So I'm back, or at least back in Edmonton. Don't yet know how "back" I can be in my writing.
I liked this article via the Calgary Herald, which describes the report on Canada's response to 9/11 -- mainly in the speed of humanitarian aid to air passengers stranded in Canada during the four or so days that North American aviation was shut down.
The report claims that response was poor because of poor central planning, and recommends that more funding be given to OCIPEP, Canada's emergency planning bureaucracy. (The report was prepared by -- surprise! -- staffers from OCIPEP.) Oh, and all the logistical problems surrounding the delivery of blankets on 9/11? They were the fault of the army (sorry, CF) and the province of Newfoundland and Labrador -- not, of course, OCIPEP.
Is it just me, or does "OCIPEP" sound like the trade name of an antacid?
I'm doing a little poking around, trying to find out if there's an online version of the report that's being described in the news article. No luck, but I did find this page, where you can read about OCIPEP's Canada's plans for major urban area evacuation and seal-off. Check it out:
The primary purpose of this Guide is to demonstrate the need to be adequately prepared and equipped to make a decision about whether to evacuate -- or possibly seal off --, in whole or in part, a sector that is threatened by a disaster or that has already been hit by a disaster.
So if you want to know what criteria the government of Canada will likely use to quarantine you in case SARS reaches epidemic status, read on.