Fact sheet
Community of Peterborough (CMA), Ontario
In 2014, information on the emergency preparedness of people living in the Census Metropolitan AreaNote 1 of Peterborough 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 Peterborough, 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
- People living in the community of Peterborough anticipated winter storms (including blizzards, ice storms and extreme cold) (94%), extended power outages lasting 24 hours or longer (85%) and floods (73%) to be the events most likely to occur within their community. Heat waves (60%) and outbreaks of serious or life-threatening diseases (52%) were also among the events residents believed were likely to occur within their community.
- In the event of a weather-related emergency or natural disaster (36%), an industrial or transportation accident (37%) and rioting or civil unrest (33%Note E: Use with caution), news on the radio was most commonly named by residents as the first source of information or assistance they would turn to (Table 1.1). Law enforcement was most commonly named as the first source of information or assistance in the event of an act of terrorism or terrorist threat (37%). Residents most commonly anticipated turning to their utility company in the event of an extended power outage (45%), to hospitals, clinics, doctors or other medical professionals if faced with an outbreak of a serious or life-threatening disease (56%), and to their local government in the event of a contamination or shortage of water or food (23%).
Prior lifetime experience with a major emergency or disasterNote 5
- More than half (55%) of residents of Peterborough have experienced a major emergency or disaster within Canada in a community where they were living at the time. For the majority (73%) of these individuals, the emergency or disaster was significant enough to have resulted in severe disruptions to their daily activities.
- Residents who were affected by major emergencies or disasters most commonly experienced floods (52%) followed by extended power outages lasting 24 hours or longer (38%). About one in seven residents reported experiences with winter storms (including blizzards and ice storms) (15%Note E: Use with caution).
- Missing work or school (62%), needing to boil drinking water or having to drink bottled water (55%), missing appointments or planned activities (50%) and the inability to use electrical appliances (47%) were some of the most common disruptions to daily activities experienced by emergency or disaster victims. Some of the more serious disruptions experienced included the inability to use roads or transportation within the community, experienced by 38% of emergency victims residing in Peterborough, and home evacuation, experienced by one in five (21%).
- The majority of residents (78%) who were affected by a major emergency or disaster were able to resume their daily activities within one week of the event; approximately two in five (42%) were able to resume daily activities in two days or less.
- Just over half (53%) of residents received help from others either during or immediately following the emergency or disaster. Family (30%Note E: Use with caution), neighbours (28%Note E: Use with caution) and local government (21%Note E: Use with caution) were the most common sources of assistance.
- Almost half (47%) of Peterborough’s residents who were affected by a major emergency or disaster significant enough to disrupt their regular daily routines experienced a loss of property or other financial impacts. Fewer than one in ten (7%Note E: Use with caution) experienced long-term emotional or psychological consequences. Other serious or long-term implications were rare.
Emergency planning, precautionary and fire safety behaviours
- Three-quarters (74%) of residents of Peterborough lived in households that were engaged in at least two emergency planning activities,Note 6 with about half (49%) living in households with three or four such activities (Table 1.2). Less than one in ten (7%Note E: Use with caution) people had no emergency planning activities in place.
- Two-thirds (65%) of residents lived in a household with at least two precautionary measuresNote 7 taken in case of an emergency, and about one-third (35%) lived in a household with three or four such measures. About one in ten (12%) people had no precautionary measures set in place within their homes.
- Almost all (99%) residents reported living in a household with a working smoke detector, four out of five (80%) stated that they had a working carbon monoxide detector and seven out of ten (71%) residents reported having a working fire extinguisher (Table 1.3). Three out of five (59%) residents stated that they had all three fire safety measures within their households.
- The number of fire safety and precautionary measures that residents of Peterborough engaged in sometimes differed from Ontario residents overall and from Canadians residing in the 10 provinces in general. For example, residents of Peterborough were more likely than Ontario residents to have taken all four precautionary measures (10% versus 6%) and more likely than Canadians overall to have taken all three fire safety measures (59% versus 42%).Note 8
- In terms of the types of activities and measures people were involved in, Peterborough residents were more likely than both Ontario residents and Canadians in general to have an emergency exit plan (69%, 63% and 60%, respectively), a wind-up or battery-operated radio (67%, 59% and 58%, respectively), an alternate water source (56%, 44% and 43%, respectively) and a working fire extinguisher within their homes (71%, 64% and 66%, respectively).
Social networks and sense of belonging
- More than half (55%) of residents of Peterborough had a strong sense of belongingNote 9 to their community.
- The majority (87%) of residents believed their neighbourhood is a place where, in general, neighbours help each other.Note 10 Of those who described their neighbourhood as a place where neighbours generally do not help each other, approximately three-quarters (77%) still believed it is a place where neighbours would help each other in an emergency.Note 11
- In the event of an emergency or disaster, many residents had large networks of more than five people to turn to for emotional support (68%), for help if physically injured (66%) as well as in the event of a home evacuation (55%). However, fewer than one in three residents had a similar network for financial support in the event of an emergency (29%), and approximately one in ten (9%) reported that they had no one to turn to for financial help.Note 12
- For the most part, the level of emergency preparedness of residents of Peterborough was not significantly impacted by their social and political involvement (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 | 36 |
News- Internet | 23 |
News- Television | 21 |
Extended power outages | |
Utility company | 45 |
News- Radio | 21 |
Family | 11Note E: Use with caution |
Outbreak of serious or life-threatening disease | |
Hospital, clinic, doctor or other medical professional | 56 |
News- Internet | 20 |
News- Radio | 18 |
Industrial or transportation accident | |
News- Radio | 37 |
News- Internet | 24 |
News- Television | 21 |
Contamination or shortage of water or foodTable 1.1, Note 1 | |
Local government | 23 |
News- Radio | 19 |
News- Internet | 14Note E: Use with caution |
Act of terrorism or terrorist threat | |
Police/law enforcement | 37 |
News- Television | 28Note E: Use with caution |
News- Radio | 28Note E: Use with caution |
Rioting or civil unrestTable 1.1, Note 2 | |
News- Radio | 33Note E: Use with caution |
News- Television | 26Note E: Use with caution |
Police/law enforcement | 25Note 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 | Peterborough | Ontario | Canada |
---|---|---|---|
percent | |||
Number of emergency planning activities | |||
None | 7Note E: Use with caution | 8 | 8 |
1 activity | 16 | 16 | 17 |
2 activities | 25 | 25 | 25 |
3 activities | 28 | 28 | 27 |
4 activities | 21 | 21 | 19 |
Number of precautionary measures | |||
None | 12 | 15 | 16 |
1 measure | 22Table 1.2, Note *** | 28 | 27 |
2 measures | 30 | 29 | 28 |
3 measures | 25Table 1.2, Note *** | 20 | 20 |
4 measures | 10Table 1.2, Note * | 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 | 6Note E: Use with cautionTable 1.2, Note ** | 7 | 14 |
2 measures | 30Table 1.2, Note ** | 35 | 38 |
3 measures | 59Table 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: | Peterborough | Ontario | Canada |
---|---|---|---|
percent | |||
Emergency planning activities | |||
Emergency exit plan | 69Table 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 | 34 | 30 | 33 |
Contact plan for household membersTable 1.3, Note 2 | 58 | 57 | 55 |
Household emergency supply kit | 44 | 47 | 47 |
Vehicle emergency supply kitTable 1.3, Note 3 | 64Table 1.3, Note ** | 62 | 59 |
Extra copies of important documents | 54 | 56 | 53 |
List of emergency contact numbers | 71 | 71 | 69 |
Plan for meeting special health needsTable 1.3, Note 4 | 62 | 61 | 62 |
Precautionary measures | |||
Wind-up or battery-operated radio | 67Table 1.3, Note *** | 59 | 58 |
Alternate heat source | 48 | 46 | 48 |
Back-up generator | 25 | 20 | 23 |
Alternate water source | 56Table 1.3, Note *** | 44 | 43 |
OtherTable 1.3, Note 5 | 23 | 22 | 21 |
Fire safety measures | |||
Working smoke detector | 99 | 99 | 98 |
Working carbon monoxide detector | 80Table 1.3, Note ** | 80 | 60 |
Working fire extinguisher | 71Table 1.3, Note *** | 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 † | 52 | 36 | 62 |
NoTable 1.4, Note 7Table 1.4, Note 8 | 42 | 34Note E: Use with caution | 49 |
High level of civic engagementTable 1.4, Note 2 | |||
YesTable 1.4, Note † | 52 | 34 | 61 |
No | 45 | 40 | 58 |
High level of social supportTable 1.4, Note 3 | |||
YesTable 1.4, Note † | 56 | 43 | 71 |
No | 47 | 32 | 56Table 1.4, Note * |
Strong sense of belonging to communityTable 1.4, Note 4 | |||
YesTable 1.4, Note † | 51 | 37 | 59 |
No | 48 | 33 | 60 |
High neighbourhood trustTable 1.4, Note 5 | |||
YesTable 1.4, Note † | 51 | 42 | 65 |
No | 49 | 29Table 1.4, Note * | 55 |
High level of self-efficacyTable 1.4, Note 6 | |||
YesTable 1.4, Note † | 56 | 38 | 64 |
No | 43Table 1.4, Note * | 32 | 56 |
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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