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Editorial: Take matters into your own hands

People need to be responsible for their own well-being

Some things become apparent only when something extraordinary happens.

Last week an incident with equipment closed one of the local grocery stores. This led people to the other one for the day at least. What became obvious is that Sooke residents are not really prepared for any kind of emergency. Grocery stores cannot stockpile enough fresh food and there is only so much room for items such as water.

Most people likely do not have extra food and water in the cupboards. They have not purchased or fashioned any type of emergency kit. All the emergency planning in the world will not help if people do not look after themselves. Perhaps it is the opinion that “it can’t happen to us” or just plain denial that prevents people from taking simple measures to look after themselves and their family.

Sooke Road is regularly closed for one reason or another and it is a long way around if one takes the Circle Route. So what do we do about that? Is your gas tank full? Do you have water and snacks in your vehicle? Do you have a cell phone charger in case you need to relay messages home? What about a blanket and flashlight? All of these items will fit easily into your trunk and we should all consider getting a small emergency kit together. Can you manage for 72-hours?

Each time a situation arises it becomes more apparent that we are not prepared. It is not the municipality or province’s responsibility to ensure we have what we need personally. They are there to deal with the bigger picture, not the small ones.

So to relieve some angst and take matters into your own hands, get prepared. Lots of information is available at the District of Sooke or through the provincial government at: http://embc.gov.bc.ca/em/index.html

Now the rest is up to you.