BCAA

Your BCAA Eric Chow FALL 2018 BCA A .COM 5 Shom Sen President & CEO I lived in Asia for many years, and the threat of natural disasters was a constant. I was in Singapore when the 2004 tsunami struck Indonesia. The scale of devastation over such a short period of time was unfathomable – so many lives lost and communities destroyed. It struck me how quickly and fundamentally our world can change forever. When my family moved back to Vancouver, we made preparedness a priority. We organized a 72-hour emergency kit, attended an earthquake seminar at our local community centre, agreed on meeting places and held dry runs to test our home evacuation times. I like to think that we were and are reasonably prepared, but sustaining it through practice is the important part, and I will admit that isn't always easy with our busy lives. Protecting British Columbians is a priority for me and for all of us at BCAA. We see earthquake and disaster preparation as part of this. As the annual Great British Columbia ShakeOut earthquake exercise comes upon us October 18, we wanted to raise awareness of earthquake risk and what we all should be doing to get ready. The cover story of this issue is dedicated to disaster preparedness and contains many great tips. I know that after reading it, I, for one, will be sitting down with my family to revisit our earthquake plan. Do we need to refresh our emergency kit materials? What about grab-and-go bags near an exit? Do I have shoes and a flashlight under the bed? I don't think so, but I will now. Just as we take your personal safety seriously, we also know that our Members expect us to be there for them when they need us the most. I am pleased to report that our business continuity, disaster response and claims teams are trained to be there for you, and we regularly conduct crisis simulations here at BCAA. Thinking about catastrophes isn't pleasant, but not thinking about them is dangerous. Whether it be taking steps to prepare your home, planning with your family or checking your insurance policy, there are things you can do now. I have my work cut out for me – how about you? Time to Revisit my Family Disaster Plan

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