Glen Vienneau
Northern News Services

Yellowknife ( Jun 02/00) - About 40 health-care workers and city staff joined together this week for three days of workshops on how to prepare for a city-wide disaster.

The workshops were facilitated by Cathy Sandor of Calgary, who serves as the disaster manager for Western Canada with the Red Cross Society.

"(The workshops were) to help us, at the Yellowknife Health and Social Services Board, fulfil our role should there be a municipal emergency declared," said Heather Leslie, emergency preparedness co-ordinator for the board.

Leslie's role as emergency co-ordinator is to prepare her staff for a emergency disaster if requested by the city.

The board's staff taking part in the workshops included nurses, social workers, reception workers and other support staff.

"Our major role is to know who has been affected, the other major role is to reunite families, and provide information to people calling from outside of Yellowknife," Leslie said.

Participants also learned about supervising roles in a disaster and how to manage volunteers.

"If people are displaced in a emergency situation, they have to leave their home. Our role is to make sure who they are and what they need."

Another role would be to help people who have lost their homes, or seen a death in the family.

Nurses and social workers, for example, would become involved, helping people get their prescription drugs or to offer counselling.

Others would take on duties such as finding people shelter, food and clothing.

"We would be in a position to provide them with food, lodging and clothing," she said.

"We have been working with the city for the last year to develop the plan," she said.

Funding for the workshops is shared between the Yellowknife Health and Social Services Board and with the City of Yellowknife.

"Our role is very connect to the city, we never act alone. The City of Yellowknife is the activator.

"The declaration of a civil emergency in Yellowknife is done by the city.

"Then we begin to respond on their direction. We don't do anything until there is a declaration."