheet
Community of St. Catharines–Niagara (CMA), Ontario
In 2014, information on the emergency preparedness of people living in the Census Metropolitan AreaNote 1 of St. Catharines–Niagara 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 St. Catharines–Niagara, 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
- Winter storms (including blizzards, ice storms and extreme cold) (92%), extended power outages lasting 24 hours or longer (76%) and heat waves (64%) were named by residents of St. Catharines–Niagara as the most likely events to occur within their community.
- Residents most frequently anticipated turning to news on the radio or television as initial sources for help and information if they were faced with a weather-related emergency or natural disaster (39% and 38%, respectively), an industrial or transportation accident (38% and 31%, respectively), or in the event of an act of terrorism or terrorist threat (34% and 38%, respectively) (Table 1.1).
- Residents stated that hospitals, clinics, doctors or other medical professionals were the most commonly anticipated sources of initial help and information in the event of an outbreak of a serious or life-threatening disease (49%). In the event of a contamination or shortage of water or food, they most commonly said they would first seek help from local government (37%), and in the event of an extended power outage, residents anticipated first turning to their utility company (42%). If faced with rioting or civil unrest, slightly more than one-third said they would first turn to police or law enforcement (36%Note E: Use with caution).
Prior lifetime experience with a major emergency or disasterNote 5
- Over four in ten (44%) St. Catharines–Niagara residents has faced a major emergency or disaster in Canada in a community they were living in at the time of the event, nearly three-quarters (73%) of whom reported experiencing severe disruptions to their daily activities as a result of the event.
- Extended power outages lasting 24 hours or longer (49%) and winter storms which include blizzards and ice storms (49%) were the most commonly experienced emergencies or disasters by residents of St. Catharines–Niagara.
- The most common types of disruption to daily activities endured by residents who had experienced major emergencies or disasters included the inability to use electrical appliances (70%) or missing work or school (67%). More severe disruptions experienced were home evacuations experienced by nearly one out of five (18%Note E: Use with caution) people faced with an emergency, as well as an inability to use roads or transportation within the community experienced by close to two in five residents (38%).
- Almost all (95%) residents who experienced an emergency or disaster were able to resume their daily activities within one week of the event; over half (58%) were able to resume daily activities in two days or less.
- About half (49%) of residents who had experienced an emergency or disaster received help during or immediately following the event, most commonly from a family member (31%Note E: Use with caution).
- Just over one-quarter (27%) of residents of St. Catharines–Niagara who experienced a major emergency or disaster in Canada in a community where they were living at the time of the event and which was significant enough to disrupt their regular daily routine also endured a loss of property or financial impact.
Emergency planning, precautionary and fire safety behaviours
- Almost three-quarters (72%) of people residing in St. Catharines–Niagara 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). Fewer than one in ten (7%Note E: Use with caution) people lived in a household that had not participated in any emergency planning activities.
- Over half (59%) lived in a household with at least two precautionary measuresNote 7 taken in case of an emergency, about three in ten (28%) living in a household with three or four such measures. About one in seven (15%) people lived in a household with no precautionary measures in place.
- Almost all (99.7%) residents reported living in a household with a working smoke detector, and 85% reported living in a household with a working carbon monoxide detector (Table 1.3). About two out of three (69%) residents stated that they had a working fire extinguisher in their household. Three in five (60%) of the residents of St. Catharines–Niagara stated that they had implemented all three fire safety measures within their households, significantly more compared to Ontario and Canada’s 10 provinces overall (53% and 42%, respectively).Note 8
- There were some differences in the types of activities and measures set in place by residents of St. Catharines–Niagara when compared to the rest of Canada. For example, the proportion of St. Catharines–Niagara residents who had an emergency exit plan (66%) or an alternative water source (52%) was significantly higher than for the rest of Canada (60% and 43%, respectively).
Social networks and sense of belonging
- More than half (57%) of St. Catharines–Niagara’s residents had a strong sense of belongingNote 9 to their community.
- Most (87%) 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 (83%) still described it as a place where neighbours would help each other in an emergency.
- Many individuals 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 (72%), for help if physically injured (67%) as well as in case of a home evacuation (60%). However, about one in four residents had such a large support network if financial help was needed (27%). Fewer than one in ten (8%) reported that they had no one to turn to for financial help.Note 11
- High levels of sense of belonging, self-efficacy and neighbourhood trust, 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 | 39 |
News- Television | 38 |
News- Internet | 23 |
Extended power outagesTable 1.1, Note 1 | |
Utility company | 42 |
News- Radio | 24 |
Family | 11Note E: Use with caution |
Outbreak of serious or life-threatening disease | |
Hospital, clinic, doctor or other medical professional | 49 |
News- Television | 24 |
News- Internet | 22 |
Industrial or transportation accident | |
News- Radio | 38 |
News- Television | 31 |
News- Internet | 25 |
Contamination or shortage of water or foodTable 1.1, Note 1 | |
Local government | 37 |
News- Radio | 21 |
News- Television | 19Note E: Use with caution |
Act of terrorism or terrorist threat | |
News- Television | 38 |
News- Radio | 34 |
Police/law enforcement | 25 |
Rioting or civil unrest | |
Police/law enforcement | 36Note E: Use with caution |
News- Radio | 28Note E: Use with caution |
News- Television | 24Note 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 | St. Catharines–Niagara | Ontario | Canada |
---|---|---|---|
percent | |||
Number of emergency planning activities | |||
None | 7Note E: Use with caution | 8 | 8 |
1 activity | 17 | 16 | 17 |
2 activities | 23 | 25 | 25 |
3 activities | 28 | 28 | 27 |
4 activities | 21 | 21 | 19 |
Number of precautionary measures | |||
None | 15 | 15 | 16 |
1 measure | 24 | 28 | 27 |
2 measures | 31 | 29 | 28 |
3 measures | 20 | 20 | 20 |
4 measures | 8Note E: Use with caution | 6 | 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 | 5Note E: Use with cautionTable 1.2, Note ** | 7 | 14 |
2 measures | 30Table 1.2, Note *** | 35 | 38 |
3 measures | 60Table 1.2, Note *** | 53 | 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: | St. Catharines–Niagara | Ontario | Canada |
---|---|---|---|
percent | |||
Emergency planning activities | |||
Emergency exit plan | 66Table 1.3, Note ** | 63 | 60 |
Exit plan has been practised/reviewed in last 12 monthsTable 1.3, Note 1 | 49 | 47 | 46 |
Designated meeting place for household membersTable 1.3, Note 2 | 32 | 30 | 33 |
Contact plan for household membersTable 1.3, Note 2 | 55 | 57 | 55 |
Household emergency supply kit | 45 | 47 | 47 |
Vehicle emergency supply kitTable 1.3, Note 3 | 63 | 62 | 59 |
Extra copies of important documents | 54 | 56 | 53 |
List of emergency contact numbers | 72 | 71 | 69 |
Plan for meeting special health needsTable 1.3, Note 4 | 68 | 61 | 62 |
Precautionary measures | |||
Wind-up or battery-operated radio | 59 | 59 | 58 |
Alternate heat source | 47 | 46 | 48 |
Back-up generator | 22 | 20 | 23 |
Alternate water source | 52Table 1.3, Note *** | 44 | 43 |
OtherTable 1.3, Note 5 | 24 | 22 | 21 |
Fire safety measures | |||
Working smoke detector | 100Table 1.3, Note *** | 99 | 98 |
Working carbon monoxide detector | 85Table 1.3, Note *** | 80 | 60 |
Working fire extinguisher | 69 | 64 | 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 † | 49 | 28 | 61 |
NoTable 1.4, Note 7Table 1.4, Note 8 | 48 | 24Note E: Use with caution | 52 |
High level of civic engagementTable 1.4, Note 2 | |||
YesTable 1.4, Note † | 54 | 31 | 65 |
NoTable 1.4, Note 7Table 1.4, Note 8 | 40Table 1.4, Note * | 22Note E: Use with caution | 51Table 1.4, Note * |
High level of social supportNote 3 | |||
YesTable 1.4, Note 7Table 1.4, Note 8Table 1.4, Note † | 49 | 32Note E: Use with caution | 59 |
No | 49 | 25 | 60 |
Strong sense of belonging to communityTable 1.4, Note 4 | |||
YesTable 1.4, Note 7Table 1.4, Note † | 54 | 31 | 66 |
No | 42Table 1.4, Note * | 21Table 1.4, Note * | 50Table 1.4, Note * |
High neighbourhood trustTable 1.4, Note 5 | |||
YesTable 1.4, Note † | 57 | 31 | 69 |
NoTable 1.4, Note 8 | 43Table 1.4, Note * | 23 | 53Table 1.4, Note * |
High level of self-efficacyTable 1.4, Note 6 | |||
YesTable 1.4, Note † | 55 | 28 | 66 |
No | 41Table 1.4, Note * | 26 | 53Table 1.4, Note * |
E use with caution
Source: Statistics Canada, Survey of Emergency Preparedness and Resilience in Canada, 2014. |
Notes
E use with caution
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