Emergency preparedness glossary

An earthquake that follows a larger earthquake in the same general area.

A poisonous gas with no colour or smell, produced when fuels burn incompletely.

Continuous positive airway pressure. A powered device that maintains air pressure during prescribed sleep therapy.

A process used to inactivate many harmful germs. It does not remove all chemicals or pollutants.

Shaking caused by a sudden release of energy in the Earth, usually from movement along a fault.

Supplies set aside to meet basic needs during a disruption or evacuation.

Moving people away from a place at risk to a safer location.

A planned way to leave an area, with alternatives if a road is blocked.

A device that removes certain substances as water passes through it. What it removes depends on the filter.

Flooding that develops quickly, often after heavy rain or a sudden release of water.

Made for contact with food under the intended conditions of use. It does not mean a container's contents are clean.

A machine that makes electricity. Fuel-burning models produce dangerous exhaust and must be used outdoors away from openings.

A packed bag of supplies you can take quickly if you need to leave.

A water filter that uses the weight of water to move it through a filter element.

A handle turned by hand to generate a small amount of electrical power, often in an emergency radio.

A device that converts direct-current electricity to alternating-current electricity.

Rock, soil or debris moving downhill under gravity.

A measure of an earthquake's size, based on the energy released at its source.

An agreed location where household members can reunite if separated.

A US radio network broadcasting weather information and emergency alerts from the National Weather Service.

A person outside the affected area who can relay messages between household members.

A battery unit with outlets for powering devices. Capacity and output limits affect what it can run.

Suitable for drinking. Clear-looking water is not always potable.

Tablets used to disinfect water according to their instructions. They do not make every polluted water source safe.

A container that collects rainwater, often from a roof. Collected rainwater is not drinking water without suitable treatment.

How long equipment can operate on its stored energy or fuel under stated conditions.

System Average Interruption Duration Index. An electricity reliability measure of average interruption minutes per customer over a stated period.

System Average Interruption Frequency Index. An electricity reliability measure of average interruption count per customer over a stated period.

Specific Area Message Encoding. A radio alert system that can filter alerts using area codes.

Stay inside a suitable building and take the protective steps officials specify for the hazard.

A common sales term for a battery power station charged by solar panels. It does not burn fuel.

A rise in seawater above the expected tide level caused by a storm.

The brief peak power a generator or power station can supply, needed when a motor starts.

Equipment that switches selected circuits between power sources while preventing the sources from being connected together improperly.

A series of waves caused by a sudden displacement of the sea floor or water, such as an undersea earthquake, landslide or eruption.

An alert that hazardous weather is occurring, imminent or expected. Follow the stated protective action.

An alert that hazardous weather is possible. Check the exact hazard and follow official updates.

Keeping water in suitable containers for later use, with cleaning and rotation suited to the supply.

A unit of power, describing how fast energy is used or supplied.

A unit of energy. A device using one watt for one hour uses one watt-hour.