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While relaxing this past Sunday morning I suddenly heard a loud bang and felt the house vibrate while the lights began to flicker on and off.

My first thought was that there had been a lightning strike nearby as it had been raining, but somehow it did not seem right.

Soon after I heard a large number of sirens, but I didn't think much of it as lighting strikes can trigger false alarms.

However, the seriousness of the situation soon became clear as the radio reported the sound I heard was an electrical transformer blowing up.

More importantly, and less than a kilometre from me at 2 Secord Ave., roughly 900 people had became homeless due to fire and smoke filling their apartment building.

Thank goodness nobody was seriously hurt or killed, and those who were affected by the smoke or stress of the moment were quickly treated.

Praise must go out to the City of Toronto emergency response staff for its fast actions and how quickly the situation was brought under control.

The same must be said for the Salvation Army, the Red Cross and Ward 31 (Beaches-East York) Councillor Janet Davis for organizing emergency shelter and assistance.

Likewise, I am glad that we live in a society that is compassionate enough to have made the rescuing of family pets a priority.

Still, while safe for the moment, a large number of those who were forced to leave their homes found themselves without money, identification or communication.

While we often take each of these for granted, their loss can have a cascading effect that can prevent one from working, buying food or contacting loved ones.

The truth is that despite the lessons of 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, the Great Ice Storm of 1998 and the Great Northeast power outage of 2003, most people do not plan for emergencies.

Having a disaster take place in our own backyard should make people stop and think, because what happened to the people on Secord Avenue can happen to any of us.

If you had only seconds to leave your home, would you be prepared, knowing what to do and how to do it?

Do you have a photo of family members that you can show to emergency crews to help find them, and do you have copies of important documents or policy numbers to help you rebuild your life?

Yes, Toronto is compassionate and as we are seeing there is a safety net there to help you and your neighbours in times of need.

However, as we have also seen, the sheer numbers of those in need can quickly overwhelm caregivers and emergency personnel.

The city has prepared an excellent personal emergency preparedness checklist and can direct you to organizations that can help you create your personal emergency disaster plan.

Call the city's information line at 416-338-0338 and get the information you need in order to be in control if disaster strikes.