Fact sheet
Smaller communities of Nova Scotia Fact sheet
Smaller communities of Nova Scotia

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In 2014, information on the emergency preparedness of people living in ‘smaller communities’ of Nova Scotia was collected through the Survey of Emergency Preparedness and Resilience in Canada (SEPR).^{Note 1}^{Note 2}^{Note 3} This fact sheet presents information on the risk awareness and level of emergency preparedness of the residents of Nova Scotia’s smaller communities, which could help improve the understanding of community resilience in the event of an emergency.^{Note 4}

Risk awareness and anticipated sources of help in an emergency or disaster

Most residents of smaller communities of Nova Scotia anticipated winter storms (including blizzards, ice storms and extreme cold) (94%) as the event most likely to occur in their community. Extended power outages lasting 24 hours or longer (81%), hurricanes (66%) and wildfires or forest fires (60%) were among the other emergencies or disasters most commonly named by residents as likely to occur within their communities.
Residents anticipated turning to news on the radio first as a source of help and information in the event of an industrial or transportation accident (35%), a weather-related emergency or natural disaster (32%) or in the event of an act of terrorism or terrorist threat (31%^{Note E: Use with caution}) (Table 1.1).
In the event of an extended power outage lasting 24 hours or longer, people in Nova Scotia’s smaller communities would commonly first turn to their utility company (64%). If faced with an outbreak of a serious or life-threatening disease, they would commonly first turn to hospitals, clinics, doctors or other medical professionals (56%). Local government (31%^{Note E: Use with caution}) was named as the most common source of initial help and information in the event of a contamination or shortage of water or food, while the police (42%^{Note E: Use with caution}) were the most commonly anticipated source of initial help if faced with rioting or civil unrest.

Prior lifetime experience with a major emergency or disaster^{Note 5}

One in three (34%) residents of smaller communities of Nova Scotia have been affected by a major emergency or disaster in Canada in a community where they were living at the time. For many (83%), the emergency or disaster was significant enough to have resulted in severe disruptions to their daily activities.
An extended power outage lasting 24 hours or longer (40%) was the most frequently experienced emergency or disaster named by residents, followed by winter storms including blizzards and ice storms (39%), and hurricanes (37%).
Three-quarters (73%) of residents who have experienced a major emergency or disaster were unable to use electrical appliances as a result. Other common types of disruption to daily activities included missing school or work (69%), having to boil drinking water or drink bottled water (56%) and an inability to use water at home for regular tasks (51%). More serious disruptions as a result of a major emergency or disaster included the inability to use roads or transportation within the community (40%). Home evacuation or the inability to communicate with others outside the home were less common disruptions, each experienced by about one in eight (13%^{Note E: Use with caution}) people.
Most (87%) residents of smaller communities of Nova Scotia who were affected by major emergencies were able to resume their daily activities within one week of the event (18%^{Note E: Use with caution} within 24 hours, 28% within one to two days, 24% within three to five days and 18%^{Note E: Use with caution} within six to seven days).
Nearly half (45%) of residents who experienced emergencies or disasters received help during or immediately following the event. Neighbours (38%^{Note E: Use with caution}) and family members (31%^{Note E: Use with caution}) were the most common sources of assistance.
More than a third (37%) of residents of Nova Scotia’s smaller communities who were affected by major emergencies or disasters, which were significant enough to have disrupted their regular daily routines, endured a loss of property or another financial impact as a result.

Emergency planning, precautionary and fire safety behaviours

Nearly three-quarters (71%) of residents of smaller communities of Nova Scotia lived in households that were engaged in at least two emergency planning activities,^{Note 6} with half (49%) living in households with three or four such activities (Table 1.2). One in ten (10%) people lived in a household that had not engaged in any emergency planning activities.
The majority (82%) of residents lived in households with at least two precautionary measures^{Note 7} in place, with more than half (55%) living in a household with three or four such measures. A small proportion (5%^{Note E: Use with caution}) of people lived in a household with no precautionary measures in place.
Almost all (97%) residents stated that they had a working smoke detector in their homes, about three-quarters (77%) stated that they had a working fire extinguisher, and less than half (43%) stated that they had a working carbon monoxide detector in their household (Table 1.3). More than a third (38%) of residents stated that they had all three fire safety measures within their households.
There were some differences between residents of the smaller communities of Nova Scotia and residents of the province as a whole when it came to the number of precautionary and fire safety measures taken. The same was true when residents of Nova Scotia’s smaller communities were compared to all residents of Canada’s 10 provinces. For example, residents of the smaller communities (25%) were significantly more likely to have taken all four precautionary measures when compared to Nova Scotia in general (18%) and Canada overall (7%).^{Note 8}
In terms of the types of activities and measures residents were involved in, there were significant differences between the smaller communities of Nova Scotia compared to the province overall and Canada. For example, residents of Nova Scotia’s smaller communities were significantly more likely to have an alternate heat source (70%) compared to Nova Scotia as a whole (57%) and Canada overall (48%). Residents of the smaller communities of Nova Scotia were less likely to have a working carbon monoxide detector within their homes (43%) compared to the national proportion (60%).

Social networks and sense of belonging

Two-thirds (68%) of residents of smaller communities of Nova Scotia had a strong sense of belonging^{Note 9} to their community.
A majority (92%) of residents described the neighbourhood they lived in as a place where neighbours generally help each other.^{Note 10} Of those who did not describe their neighbourhood this way, most (89%) still described it as a place where neighbours would help each other in an emergency.
The majority of residents had a large network of people to turn to for support. Specifically, in the event of an emergency, residents had more than five people to turn to for help if physically injured (67%), for emotional support (65%) or in case of home evacuation (62%). About a quarter (28%) had such a network for financial support.^{Note 11} However, 10% reported that they had no one to turn to for financial help.
High levels of neighbourhood trust and social support were sometimes associated with a higher level of emergency preparedness (Table 1.4).

Data tables

Table 1.1
Most commonly anticipated sources of initial help and information, by type of emergency or disaster, residents of smaller communities of Nova Scotia, 2014
Table summary
This table displays the results of Most commonly anticipated sources of initial help and information. The information is grouped by Most common sources of initial help and information by type of emergency or disaster (appearing as row headers), percent (appearing as column headers).
Most common sources of initial help and information by type of emergency or disaster	percent
Weather-related emergency or natural disaster
News- Radio	32
News- Television	19
News- Internet	17
Extended power outages
Utility company	64
News- Radio	13
Family	7^{Note E: Use with caution}
Outbreak of serious or life-threatening disease
Hospital, clinic, doctor or other medical professional	56
News- Television	16^{Note E: Use with caution}
News- Internet	15^{Note E: Use with caution}
Industrial or transportation accident
News- Radio	35
First responders	19^{Note E: Use with caution}
Police/law enforcement	17^{Note E: Use with caution}
Contamination or shortage of water or food
Local government	31^{Note E: Use with caution}
News- Radio	18^{Note E: Use with caution}
Not-for-profit/charitable organization	10^{Note E: Use with caution}
Act of terrorism or terrorist threat
News- Radio	31^{Note E: Use with caution}
News- Television	28^{Note E: Use with caution}
Police/law enforcement	24^{Note E: Use with caution}
Rioting or civil unrest
Police/law enforcement	42^{Note E: Use with caution}
News- Radio	30^{Note E: Use with caution}
^E use with caution Note: Respondents who perceived their community was at risk for any form of emergency or disaster were then asked where they would turn to first for information or assistance in the event of the perceived emergency or disaster. Respondents could provide more than one response. Responses of 'don't know/not stated' are included in the total for the percentage calculation but are not footnoted when representing 5% or less of respondents. Source: Statistics Canada, Survey of Emergency Preparedness and Resilience in Canada, 2014.

Table 1.2
Number of emergency planning activities, fire safety and precautionary measures taken by residents, smaller communities of Nova Scotia, 2014
Table summary
This table displays the results of Number of emergency planning activities. The information is grouped by Number of planning activities, fire safety and precautionary measures taken by residents (appearing as row headers), Smaller communities of Nova Scotia, Nova Scotia and Canada, calculated using percent units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Number of planning activities, fire safety and precautionary measures taken by residents	Smaller communities of Nova Scotia	Nova Scotia	Canada
	percent
Number of emergency planning activities
None	10	9	8
1 activity	18	18	17
2 activities	22	21	25
3 activities	28	28	27
4 activities	21	21	19
Number of precautionary measures
None	5^{Note E: Use with caution}^{Table 1.2, Note ***}	7	16
1 measure	13^{Table 1.2, Note ***}	19	27
2 measures	27	27	28
3 measures	30^{Table 1.2, Note **}	27	20
4 measures	25^{Table 1.2, Note ***}	18	7
Number of fire safety measures^{Table 1.2, Note 1}
None	Note F: too unreliable to be published	1^{Note E: Use with caution}	1
1 measure	16	18	14
2 measures	41	42	38
3 measures	38^{Table 1.2, Note *}	35	42
^E use with caution F too unreliable to be published Note * significantly different from provincial level estimate (p < 0.05) Return to Table 1.2, note * referrer Note significantly different from Canada level estimate (p < 0.05) Return to Table 1.2, note referrer Note * significantly different from both provincial and Canada level estimates (p < 0.05) Return to Table 1.2, note * referrer Note 1. Responses of 'don't know/not stated' were greater than 5% but not above 10% for 'Canada'. Return to Table 1.2, note 1 referrer Note: Responses of 'don't know/not stated' are included in the total for the percentage calculation but are not footnoted when representing 5% or less of respondents. Emergency planning activities include: an emergency exit plan, an emergency supply kit, photocopies/electronic copies of important documents and a list of emergency contact numbers. Precautionary measures include: a battery-operated or wind-up radio, an alternative heat source, a back-up generator and an alternative water source. Fire safety measures include a working smoke detector, a working carbon monoxide detector and a working fire extinguisher. Source: Statistics Canada, Survey of Emergency Preparedness and Resilience in Canada, 2014.

Table 1.3
Planning activities, fire safety and precautionary measures residents engaged in, smaller communities of Nova Scotia, 2014
Table summary
This table displays the results of Planning activities. The information is grouped by Residents whose households were involved in the following: (appearing as row headers), Smaler communities of Nova Scotia, Nova Scotia and Canada, calculated using percent units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Residents whose households were involved in the following:	Smaller communities of Nova Scotia	Nova Scotia	Canada
Residents whose households were involved in the following:	percent
Emergency planning activities
Emergency exit plan	66^{Table 1.3, Note **}	67	60
Exit plan has been practised/reviewed in last 12 months^{Table 1.3, Note 1}	41	44	46
Designated meeting place for household members^{Table 1.3, Note 2}	38	37	33
Contact plan for household members^{Table 1.3, Note 2}	54	55	55
Household emergency supply kit	48	48	47
Vehicle emergency supply kit^{Table 1.3, Note 3}	62	62	59
Extra copies of important documents	46^{Table 1.3, Note **}	48	53
List of emergency contact numbers	69	67	69
Plan for meeting special health needs^{Table 1.3, Note 4}	64	68	62
Precautionary measures
Wind-up or battery-operated radio	78^{Table 1.3, Note **}	77	58
Alternate heat source	70^{Table 1.3, Note ***}	57	48
Back-up generator	45^{Table 1.3, Note ***}	36	23
Alternate water source	64^{Table 1.3, Note ***}	55	43
Other^{Table 1.3, Note 5}	30^{Table 1.3, Note **}	28	21
Fire safety measures
Working smoke detector	97	97	98
Working carbon monoxide detector	43^{Table 1.3, Note **}	43	60
Working fire extinguisher	77^{Table 1.3, Note ***}	71	66
Note significantly different from Canada level estimate (p < 0.05) Return to Table 1.3, note referrer Note * significantly different from both provincial and Canada level estimates (p < 0.05) Return to Table 1.3, note * referrer Note 1. Percentage based only on those indicating that they have an emergency exit plan. Return to Table 1.3, note 1 referrer Note 2. Excludes Canadians living in single-person households. Return to Table 1.3, note 2 referrer Note 3. Excludes those who reported that they lived in a household that did not have a vehicle. Return to Table 1.3, note 3 referrer Note 4. Percentage based only on those indicating that they or someone in their household has special medical needs. Return to Table 1.3, note 4 referrer Note 5. 'Other precautionary measures' include having an escape/rescue plan for pets, extra supply of fuel, checking and replenishing emergency supplies, and keeping exits clear. Return to Table 1.3, note 5 referrer Note: Responses of 'don't know/not stated' are included in the total for the percentage calculation but are not footnoted when representing 5% or less of respondents. Source: Statistics Canada, Survey of Emergency Preparedness and Resilience in Canada, 2014.

Table 1.4
High or moderately high levels of emergency planning, fire safety and precautionary measures taken by residents, by social and political involvement, smaller communities of Nova Scotia, 2014
Table summary
This table displays the results of High or moderately high levels of emergency planning. The information is grouped by Social and political involvement (appearing as row headers), Percentage of residents who had high or moderately high levels of..., Planning activities, Precautionary measures and Fire safety measures, calculated using percent units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Social and political involvement	Percentage of residents who had high or moderately high levels of...
	Planning activities	Precautionary measures	Fire safety measures
	percent
Engagement in political activities^{Table 1.4, Note 1}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note †}	51	59	40
No	45	46	29^{Note E: Use with caution}
High level of civic engagement^{Table 1.4, Note 2}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note †}	54	60	38
No	43	51	37
High level of social support^{Table 1.4, Note 3}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note 7}^{Table 1.4, Note †}	53	64	42
No	47	51^{Table 1.4, Note *}	37
Strong sense of belonging to community^{Table 1.4, Note 4}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note †}	51	56	37
No	44	52	42
High neighbourhood trust^{Table 1.4, Note 5}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note †}	52	61	38
No	45	47^{Table 1.4, Note *}	38
High level of self-efficacy^{Table 1.4, Note 6}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note †}	53	57	42
No	44	53	36
^E use with caution Note * significantly different from reference category (p < 0.05) Return to Table 1.4, note * referrer Note † reference category Return to Table 1.4, note † referrer Note 1. Includes individuals over the age of 17 years who are eligible to vote, and who have participated in or volunteered for political parties or events in the past 12 months, including municipal, provincial, or federal elections, or expressed views on political or social issues through signing a petition, contacting news agencies or politicians, or attended a meeting involving social or community issues. Return to Table 1.4, note 1 referrer Note 2. Civic engagement measures individuals over the age of 17 years who were involved in a recreational group or organization in the past 12 months, and includes engagement in political activities. A 'high level' is defined as having been involved in at least 4 activities in the past 12 months. Return to Table 1.4, note 2 referrer Note 3. A 'high level of social support' is defined as having five or more people whom that individual could turn to for help in an emergency if they are physically injured, require emotional support, shelter, and/or financial assistance. Return to Table 1.4, note 3 referrer Note 4. A 'strong sense of belonging to community' is rating one's own sense of belonging to their community as a 4 or a 5 on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 represents "very weak" and 5 "very strong". Return to Table 1.4, note 4 referrer Note 5. 'High neighbourhood trust' is rating one's own trust in the people in one's neighbourhood as 4 or 5 on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 represents "cannot be trusted at all" and 5 represents "can be trusted a lot", as well as having a response of "very likely" when asked about the likelihood of someone in their neighbourhood returning a lost wallet or purse containing two hundred dollars with the money still inside. Return to Table 1.4, note 5 referrer Note 6. A 'high level of self-efficacy' is derived from having a high self-rating on a scale of 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent) for the following three categories: an ability to think clearly and solve day-to-day problems, to handle unexpected and difficult problems, and to figure out what to do if faced with an emergency situation. Return to Table 1.4, note 6 referrer Note 7. Responses of 'don't know/not stated' were greater than 5% but not above 10% for 'Fire safety measures'. Return to Table 1.4, note 7 referrer Note: Responses of 'don't know/not stated' are included in the total for the percentage calculation but are not footnoted when representing 5% or less of respondents. Households with ‘moderately high’ or ‘high’ levels of emergency planning engaged in 3 or 4 of the following: having an exit plan, an emergency supply kit, extra copies of important documents and an emergency contact list. 'Moderately high' or 'high' levels of precautionary measures include having 3 or 4 of the following: a wind-up or battery operated radio, a back-up generator, an alternate source of heat and additional water. 'Moderately high' or 'high' levels of fire safety measure include having all 3 of the following: a working smoke detector, a working fire extinguisher, and a working carbon monoxide detector. Source: Statistics Canada, Survey of Emergency Preparedness and Resilience in Canada, 2014.

Notes

^E use with caution

Footnote 1.

The SEPR covers three types of communities: Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs), Census Agglomerations (CAs) with population greater than 50,000, and ‘smaller communities’ which include CAs with population 50,000 or less and those areas that fall outside of CMAs and CAs. All CMAs and CAs (with population greater than 50,000) were included in the SEPR. A sample of households were selected from smaller communities within each province to represent all households within the province in similar communities. Additional information on the SEPR and its sampling methodology can be found in the ‘Survey description’ section.

Return to note 1 referrer

Footnote 2.

A Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) or a Census Agglomeration (CA) is formed by one or more adjacent municipalities centred on a population centre (known as the core). A CMA must have a total population of at least 100,000 of which 50,000 or more must live in the core. A CA must have a core population of at least 10,000. To be included in the CMA or CA, other adjacent municipalities must have a high degree of integration with the core as measured by commuting flows derived from census data.

Return to note 2 referrer

Footnote 3.

The target population for the SEPR included all persons 15 years of age or older, residing in households in Canada’s 10 provinces, excluding full-time residents of institutions (e.g. nursing homes, group homes, hospitals).

Return to note 3 referrer

Footnote 4.

Throughout this fact sheet, responses of 'don't know/not stated' are included in the total for the percentage calculation but are not footnoted when representing 5% or less of respondents.

Return to note 4 referrer

Footnote 5.

This section focuses on personal experiences with emergencies or disasters that happened in Canada, in a community where the person was living at the time, and was significant enough to severely interrupt the individual’s regular daily activities.

Return to note 5 referrer

Footnote 6.

Emergency planning activities include: having an emergency exit plan, a household emergency supply kit, extra copies of important documents and an emergency contact list.

Return to note 6 referrer

Footnote 7.

Precautionary measures include: having a wind-up or battery-operated radio, an alternate heat source such as a non-electric stove or heater or a wood-burning fireplace, a back-up generator and an alternative water source such as a well, tank or litres of stored water.

Return to note 7 referrer

Footnote 8.

Unless otherwise specified, differences are statistically significant (p < 0.05).

Return to note 8 referrer

Footnote 9.

A 'strong sense of belonging to community' is rating one's own sense of belonging to their community as a 4 or a 5 on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 represents "very weak" and 5 "very strong".

Return to note 9 referrer

Footnote 10.

A proportion (12%) of respondents were not asked questions regarding neighbourhood helpfulness in the event of an emergency and as such these cases are not included in the analysis on neighbourhood helpfulness in general or in the event of an emergency.

Return to note 10 referrer

Footnote 11.

Responses of ‘don't know/not stated’ were greater than 5% but not above 10% when respondents were asked about the number of people they could turn to for help if financial support is needed.

Return to note 11 referrer

Date modified:: 2016-10-13

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Fact sheet
Smaller communities of Nova Scotia Fact sheet
Smaller communities of Nova Scotia

Risk awareness and anticipated sources of help in an emergency or disaster

Prior lifetime experience with a major emergency or disaster^{Note 5}

Emergency planning, precautionary and fire safety behaviours

Social networks and sense of belonging

Data tables

Notes

Fact sheetSmaller communities of Nova Scotia Fact sheetSmaller communities of Nova Scotia

Risk awareness and anticipated sources of help in an emergency or disaster

Prior lifetime experience with a major emergency or disasterNote 5

Emergency planning, precautionary and fire safety behaviours

Social networks and sense of belonging

Data tables

Notes

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Fact sheet
Smaller communities of Nova Scotia Fact sheet
Smaller communities of Nova Scotia

Prior lifetime experience with a major emergency or disaster^{Note 5}