Small Disaster, Big Lessons: Impacts of Toronto Sunrise Propane Explosion on Local Businesses and Households

1. Small Disaster, Big Lessons Impacts of Toronto Sunrise Propane Explosion on Local Households ALI ASGARY Associate Professor Emergency Management, School of Administrative Studies, Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada [email_address] Visiting Professor at CERG, University of Geneva, Switzerland

2. Toronto Propane Explosion Toronto 3:50am Sunday August 10, 2008

8. Approximately 10000 people were evacuated and more than 580 homes had to be cleaned up

10. Cleaning the Asbestos

11. Lesson 1: Low Level of Preparedness A. Prior to the sunrise propane explosion did your family have an emergency plan for such events? N=78

12. Lesson 1: Low Level of Preparedness B. Overall in your opinion how prepared was your household for such kind of event?

13. Lesson 1: Low Level of Preparedness C. Did you and your family know what you should do under such conditions?

14. Lesson 1: Low Level of Preparedness D . Before the explosion did your household has an evacuation plan?

15. Lesson 2: People are often aware o the hazards but not concerned A. Prior to the sunrise propane explosion , were you aware of this facility being near where you live?

16. Lesson 2: People are often aware o the hazards but not concerned B.

17. Lesson 3: People do not have disaster experiences A. Have you or family members had experienced similar events in the past?

18. Lesson 4: Lack of proper Evacuation Notification Systems How did you learn that you have to evacuate?

19. Lesson 5: Reception centers are rarely used Were did you go when you evacuated your home?

20. Lesson 6: Emergency personnel know what to do A. Overall how to you rate the emergency responders handle to the evacuation process?

21. Lesson 6: Emergency personnel know what to do B. Did you feel safe and supported by the emergency workers you came in contact with?

22. Lesson 6: Emergency personnel know what to do C. Were emergency crew workers (such as police, firefighters, or paramedics) able to provide you with the necessary instructions for a safe evacuation?

23. Lesson 6: Emergency personnel know what to do D. Would you recommend using the same evacuation centre if similar events happen?

24. Lesson 7: Security of homes and properties are important concerns for evacuees How concerned were you about the security of your house when evacuated? 36.8 % very or very much concerned 38 % little or very little concerned

25. Lesson 8: Absence of the responsible company Who did the cleanup operations of your house?

26. Lesson 9: Don’t forget the emotional impacts A. On a scale of 1-5, how severe was the emotional impact on you and your family.

27. Lesson 9: Don’t forget the emotional impacts B. Have you or any family member has experienced nightmares or flashbacks of the event

28. Lesson 9: Don’t forget the emotional impacts C. Is there fear within your family that this could possibly occur again?

29. Lesson 10: Work and Health Issues A. What were the main household problems during your evacuation of your family and not being in your house?

30. Lesson 10: Work and Health Issues B. How many days did each of your working family members miss from work?

31. Lesson 10: Work and Health Issues C. Did your employer continue to pay you during this period?

32. Lesson 11: Insurance pays off Did your insurance policy cover your damage and losses? 81 percent fully or partially were covered by insurance companies

33. Lesson 12: Recovery takes longer than expected The recovery and reconstruction phase took longer than expected for this small emergency event. This is a major issue that needs to be addressed. It is in part due to the lack of sufficient attention to the recovery phase of emergencies in disaster planning and slow process of insurance claims.

34. Lesson 13: Expect some neighborhood decline Have you considered relocating from this area after this event?

36. Lesson: Expect some neighborhood decline Have you considered relocating from this area after this event?

37. As a result: Sunrise propane and city of Toronto were sued by residents. All existing propane facilities were re-examined.