LaSalle Alerts

Emergency Definitions

• Shelter In Place: One of the instructions you may be given in an emergency where hazardous materials may have been released into the atmosphere is to shelter-in-place. This is a precaution aimed to keep you safe while remaining indoors. (This is not the same thing as going to a shelter in case of a storm.) Shelter-in-place means selecting a small, interior room, with no or few windows, and taking refuge there. It does not mean sealing off your entire home or office building.

• Evacuation: is the urgent immediate departure or escape of people away from an area that contains an imminent threat, an ongoing threat or a hazard to lives or property.

• Lockdown: A lockdown of a building or group of buildings is an emergency procedure intended to secure and protect occupants who are in the proximity of an immediate threat. This procedure is used when it may be more dangerous to evacuate a building than stay inside. By controlling entry/exit and movement within a facility, emergency personnel are better able to contain and handle any threats.

Hazard Identification

While many emergencies could occur within the Town of LaSalle, the most likely are:

• floods

• tornadoes

• winter storms

• transportation accidents involving hazardous materials

• major fires

Tips to minimize water damage from a flood: outside the home

• Ensure your lot is properly graded, so that water can drain away from your basement walls.

• Repair, where possible, sidewalks, patios, decks and driveways that may have shifted over the years, allowing water to pool close to the home.

• Landscape your yard and gardens with plants and vegetation that will minimize soil erosion.

• In the winter, clear snow away from the home’s foundation.

• Consider getting window well covers so that water does not accumulate.

• Make sure your downspouts extend three to six feet, and drain in a direction away from your home as well as your neighbour’s.

• Use a rain barrel to catch runoff.

• Regularly clean and maintain your eavestroughs and gutters so that they’re not blocked.

• Keep storm drains near your home clear of leaves and debris.

• Repair or replace your roof if shingles are deteriorating or missing.

• Hire a licensed plumber to ensure that the weeping tile (also known as a foundation drain) is in good working order.

Tips to minimize water damage from a flood: inside the home

• There are also a few precautions you can take inside the home to decrease the chance of water damage happening to you.

• While your plumber is checking the weeping tile, have them look at the sump-pit and sump pump too (if you have them) to ensure they’re working correctly and not blocked.

• Ask your plumber about installing a backwater valve. A backwater valve is a device that stops water and sewage from coming back into the house during times of heavy rainfall. A backwater valve should be maintained annually.

• Consider investing in water leak sensors and alarms that alert you to possible leaks in the home; some of the more sophisticated models will even turn off the water coming into the house if a problem is detected.

• Keep your floor drains clear of obstructions.

• Seal cracks around windows and in the basement foundation and floors.

• Protect your HVAC system; if possible have a professional elevate the furnace and hot water tank so that it’s not sitting on the basement floor.

• Consider installing shelves in the basement to keep items off the floor. Also, avoid keeping valuables and important documents in the basement; store them upstairs where they are less likely to be damaged.

• Don’t pour fats, oils and grease down your drains; they may solidify and contribute to a clogged pipe—the last thing you need when your system is under distress from a storm!

• During heavy rainfalls, minimize your home water use.

• Safeguard in-home electrical and climate systems;

• Switches, sockets, circuit breakers and wiring should be at least a foot above the expected flood level in your area

• Modify your furnace, water heater and any other anchored indoor equipment so that it sits above your property’s flood level.

• Anchor and elevate outdoor equipment

• Fuel tanks, air-conditioning units and generators should be anchored and raised above flood level. Fuel tanks that are not anchored can break free, and severed supply lines will contaminate the ground.

• Determine how water flows around your house;

• The grading or slope of the ground can direct water to your house or away from it. Obviously, it’s best if the home was built so that water drains away from it.

• This can be determined easily by watching how water flows or accumulates during an average rainstorm. If your street is prone to have standing water after an ordinary rainstorm, talk to your county planning or environmental services department.

As waters rise, take last-minute measures

• Clear gutters, drains and downspouts

• Move furniture, rugs, electronics and other belongings to upper floors, or at least raise them off the ground floor

• Shut off electricity at the breaker panel

• Elevate major appliances onto concrete blocks if they’re in danger of being flooded

• Consider Sandbagging