A sudden and tragic disaster in Elliot Lake managed to galvanize a community torn apart by disaster and bureaucracy. Too much time passed and two lives were lost in the partial collapse of the Elliot Lake Mall on June23, 2012!
The first lesson, we have learned, from the recent collapse and subsequent rescue efforts at the mall, is that the voice of the people is still able to affect change. Too many times, we may feel powerless in a situation, yet, as a group we do have power. Speak up! Make your voice heard. When the people of the community of Elliot Lake saw that the efforts were moving from rescue to recovery, they spoke loud and clear that this was not acceptable.
The second lesson we have learned, is that our emergency response coordination is not as effective as it could and should be. This is Northern Ontario. We have some of the best trained mine rescue teams to be found anywhere. Those who had worked in mine rescue were standing by waiting, having offered their services, for a call that never came. Or even the Ottawa-based disaster-response organization International Rescue which travelled to Elliot Lake to offer their support.
The first lesson, we have learned, from the recent collapse and subsequent rescue efforts at the mall, is that the voice of the people is still able to affect change. Too many times, we may feel powerless in a situation, yet, as a group we do have power. Speak up! Make your voice heard. When the people of the community of Elliot Lake saw that the efforts were moving from rescue to recovery, they spoke loud and clear that this was not acceptable.
The second lesson we have learned, is that our emergency response coordination is not as effective as it could and should be. This is Northern Ontario. We have some of the best trained mine rescue teams to be found anywhere. Those who had worked in mine rescue were standing by waiting, having offered their services, for a call that never came. Or even the Ottawa-based disaster-response organization International Rescue which travelled to Elliot Lake to offer their support.
Setting all that aside, why did the Heavy Urban Search and Rescue Unit need approval from the Premiere of Ontario before alternate measures could be employed in an attempt to rescue those trapped? Why are we not learning from one another? Why is expertise that could be valuable in a crisis not being accessed?
The events of this past week are going to be analysed, lessons learned and recommendations are going to be made, no doubt about it. In the end, this tragedy took too long to resolve and two people died. First responders should be localized, even in disaster situations. One HUSAR team in Ontario is not enough for the entire province. And, if the rumours are based in fact, the funding for even this team is going to be eliminated. Although, this is not good news, perhaps it not all bad either. Had coordinated efforts included more than just the Heavy Urban Search and Rescue Unit perhaps a resolution could have been reached sooner and if so, might we have had a different outcome?
The events of this past week are going to be analysed, lessons learned and recommendations are going to be made, no doubt about it. In the end, this tragedy took too long to resolve and two people died. First responders should be localized, even in disaster situations. One HUSAR team in Ontario is not enough for the entire province. And, if the rumours are based in fact, the funding for even this team is going to be eliminated. Although, this is not good news, perhaps it not all bad either. Had coordinated efforts included more than just the Heavy Urban Search and Rescue Unit perhaps a resolution could have been reached sooner and if so, might we have had a different outcome?
Remarkably, there were not more casualties in this disaster, although numbers of those missing kept fluctuating, in the end two women were trapped in the rubble. Two women brought a community together, struggling for remarkable efforts to be made while keeping up a constant vigil until everyone trapped was brought out. Rest In Peace, Lucie Aylwin and Doloris Perizzolo.
