Stay safe and be prepared

This week, residents of Atlantic Canada have faced a possibility we have likely avoided seriously contemplating in the past: we could lose our forests, our homes and whole communities to fire.

A region of the country that usually experiences a cold, drizzly spring — where often snow is still evident in the shadows and morning dew covers the ground — has been hot, windy and tinder dry.

Even in Newfoundland and Labrador, which is having a normal wet spring, the number of forest fires is trending higher than previous fire seasons.

In P.E.I., the whole North Shore — Anne’s land — is still at serious risk of going up in flames as the countless trees felled by post-tropical storm Fiona grow drier and more flammable by the day.

In Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, fire devouring homes and causing evacuation orders is already a reality.

Firefighters and longed-for rain have been bringing large fires under control in Stein Lake, N.B. and Upper Tantallon, N.S. On Nova Scotia’s South Shore, though, three out-of-control wildfires were proving more difficult to contain at week’s end.

It is now impossible to ignore the evidence that climate change is bringing new threats right to our doorsteps. Floods, winds and fires are already altering our communities.

While still very much in the throes of an emergency situation, now is the time for conversations about how best to keep Atlantic Canadians safe during future crises.

Communication plans need to be thorough and use every method available. As we learned from the Nova Scotia mass shooting of 2020, tweeting instructions on a weekend evening is not an effective way to get a message across.

Now that many firefighters are not summoned by sirens from fire towers, is there another early warning mechanism for communities?

Evacuation plans must be established and communicated. Are there routes, like P.E.I.’S Confederation Trail, that can be opened to vehicles to allow residents to flee an area that only has one road out?

The region’s leaders must evaluate if there is enough emergency equipment and personnel to respond quickly to the places they are needed. Who gets Newfoundland and Labrador’s water bomber when there are fires in more than one province? Are there enough hydrants? How do we get enough water to areas served by wells?

As governments contemplate these and other questions, Atlantic Canadians are making personal checklists.

Everyone should make our own evacuation plans and come up with contingencies.

We should shoot videos showing the conditions inside and outside our homes in the event we’ll need to prove loss to an insurance company. We ought to be stocked up on water, nonperishable food and batteries. We must all stay informed about burning bans.

We are thankful that, at this writing, there has been no loss of human life during the recent fires.

Answering some of these questions for ourselves and our communities will help ensure everyone remains as safe as possible.