Nelson, BC: In It Together is the theme for this year’s Emergency Preparedness Week (May 3–9), a national campaign that highlights how social connection can strengthen readiness. Whether it’s a wildfire, flood, or power outage, our ability to respond and recover is stronger when we work together as neighbours, families, and communities.
At the Regional District of Central Kootenay (RDCK), we’re encouraging residents to use this week as an opportunity to take action, talk to your family about your emergency plan, build or update your grab-and-go kit, and check in with neighbours, because we’re all in it together.
As part of Emergency Preparedness Week, the RDCK will conduct its annual TEST of the Emergency Notification System on Thursday, May 7 at approximately 2:00 PM. Anyone registered with the RDCK’s Emergency Notification System will receive a TEST NOTIFICATION by text, email, landline, or through the Voyent Alert! app, depending on their chosen settings.
The Province of BC will conduct a separate TEST of their notification system on May 6, 2026, at 1:55 pm PT.
If you are new to the area or have not yet signed up for emergency notifications, please go to www.rdck.ca/EmergencyNotification. To ensure you receive important emergency information relevant to your location, it is imperative that residents update their account with accurate location information. Please take this opportunity to log in to the system and double check your details: www.rdck.ca/EmergencyNotification.
“Emergency preparedness is everyone’s responsibility,” said Nora Hannon, RDCK Acting Emergency Program Manager. “By working together, we can build resilience towards the emergencies that impact our communities .”
Emergency Preparedness Week is a great time to take a few simple steps to improve your readiness:
- Sign up to receive RDCK Emergency Notifications or login to update your set locations
- Prepare a “grab and go” kit
- Make a home emergency plan with this handy template
- Set up your ESS profile
- Learn more about emergency preparedness
During the week, the RDCK will share daily preparedness tips on Facebook, covering topics like alerts, kits, planning, pets, and property protection.