Wednesday 29 April 2026
Prepared Together: Community, Connection, and Emergency Preparedness
by Justin Okpala
This year’s Emergency Preparedness Week theme, Prepared Together, reminds us that we are strongest when we look out for one another. Family members, friends, neighbours, caregivers, colleagues, and communities all play an important role in helping one another stay safe during emergencies.
This idea closely reflects the philosophy of ubuntu, which originated in southern Africa and is commonly expressed as “I am because we are” (umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu in Nguni languages). Ubuntu highlights that our humanity is shaped through our relationships with others. It values mutual care, compassion, and collective well-being over individualism. In emergency management, ubuntu reminds us that people and relationships are among our most critical resources.
Past emergencies have shown that older adults can face greater risks when preparedness plans do not reflect their needs. As our population ages, this becomes even more important. In Ottawa alone, more than 170,000 residents are aged 65 and older, representing about 17% of the city’s population, and that number continues to grow. At the same time, climate-related emergencies such as heat waves, storms, power outages, and flooding are becoming more common.
By staying connected, understanding local risks, and taking a few simple steps, we can help ensure everyone, especially older adults, feels prepared and supported. Facing a crisis alone can be overwhelming. When challenges are met with the support of our community, family and friends checking in, and neighbours offering help, those situations become far less daunting.
Stay Connected
For many older adults, limited contact with others can increase isolation and risk during emergencies. Staying connected can begin with something simple, like saying hello or checking in regularly. Strong social relationships help people receive timely information, access essentials like food and medication, feel supported, and build resilience and peace of mind.
Understanding Risks
Knowing local risks is also a key part of preparedness. Thinking about what could happen, such as extreme weather, power outages, or flooding, and how it might affect you or your loved ones helps you focus on what matters most: safety.
Take Simple Steps to Be Prepared
Preparedness doesn’t have to be complicated. Building an emergency kit, creating a household emergency plan with a communication strategy, and sharing it with those around you can make a meaningful difference. While supplies are important, preparedness isn’t only about the stuff in your plan, it’s also about the people within it.
Ultimately, effective emergency preparedness is grounded not only in plans and resources, but in the ubuntu-informed recognition that our greatest strength lies in caring for one another because our resilience as individuals exists only through the resilience of our community[DH1] .
Emergencies can happen anytime.
When they do, our strongest resource is each other.
[DH1]Would close off again with ubuntu to wrap it all up.
Justin Okpala is a Project Officer with Emergency Management team in Ottawa Public Health. He is a leading a project focused on building emergency preparedness within African Caribbean Black (ACB) communities