Achi news desk-
HALIFAX –
After last summer’s deadly floods, heat waves and record-breaking wildfires, some scientists are urging Canadian health professionals to play an active role in helping their patients better prepare for extreme weather.
Scientist Blair Feltmate told a national public health conference today in Halifax that there are cheap and effective ways to reduce damage caused by climate-related disasters.
Feltmate, head of the Intact Center on Climate Adaptation at the University of Waterloo, told the hundreds of attendees that they can provide patients with best practices for protecting themselves and their homes long before extreme weather or heat waves hit.
He says health facilities should print and share with patients the detailed infographics his center has prepared that outline a range of things people can do before extreme heat, wildfires and floods.
Those steps include cleaning gutters and backwater valves and installing blinds or a flood alarm.
Feltmate says if people take the precautions his center has outlined, they can reduce the likelihood of their house being destroyed by 50 to 70 percent when wildfires move through their region.
This report was first published by The Canadian Press on April 24, 2024.
