Cumberland County Emergency Measures Office Coordinator Mike Johnson reports a new generator has been installed at the Springhill Service Centre – formerly the town hall – where in the event of a power outage operations inside the municipal building will continue without interruption.
“The generator is automatic. Even if it's a bump for 10-seconds it will turn on for 30 minutes in case of power flickering, going on, going off, afterwards,” Johnson said.
The generator not only offers business continuity for staff but between the Springhill Service Centre and the Municipality’s Upper Nappan Office the two now have a back up in the event of a major disaster.
“If something happened to the centre in Nappan, we can move services to Springhill and vice versa,” Johnson said.
Its not a far fetched scenario.
In 2009 an ice storm that swept North America’s eastern coast shut down Springhill for several. Tree limbs were broken, roads became unsafe and power to the community was lost for a number of days, leading for emergency services and the Red Cross to set up a shelter in the Dr. Carson and Marion Murray Community Centre.
With the new generator, the former town hall could be used as a comfort area in the short term before needing the community centre to become a shelter in the long-term should another disaster occur. Welcome news for both Springhill and the surrounding area, Johns said.
“In the event of a long disaster anywhere the community centre is the primary [shelter] for the area. Its centrally located,” Johnson said.
A video of Springhill following the 2009 ice storm that shutdown the community uploaded by Youtube user NovaScotiaNature can be found at www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZgOHelCV0w.
