Author: Paul Faust

There’s a great story on KUOW.org out of the Seattle area on emergency preparedness. The local Red Cross is training volunteers in the event of wide scale flooding this winter in the Green River Valley. One of the soundbites in the story illustrates a problem that many cities face, mainly that people don’t have a good sense of community:

“And the general feeling was no. People don’t know their neighbors. People aren’t involved in their community. People are too busy. People are, you know, just rush, rush, rush.”

I especially liked Wilbur Chin, a volunteer who was receiving training at the Red Cross event. He turned the tables on the reporter and asked her a question:

Chin: “I have a question: Do you have a preparedness kit?”

Reporter: “You’re asking me if I’m prepared, if I have a preparedness kit?”

(I’m guessing we can take that as a “No”!)

Mr. Chin brings up a great point: you might not need an emergency preparedness kit for yourself, but you should still have one. If a disaster strikes in your community, you’ll be ready at a moment’s notice to help your neighbors. Many people don’t feel neighborly, because they don’t bother to get to know their neighbors. Yet natural disasters such as floods always make people suddenly want to volunteer to help out. Attending a training course and purchasing emergency supplies are a great way to help out your local community, even if you don’t end up needing those things for yourself.

Source:

http://kuow.org/program.php?id=18909

WSAV in Georgia reports on a leadership summit for politicians, businesses and nonprofit organizations, to help prepare their communities for an H1N1 outbreak:

“The Summit for Preparedness is a national initiative to hone leadership skills needed during times of crisis and to strengthen the network of people and organizations ready to act cooperatively in an emergency. The nation’s response to events like Hurricane Katrina, 9/11 and H1N1 highlight the importance of leaders working together and sharing information and resources during major public health emergencies.”

I’m not so sure I would lump Swine Flu in with Hurricane Katrina or 9/11, but that’s beside the point. The question everyone should be asking themselves when they read or view reports like this is, “What is leadership going to do for me in an emergency?” If the mayor of my city looks calm and poised in front of the television cameras during a disaster scenario (which I can’t see because the power is out), what benefit is that for me? You can’t eat or drink “leadership skills” during a crisis.

While it’s good that they’re at least thinking about the topic, the main responsibility for emergency preparedness begins in your own home. You don’t even have to attend a meeting for it. Do some research on the web, and start coming up with your own emergency plans for an H1N1 outbreak.

Source:

http://www2.wsav.com/sav/news/local/article/swine_flu_summit_in_southeast_georgia/73025/

Kokomo Perspective reports on the Indiana Department of Homeland Security’s idea for a great Christmas gift this year:

“We know that the ability of individuals and families to be self-sustaining for at least three days would be vital during the response to a large scale disaster or emergency,” said Joe Wainscott, executive director of IDHS. “Emergency Supply Kits in households are an important part of this preparedness. An Emergency Supply Kit is a collection of basic supplies that are stored together in case of an emergency. If you know of a family or individual that does not already have an emergency supply kit, these would be great gift ideas.”

That’s actually a great idea, if you have friends or family members that haven’t started to take those first steps. When they see what’s in a custom-made kit, maybe they’ll start to think more seriously about emergency preparedness. Personally, I’d recommend the “Ready to Roll” kit, but then I’m biased on the issue. Just make sure that the person you’re giving it to has a really big stocking (it weighs about 60 pounds).

And yes (another shameless plug) we have a special 10% discount going on at 1-800-PREPARE with survival kits, gear and equipment all on sale for the holiday season.

Source:

http://www.kokomoperspective.com/lifestyles/article_9d65093a-ddbf-11de-99d4-001cc4c002e0.html

Historically, it’s never been a primary function of a government to swoop in and save everyone in the event of a disaster scenario (unless it’s caused by an invading army). Governments across the globe are admitting that they’re not equipped to deal with catastrophic events. India is thinking about disaster preparedness these days, following a couple of major industrial accidents.

J R Bharadwaj, a member of the National Disaster Management Authority (I guess that’s like India’s version of FEMA) tells IndianExpress.com:

“Most companies hire consultants for paper work. However, they never practice what is expected of them.”

The article goes on to state that Bharadwaj believes “a lot is known about crisis management but there is little awareness about preparedness.”

That’s refreshingly honest. The fact is, governments are not equipped to “rescue” everyone on short notice when disaster strikes. It takes time to gather resources and supplies and mount a rescue effort, communications get snarled, and all manner of mistakes happen. There used to be a time when people were more self-sufficient for times when an emergency comes along.

If you haven’t seen the writing on the wall yet, maybe it’s time to start getting your family prepared. Here’s a nice first step: Get to know your neighbors. After that, come up with your own emergency plans. If a worst-case-scenario happens, you’ll be ready to help yourself and the people around you. Don’t count on help showing up at your front door, because that could take days or even weeks.

Source:

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/focus-on-preparedness-to-avoid-disasters-ndma/548285/

Some parts of the country are already up to their knees in snow, but the mid-Atlantic region is just now remembering that it’s December. North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue is reminding residents to get ready for the upcoming winter season, according to WECT in Wilmington:

“While we’ve been fortunate with fairly mild winters in recent years, we shouldn’t become complacent,” said Perdue. “People should take time now to update their family emergency plans and stock up on water, blankets, non-perishable food and other supplies now before ice and snow arrive.”

There’s a good checklist on this page to go through, in order to make sure that you and your family are ready for the winter season. One thing that always jumps out when I see these lists is the advice to store lots of extra batteries in the car – during the winter. If you follow that advice, and stock up on plenty of batteries for a radio, flashlight, etc., you should know that batteries don’t function very well in extremely low temperatures. The cold does help extend the shelf life of a battery (storing them in the fridge is a good idea), but in order to get a full charge out of them, they need to be warmed up before using them. Room temperature is best, but that’s not really an option if you’re stuck in a snow bank.

Having extra batteries is a great idea, but if you get stuck in an emergency winter situation, have a plan or method in place to warm them up before using them – otherwise they’ll fizzle out in a hurry.

Source:

http://www.wect.com/Global/story.asp?S=11600619

Just how ready are you for the next emergency? The state of Oklahoma is helping residents answer that question with a 10-question quiz at RedDirtReady.com. Let’s see how you do on just a few of these questions:

1. Do you know how to find the emergency broadcasting channel on the radio?

2. In case of an emergency, does your family have a communications plan designating where you will meet and how you will contact each other if you’re separated?

3. Have you taken first aid training such as CPR in the past five years?

4. Do you have a kit of emergency supplies like water, food and medicine you keep in your home?

5. Do you know how many days’ worth of emergency supplies you should have for each family member?

6. Do you have a small kit of emergency supplies for your car?

State officials state that residents of Oklahoma are not Red Dirt Ready if you answer “No” to any of these questions.

Although this is not a comprehensive list, it’s a good tool to use to discuss emergency preparedness with your family and make plans. Then, as the quiz suggests, you have to go further than just the planning stage, by putting it into practice on a regular basis.

Sources:

http://www.edmondsun.com/local/local_story_336005353.html

http://www.ok.gov/reddirtready/PREPARE/Are_You__Ready/?/index.html

Ohio County public school teachers are working towards getting prepared for emergencies at school. Teachers met for a two day training on crisis management to discuss preparations for natural disasters, such as tornadoes and floods, as well as possible attacks from school shooters.

Mike Webber, adjunct instructor for the School of Environmental and Emergency Management Center for Terrorism Preparedness with the University of Findlay is training the teachers in preparedness:

“This is kind of the driver to hopefully help them proceed in their planning and in building a proper response plan.”

The training is broken up into two eight-hour sessions on “Crisis Management for School-Based Incidents – Partnering Rural Law Enforcement and the Local School Systems,” at Wheeling Park High School. Funding for the training sessions is provided by the Rural Domestic Preparedness Consortium. Its purpose is to provide training to rural communities.

In regards to emergency preparedness and local schools, Webber had this to say:

“We have found most schools have a written school emergency plan already in place, but they’ve never taken those second steps to enact the plan and to ensure its success.”

If you have children who attend a local school, be sure that you’ve discussed your emergency plan with them, and that they have their own survival kit.

Source:

http://www.news-register.net/page/content.detail/id/531679.html?nav=510

Eleven parishes in Louisiana have been damaged by storms and tornadoes recently, and now Governor Bobby Jindal is asking President Obama to issue a disaster declaration so that the state can receive public assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The type of assistance the governor wants does not include help for basic supplies needed for residents to sustain themselves, such as food, water and other supplies.

If the governor asked for Direct Federal Assistance, the residents of those parishes would receive emergency preparedness items, such as generators, emergency food, water and tarps. However, Jindal’s main focus is on the debris:

“I do anticipate the need for removal of debris which poses an immediate threat to lives, public health and safety.”

All of us can take some basic steps to protect ourselves against inhaling debris and other harmful contaminants in the air. Make sure you have at least two pairs of N95 masks for every member of your household. Also, duct tape works wonders for sealing vents and windows, to keep contaminants out of your home if you have to bunker down and wait for help or for the air to clear up.

For those residents who were not prepared for tornadoes and storms, they won’t be receiving food, water and access to immediate electricity and other power from the government.

Source:

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/article/20091202/NEWS01/912020324/1060

In a recent speech delivered to the Department Health and Human Services, Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said that they were far short of their goal of vaccinating all priority groups with the Swine Flu Vaccine. Sebelius does not want to see a repeat of the disaster as was seen with Hurricane Katrina, and wants to review the federal government’s disaster plans. Sebelius is concerned about the government’s preparedness level:

“We don’t know what’s coming — the next public health emergency we face could be much worse.”

As a result, Sebelius has asked the assistant secretary for preparedness and response, Dr. Nicki Lurie to review the department’s stockpiling of supplies such as medical masks and ventilators, as well as more vaccine development and contracts.

If the government is concerned about its own preparedness level and is announcing that it may not be able to assist everyone should a pandemic occur, then you should be making your own plans and preparations to protect yourself and the ones you love. You should stock up on your own medical masks and ventilators, as well as other medical supplies. It’s clear that those who wait for the government to respond will end up wishing that they had prepared ahead of time. 

Source:

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE5B03OM20091201