Oshawa marks Emergency Preparedness Week 2026

Emergency Preparedness Week is May 3 to 9, 2026 and the City of Oshawa reminds us that emergencies such as severe weather events or prolonged power outages can occur anytime, anywhere.

This year’s theme, Prepared Together, highlights how being prepared works best when we bring our neighbours, community groups, and organizations together to support one another.

Community members are encouraged to be ready for an emergency by preparing an emergency kit for their home. The kit should have enough food, water and any applicable medications to last at least 72 hours (three days). Remember to think of pets in your 72 hour plan. At minimum, have food and water, proper identification, a leash and/or carrier for them.

This 2026 Emergency Preparedness Week, residents are encouraged to understand the risks in their area and learn what actions they can take to protect themselves and their families.

Emergency Preparedness Resources

The City of Oshawa website has a variety of resources to assist you in preparing for and acting during an emergency, including:

• an Emergency Preparedness video;
• what to include in your family and vehicle emergency kits
• types of emergencies and how to respond before, during and after the event.

Emergency Preparedness Week Open House

Community members are invited to visit Oshawa Fire Hall 6, 2339 Simcoe St. N. on Saturday, May 9 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. to learn more about Emergency Preparedness, to pick up valuable information and to speak with the Oshawa Fire Prevention and Emergency Management team.

Stay informed 

During a local emergency, information updates from the City of Oshawa will be available through the City’s Newsroom, the City’s X account, and from Service Oshawa at 905-436-3311. The City of Oshawa encourages you to bookmark its emergency communications and to subscribe to emergency alerts so you can quickly access updates from governing authorities should an emergency situation arise.

For more information on Emergency Preparedness, or to subscribe to City of Oshawa Emergency Alerts, visit oshawa.ca/EmergencyNews.

Emergency Preparedness Week is a national awareness initiative that has taken place annually since 1996. It is a collaborative event undertaken by provincial and territorial emergency management organizations supporting activities at the local level, in concert with Public Safety Canada and partners. More information is available on the Ontario Ministry of Emergency Preparedness and Response website.

For information about Oshawa Fire Services, visit oshawa.ca/Fire and @OshawaFire on X.