Preparing for a disaster is a commitment one must make to preserve a sense of calm for yourself and insure a sense of resilience in your household for at least three days. First you must stop right now and ask, “am I doing enough to safeguard myself, my family, and my property?” Chances are you are not. The majority of the US public believes that an emergency professional will attend to their needs in the first 72 hours. This is unrealistic in a major disaster or emergency, even more so if you are in a rural or overwhelmed urban setting. Did you know that your community, local, state and federal governments are asking more from you now? In the new National Preparedness Goal, National Preparedness System and planning guides (out later this year) and FEMA’s Whole community approach, you are the center of building and sustaining capabilities for your community. Part of citizenship is taking action to prepare yourself and family for the worst and then aiding your neighbors. Your relationships to others, in churches, associations and business groups are needed to strengthen your community. Millions of citizens across the nation are involved in learning preparedness programs in Citizen Corps, CERT and Teen CERT and the American Red Cross among others. Check within your community’s office of emergency management to learn more and join in.
Second, if you say you are doing enough, pause, because – you may just need to get beyond the inattention because disasters are infrequent, it would not happen to you (optimism bias) and be prepared for the feeling of fatalism when you overestimate the impact an event has on you or your family. I do not wish to see the fear, sadness, and loss in your face when I may visit to assist you like I did for others last summer in Hurricane Irene and find no insurance, improper insurance, no back-up plans, activities for children, coping skills or ideas what to do. As a citizen, one can take independent study courses online at FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute, especially, IS-909, Community Preparedness: Implementing Simple Activities for Everyone (among many others), which includes activities, handouts and facilitator guides, in many languages, to educate yourself and your loved ones.
Third, if you are doing enough (disaster kit, supplies, etc.), are safe, and believe your family can spare you after disaster, then act for others. Stay in your neighborhood and assist. Go door to door, check on others, and offer your help. State where you are and how to reach you. You can do best for your community emergency services by staying put and funneling that restless energy into your charged iPhone or another device with internet connectivity. Precrisis, join Twitter, and follow your local, state OEM and FEMA, CDC and others. Your local emergency management can use you as a Community Emergency Response Team member on the ground in a bottom up way. Upload pictures of damage in your neighborhood on Twitter or your local or state OEM’s Facebook page. Send iReports, storm tracking, and damage assessment help. Tweet the damage pictures by using the geolocation that already resides in Twitter and your iPhone: #wxreportWW <your location> WW <your significant weather> . For example, WW 5409 W. Wecker St. Lincoln, NE, 67478 WW. Emergency management officials can use this to speed up response and recovery. Your participation in this way has value more so than risking your life and family venturing out to get a generator in the middle of a hurricane because your power went out ten minutes ago.
Prepare now, tend to your family first, then act for others.
About the author:
Ben Nicely is an aspiring emergency management professional actively seeking new career experiences. He taught 14 years in public education in Virginia, including AP Government, US Government, US History, ESL and World History from 1500. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science with a minor in International Studies and a Masters in Teaching from Virginia Commonwealth University. He holds a graduate certificate in Homeland Security and is expected to finish a Masters in Emergency Management through American Public University by December. He consults and works with his local county Office of Emergency Management on Teen CERT and CERT program efforts and other preparedness efforts including advising on youth on Community and Disaster Education at the American Red Cross. He has taught adults in staff development and soon in CERT classes. He has been honored for use of blogs, discussion boards, Edmodo, and instructional 21st century skill based lessons at the district and school level. In his spare time, Ben enjoys running, traveling, kayaking and helping others in his community. He is married with two dogs.
My LinkedIn profile – http://www.linkedin.com/pub/ben-nicely/36/219/626
Gmail- bnnicely06@gmail.com
Follow me on Twitter- https://twitter.com/#!/bnnicely