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Editorial: Be warned

Depleted grocery shelves over the family day long weekend in Terrace B.C. could warn us about our dependence on goods from the south.

Anyone out food shopping over the Family Day longweekend would have easily noticed depleted shelves, some products unavailable and worried looking store managers and employees.

The reason? The intricate system by which food is delivered to the region came to a grinding halt when food trucks were held up by closed highways down south because of winter weather conditions.

For some, the situation was reminiscent of the floods of 2007 when Hwy16 was closed.

And once again it demonstrated the extreme vulnerability of how goods and services make their way from the south to the north. Even a two-day transport stoppage is enough to highlight that vulnerability.

Emergency services officials for years have cautioned people that there could be events which cause food and other shortages either briefly or for longer periods of time.

Their advice is to keep at least three days worth of food and water readily on hand and to check regularly that food items don’t become dated.

Homes should have flashlights and a supply of batteries and candles and matches. Keep vehicles fueled up and for heaven’s sake, if it comes to it, don’t haul your barbecue inside to cook.

This is not to sound alarmist but caution and preparation will go a long way to coping should a real emergency ever occur.