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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, July 19, 2013 | 6 All too quickly we forget the effects of the heavy rains Mother Nature in icted on Toronto and Mississauga earlier this month. Halton was relatively unscathed so we have moved on to other news. Those troubling images of a GO Train submerged, cars abandoned in rushing water, watercourses spilling their banks and residents working through the night to rid their basements of sewage, are just that -- images. If it didn't affect us, then we focus on other things instead of reviewing our own insurance policies for both car and home. Perhaps we forgot to remind our children to stay far away from riverbanks during a heavy downpour. Maybe we don't have an emergency kit in the car or a plan of what to do if our vehicle is caught in oodwaters. Did we seal the basement where earlier rainwater had seeped in? Are the eavestroughs lled with debris? Do we have enough supplies in the event electricity is out for more than a few hours? More than 100 millimetres of rain fell during that torrential downpour in a very short timeframe. Mother Nature broke records while drenching everything in sight. In total, 126 mm of rain fell within a couple of hours. To put that in perspective, that's 5 mm more than what came down in 1954 during Hurricane Hazel. There was one difference: no one died during this storm. We've come a long way in the almost 60 years since the carnage of Hurricane Hazel. Thankfully, better infrastructure, drainage and resources are in place to deal with storms that cause extreme ooding. But as those images showed, nothing can stop the force of Mother Nature. With this ckle climate, Halton residents should remember they are not immune to the same issues faced by our GTA cousins. As this is written, severe storms are forecasted for this area Friday evening. It is called active weather. Maybe it is about time all of us got a little more `active' in planning our defence against Mother Nature. Plan now, not later Editorial C H A R I T Y G A R A G E "Connected to your Community" S A L E 467 Speers Road, Oakville ON, L6K 3S4 General Inquiries: (905) 845-3824 Editorial Department: (905) 632-0588 Classi ed Advertising: (905) 632-4440 Circulation: 5300 Harvester Rd., Burlington (905) 631-6095 Volume 51 | Number 86 The Oakville Beaver is a division of Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Vice ­President and Group Publisher of Metroland West Regional General Manager Halton Region Editor in Chief Advertising Director NEIL OLIVER DAVID HARVEY JILL DAVIS DANIEL BAIRD Managing Editor ANGELA BLACKBURN RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director Business Manager Director of Production Jaclyn Jones (from left), Sue Hawkins, Rachel Belcher and Jill Berridge held a charity garage sale last month on Coleen Drive to raise funds for their Poutine & Boob-otie team participating in the Shoppers Drug Mart Weekend to End Women's Cancers to be held Sept. 7. The group raised $3,000, surpassing its goal of $2,000. | photo by Eric Riehl ­ Oakville Beaver (Follow on Twitter @halton_photog) SANDY PARE MARK DILLS MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager Director of Distribution Grassroots event takes hold Julia Hanna akville is our home so let's take care of it was the message of the day at the 5th Annual Environmental Awareness Day held on July 6 at Tim Horton's, 111 Cross Ave. (Trafalgar Village). It is so rewarding to see how this grassroots event has expanded with more partners and volunteers to assist us with such a worthwhile cause. By raising awareness about recycling and greener living, participating in a neighbourhood clean-up and giving local companies an opportunity to showcase their green initiatives, our community bene ts. This event is an annual partnership be- My View CHARLENE HALL KIM MOSSMAN Circulation Manager O Oakville Chamber of Commerce Chair tween the Oakville Chamber, Tim Hortons (Cross Ave.), Kerr Village BIA, in association with M&M Meat Shops, Shred-It, Peel Scrap Metal Recycling, the Driveway Doctor, Home Depot Children's Workshop, RecurBox and the Main Event. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Halton bene t from the day's proceeds. Local vendors were on hand with green exhibits, a community clean-up, con dential document shredding, electronic recycling, children's activities, entertainment and a raf e took place. Those who signed up as a volunteer for the community clean-up received a complimentary T-shirt, lunch and refreshments. Local Tim Hortons franchisees teamed up again this year for the Tim Hortons annual `Earn A Bike' program and children were presented with their bikes during the event. Bike recipients were selected by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Halton, who also See Going on p.7 Proud Official Media Sponsor For: Canadian Circulations Audit Board Member Recognized for Excellence by Ontario Community Newspapers Association Canadian Community Newspapers Association Proud Official Media Sponsor For: ATHENA Award The Oakville Beaver welcomes letters from its readers. Letters will be edited for clarity, length, legal considerations and grammar. In order to be published all letters must contain the name, address and phone number of the author. Letters should be addressed to: The Editor, Oakville Beaver, 467 Speers Rd., Oakville ON, L6K 3S4, or via e-mail to: ablackburn@oakvillebeaver. com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone 416-340-1981. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline.