In wake of last week’s fire at Wheatley’s water treatment plant and subsequent boil water advisory, Chatham-Kent is going to take a look at developing a mass communication strategy to reach residents during an emergency.
Councillor Lauren Anderson brought in the successful motion at Monday’s Chatham-Kent council planning meeting.
Anderson’s motion will have administration look into a mass information sharing system, through instant alerts, text messaging and automated phone calling system. Administration will look at the pricing and availability to implement those services as soon as possible and report back to council.
Noting that there is always room for improvement, Anderson said many people weren’t aware of the boil water advisory until a couple of days had passed.
Anderson’s motion also included having a media awareness campaign to make residents aware of available communications as well as information sharing available through the municipality to the general public.
The boil water advisory is still in effect for residents of Tilbury and Wheatley. For the latest information, a water advisory phone line (519-436-3250) remains active 24-hours a day, seven days a week for updates.
