Emergency Measures in Akwesasne

From individual crisis to community-wide issues the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne Emergency Measures Officer is available to help on a wide-range of issues.

“Emergency management developed from the Healthy and Safety Act,” explained Emergency Measures Officer Regina Jacobs. “Even if an emergency is on a small scale one-family basis the community turns out to help and hold benefits for them. On a larger scale if another community is going through an emergency people here are quick to donate goods and the next thing you know a truck is leaving loaded with goods to help.”

Information is key in handling different emergency situations, like knowing who should be called and what emergency services should be dispatched. The Akwesasne and Local Emergency Planning Committee includes local emergency services like the Hogansburg-Akwesasne Volunteer Fire Department and Mohawk Ambulance Unit as well as services from Franklin County, Cornwall and the U.S. Coast Guard to name a few. This is an information-sharing network that allows for cross training between disciplines especially for volunteer organizations like the fire response team.

Emergency Measures is also working with Iakhisohtha Home for the Elderly to develop a test for their emergency response volunteers. Similar mock drills are typically used to test the effectiveness of emergency response plans to identify weak areas before an actual emergency does occur.

“I’m also working to collect stats on how Akwesasne can respond in the event of a crisis with other First Nations,” said Jacobs.

Forest fires in Northern Ontario forced evacuations of many First Nations communities within the past few weeks. 19 Nishnawbe Aski Nation communities were on high alert during the crisis, some of which had been evacuated, including about 2,500 people from Sandy Lake First Nation and 265 from Kingfisher Lake First Nation. First Nation citizens from NAN territory were being housed in Thunder Bay and the surrounding region, Winnipeg and Ottawa. With planning, the MCA has access to three recreation centres, an arena and three schools that could potentially be used to temporarily house dislocated people from other First Nations.

In 2006 Akwesasne had worked together to help the Cree from the Kashechewan First Nation who had to be evacuated due to flooding. During this time these First Nations people were able to utilize some of the programming within the territory, like the Violence Shelter. These people were very appreciative of the native sensitivity and understanding within the programming and some families relocated to the area as a result.

There will be a push in the coming months to have Red Cross begin to offer training to those wishing to volunteer in the area. By signing up for Red Cross volunteers are agreeing to help in the event of emergencies and are trained in phases for local response, regional response and finally for international response depending on the volunteers’ goals. Some of the more recent Akwesasne community crisis in the past years included the bridge closure in 2009 and the H1N1 flu scare.

Whether you have an interest in volunteering to be trained for emergency response situations or want to learn how to avoid emergency situations in your home or have had a home heating fuel spill and want to have it cleaned up, more information is available at the Emergency Measures office which is located at CIA#3 in Kawehno:ke. Emergency Measures Officer Regina Jacobs can also be reached at her desk, 613-575-2250 ext. 1031.