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News of avian flu may be buried in the back of newspapers, but prepare for the possibility that it will become front-page news link

Meanwhile, one wonders how many Canadians will actually prepare themselves an emergency survival kit. Allison Stuart, director of the Emergency Management Unit of the ministry of health, thinks you should. "We know, based on history, going back centuries, things can happen. We owe it to ourselves to be ready. We have got to be ready." The province of Ontario is ready -- at least as ready as you can be. In the past our government has done a great job of responding to things like the ice storm, massive floods, the Walkerton nightmare, the giant power outage and, of course, the SARS situation. "It's about making plans," said Michael Morton, assistant chief of training and education for Emergency Management Ontario. "In reality, an emergency could happen a minute from now, a year from now or never."

But when it comes to a pandemic, he says, it's only wise to be prepared.

"Ontario is the safest place in the world to live and yet we have seen we can be affected." He and his wife have an emergency kit in both their home and in their car. Morton suggests you do the same. "I think it's so important for every member of the public to prepare a personal emergency kit," he said.

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This would include water, food, money, medical supplies, batteries, a flashlight, a battery-less radio and other items.

Morton says if there ever is a pandemic people will be glad they did it because in such a situation it could be difficult to go outside, go to the bank or get supplies. If you are fully stocked, a person could get their family in their homes and be able to sustain themselves until the situation is stabilized. "Having a kit at the minimum will make life more pleasant," Morton said, adding it also puts less strain on the system, which would be taxed in such a reality.