Emergency Preparedness Week kicked off on Sunday and London city officials are encouraging residents to ensure they have a 72-hour emergency kit.
"We encourage everyone to start developing an emergency plan, which would include ensuring you have a communication protocol amongst your family in case you get separated, contact information for out of town relatives... and taking that right up to including developing a 72-hour kit,"says Dave O'Brien, division manager of corporate security and emergency management with the City of London.
O'Brien says an emergency 72-hour emergency kit should include provisions such as 4 L of water fore each person per day, food, a first aid kit, a flashlight, a radio, warm clothes/blankets, and medication.
He says the local community isn't prone to significant natural disasters, but it's always smart to be prepared.
"We have significant transportation corridors, rail and car, that come through our community, so we always have to be careful in relation to hazardous material-type events," says O'Brien. "We do in fact live within Tornado Alley, so severe weather is always a possibility... Things like that are always on our radar."
Emergency Preparedness Week runs from May 3-9. The national awareness initiative has taken place annually since 1996.
More information on emergency preparedness in London, visit the city's website by clicking here.