In the event of any emergency, such as power outages, tornadoes, blizzards and floods, the City of Ottawa provides important information and updates to affected residents in a variety of ways:
- The City’s website, ottawa.ca
- The City’s app
- The City’s Twitter account, @ottawacity
- Your City Councillor
- Door-to-door visits from City staff
- Public information meetings in affected neighbourhoods
- Media interviews
- By email to subscribers of the City news e-newsletter
Also, the City creates dedicated channels for prolonged emergency responses. For example:
- During the spring each year, the City communicates flood information through a dedicated Facebook group. Residents in flood-prone areas join the group to ask questions and get accurate and up-to-date information about flooding in Ottawa.
- Residents who want up-to-date information on COVID-19 can subscribe to the COVID-19 vaccination update e-subscription.
What if there is a power outage?
Battery-operated (or crank) radios are an important tool for you during a power outage.
The City shares critical information and public service announcements with our local news media so that they can include it in their news coverage.
If there is a power outage and you can’t access information online, tune into your local news radio channel for the latest information. You can also access information in your local daily or community newspaper.
Look out for each other
Have a conversation now with neighbours, friends and family members about how to stay in touch with each other in the event of an emergency. Plan to check in with each other in the event that one of you lives in a community that is affected by an emergency.
Equipment to have on hand
- Battery or crank powered radio
- Fresh batteries
- Prepaid phone card
- Mobile phone charger
- Landline telephone that does not require electricity
Additional resources:
For more information about:
- Emergency preparedness visit ottawa.ca.
- Staying in touch during emergencies visit getprepared.gc.ca.
- How to make a plan visit emergencymanagementontario.ca.
