An outside review of the provincial government’s response to post-tropical storm Dorian had praise for the overall effort but also called for improvements to public communications efforts, staffing capacity and informational technology tools.
The review was conducted by the Calian Group Ltd., an Ottawa-based professional services firm, and was commissioned by the provincial government. The report examined the overall response and early recovery efforts of the province.
“The province managed a well-coordinated response to Post Tropical Storm Dorian between September 7th to 15th, 2019,” the report concluded.
By the numbers
- Total amount of provincial Dorian disaster financial assistance claims approved: $2,557,614
- For losses from suffered by agricultural producers: $383,681
- For losses suffered by aquaculture producers: $1,230,575
The report found that co-ordination among provincial government departments was strong, and said the daily situation reports from the province’s Emergency Measures Organization (EMO) “provided excellent situational awareness to agencies.”
The report also applauded the preparedness training for employees conducted by some departments before the arrival of the storm. The use of “redundant” communication methods, such as radio networks, helped first responders gain a quick awareness of the situation amid loss of cellular communications after the storm buffeted P.E.I. on the night of Sept. 7.
“While the province could improve the co-ordination of some response activities, the community-based emergency management model worked well,” read the report.
But the report also said improvements in advanced planning among departmental staff was needed and that upgrades of IT tools employed by the EMO should be implemented.
The report singled out an IT system known as Sentinel, currently used by EMO, which was described as “antiquated and inefficient”.
The report recommended improved co-ordination in some areas. Neither provincial forestry nor Maritime Electric had regular staff based in the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre, which provided a barrier to information sharing and co-ordination.
The report’s most detailed critique focused on the provincial government’s effort to communicate updates to the public in the days immediately following the storm. The report noted that media briefings involving Premier Dennis King or other cabinet ministers were irregularly schedules and were “conducted on an ad hoc basis”.
“Initial messaging to the public was reactive rather than proactive in addressing the needs of the public,” the report said.
Members of public were often confused about who to contact for assistance.
The report also indicated there was discord about communications actions between the premier’s office and the EMO. An announcement of a $50,000 allocation to Island food banks was announced before EMO staff was aware of it.
“There was messaging issued from the premier’s office that was not co-ordinated with EMO communications and resulted in small inconsistencies in information released to the public,” the report said.
“There were also requests from higher authorities for EMO to release messaging that had not been validated.”
Internal emails obtained by The Guardian under a Freedom of Information request show staff with the EMO disagreed with plans to hold a press conference on Sept. 17, preferring to issue a statement instead. The conference went ahead with only representatives of cabinet present.
In an interview with local reporters on Monday, Justice and Public Safety Minister Bloyce Thompson said the province’s public communication efforts have improved since Dorian and were more co-ordinated during the COVID-19 state of emergency.
"It's something we definitely learned during Dorian. But Dorian was a different beast altogether,” Thompson said.
Thompson said the lack of certainty around timelines for power restoration after Dorian made public communications difficult.
Tanya Mullally, provincial emergency management co-ordinator with the EMO, said the province has been co-ordinating closely with the Canadian Hurricane Centre in preparation for the coming fall, which is expected to be a busier season for hurricanes.
"It only takes one storm," Mullally said.
"And last year, that's what it was. Dorian was our one storm event that caused widespread, tip-to-tip impacts."
