Emergency: Imaginary or Real ?

Government versus Alarmists:

From tornadoes to snowstorms, to wildfires, to tsunami , Hurricane Kristina and East Coast “Snowmageddon” …  Japan, Canada, US, United Kingdom each have developed information, emergency services and Disaster Recovery help.

But it’s never soon enough, nor well distributed because of the very nature of Emergencies.

Here is a DISTILLED anthology of resources from the actual EXPERIENCES of Japan Australia, USA, and Britain.

Japanese have earthquake preparedness down to a science AND an art.
Their lessons-learned have been the basis of USA’s FEMA and Austrlaia’s parallel agencies

• BBC (What’s inside3 a Japanese Quake Grab Bag?)
• Australia: Preparing your household for disasters (English),
• United Kingdom: “Emergency Preparedness Tips” (Nairobi)
• USA – Homeland Security, “Build a Kit”  (multiple languages)
• USA – FEMA “Emergency Supply List” (Families, Pets, Seniors, Disabled, Businesses)

Private Resources

• Videos:
• Desert – Sonoran Desert, Water and other skills (Tom McElroy) 
• Forest Shelter: Lilly of Austria and Starry Hilder
• General: Recovering from Initial Paralysis, Safety, Knots Essentials, and other Skills

From United Kingdom’s Nairobi Office

Please consider having the following in place:

• A detailed home inventory with description, date of purchase, model number, serial number, and value. Video  records are ideal, and can be stored easily online.
• Prepare a 72-Hour Kit with which to “shelter in place” for local emergencies. A list of recommended items is found on page 6.
• Maintain a Grab-Bag stocked with everything you will need in the event of an emergency. A list of useful items is located on page 8.
• Designate a family rendezvous point in case you are separated and unable to return home.
• Identify an in-country safe haven, in case you need to leave your region [of Kenya] quickly.
  • Network with a friend or colleague that lives elsewhere in the country.
• Plan for pets. Make advanced sustainable arrangements with someone who would be able to look after your pets in an emergency. It can make more sense to provide them with food and supplies to care for the pet, rather than cash.
• Keep visas current for any non-citizen members of your family or employees

Plan, Prep, Practice, Peace

• Government Sponsored Resources
  • Japan: Earthquakes, Volcanoes, Tsunamis
  • Australia: Tsunamis, Drought
  • FEMA: Snowstorms, Grid down, Tornados, Rumored and Actual Terrorism
• Queensland Plan modeled from Japanese government
  1. Emergency Plan: Agree on Communication, Location,
  2. Evacuate or “Shelter in Place”
     • Evacuation Plan: who, what, when, where
  3. Prepare Emergency Kit – each members Home, Car, Workplace or School
  4. Prepare your home
  5. Pet Emergency Plan
  6. Tune in: Public Service Warnings!
  7. Check your neighbors
     • Help neighbors in need
     • Share resources
     • Neighborhood Security

Overcoming Shock and Denial in a REAL “Worst Case Scenario”

Physical symptoms of disappointment, fear, denial  (False alarms can be as dangerous as True Crisis)

Overcoming mental shock, disappointment  fear

1-2-3-4 Priorities preserve Peace of Mind

1. Overcoming Enemies of Mental Stamina
   • Communication: INFORMATION who, where, when,
   • Situation Awareness
2. Medical needs
   • Water – critical to have and to STERLIZE.
   • Core temperature
     • clothing: head, body, extremities
     • Shelter
     • Fire: start, maintain, find fuel
   • Food – a morale builder but not normally critical in first 72 hours
   • Sanitation: especially when WATER and SEWAGE systems FAIL
3. Safety
   • Solitary, versus Team and Neighborhood Division of Labor
4. Tools, Materials