P.E.I. receives post-tropical storm Fiona after-action review

P.E.I.’s government has received and made public the province’s Fiona after-action review. The report examines how all levels of government and non-government agencies responded to the post-tropical storm last September that severely damaged areas of Atlantic Canada.

“Hurricane Fiona was one of the biggest and most severe weather events to ever hit our province, and is something that some Islanders and local businesses continue to deal with over a year later,” Bloyce Thompson, P.E.I.’s Minister of Justice and Public Safety and chair of the Major Incident Readiness Team, said in a news release.

“As we continue down the recovery process, I am very pleased that our government has actionable items that have come directly from partners, stakeholders and Islanders that can help make our province more resilient and better prepared for years to come,” Thompson said.

Calian Group conducted the review, which engaged with more than 140 organizations and consulted more than 300 households. The report identified six areas of improvement:

• Resource management
• Training and exercise
• Information management and distribution
• Operational concepts
• Business continuity
• Decision centre and situational awareness tools.

The province said the Justice and Public Safety department has accepted the recommendations the review put forward and has started to take action on the improvement areas.

PEI EMO director Nick Policelli said in the release the organization has been working to improve internally as well as with many different organizations, partners and stakeholders since Fiona. “We look forward to continuing to develop and implement an action plan so that we can continue to improve public safety and enhance resiliency for these types of emergencies,” Policelli said.

Since last September, P.E.I’s EMO has added additional staff, technological advancements and capacity, the government said. The province has also invested in portable generators for government-owned seniors housing units, and funded NGOs to access generators.

Read the province’s full news release on the review here. Find the full after-action review here.