Hurricane Katrina and others within the season have given us nevertheless another disaster preparedness wake-up call. Do we tend to pay attention currently or hit the snooze button once more?
Pushing past the debates over government reaction, we have a tendency to return to the underside line conclusion that, “Yes, more might are done.” In alternative articles we tend to’ll get into a number of those debates, except for currently, let’s have a look at the foremost necessary part of a comprehensive emergency readiness plan, and that is the preparedness levels of people and families.
We notice that the most important obstacles to comprehensive family emergency readiness education are the misconceptions surrounding the true nature of preparedness. So, to set the stage for higher education, and ultimately higher public safety, let’s take a peek at a number of these myths.
1. “If something happens all I have to do is decision 911.”
Help will only go therefore so much, or be there so quickly. Security, like charity, begins at home and therefore the responsibility for your family’s safety rests on your shoulders. This isn’t to mention that you simply shouldn’t call for help when it’s actually needed, it’s to remind you that you will be on your own for while, especially if things is an expansive, or severe one.
2. “All I would like could be a 72-hour kit with a flashlight, first aid kit, some food and water, and a radio.”
We tend to’re not sure where the “72 hour” figure came from, but it’s an extraordinarily minimal amount of time and not terribly realistic. A more sensible goal is to be self-sufficient for a minimum of two weeks. Why two weeks? As unhealthy as Katrina was, there are several disaster and terrorism eventualities that would see substantially a lot of injury, and a pause of native services for three weeks or more. Additionally, many biological situations might see a 2-week quarantine. Regarding provides and equipment, avoid the “one-size-fits-all simpleton lists” and customise yours to your family’s unique threats, desires, and assets.
3. “My insurance policy will be sure of everything.”
SWAT groups of insurance agents aren’t going to instantly rebuild your life like on TV. Insurance corporations can be way additional concerned concerning their own bottom line than yours. Of course, many insurance firms are rewriting policies to redefine some rather common terrorism or disaster connected incidents as being excluded and not coverable. Check your policies closely!
4. “Good preparedness is just too expensive and too complicated.”
Nothing could be further from the truth. The matter is, we have a tendency to haven’t made preparedness a part of our overall education. We tend to get more preparedness information on an airline flight than we tend to get as citizens. Most people aren’t taught that there are literally thousands of subtle, simple, and economical things we tend to can do to drastically improve our emergency readiness. The notion that it would possibly be expensive or sophisticated has come from firms that aggressively market high-priced unnecessary gear.
5. “We can only kind a region group through FEMA, the Red Cross, or native Law Enforcement.”
Neighbor helping neighbor is one among our highest civic duties. No one regulates this and you don’t have to urge anyone’s permission to coordinate your safety with others. Operating with these groups is very advantageous, however not required.
6. “During a ‘Weapons of Mass Destruction’ terrorist attack, we’re all dead anyway.”
“WMDs” would possibly kill larger numbers of individuals, however that doesn’t mean widespread destruction could be a guaranteed thing. After all, for widespread destruction, a prime-grade WMD should be expertly and exactly applied beneath ideal conditions. This does not mean that WMDs are to be ignored or that they’re nothing to concern, it’s simply that “Mass Destruction” will NOT mean “Total Destruction” at all.
7. “Nothing like that might ever happen here.”
Though some areas are more susceptible to sure varieties of disasters, say earthquakes in California, or terror attacks in New York, no space on earth is totally immune. Too, with as abundant as people travel, you might travel somewhere and land up in an exceedingly disaster you never thought about.
8. “All I've got to stress concerning is my own family.”
Technically yes, however the additional you’re able to care for your family, the a lot of you can and should facilitate others.
9. “If preparedness were very vital it'd be taught in school.”
Preparedness extremely is that important, however faculties solely have thus a lot of time and budget to teach the things they already do. This can be one of the many things we have a tendency to’re making an attempt to alter, but for now, you’re going to have to not solely realize the importance of thorough emergency readiness, but to show your family yourself.
10. “I can get free preparedness info on the Internet.”
Several free sources contain really smart information. But, it takes time and expertise to filter the trash from the treasure. Worse, a number of these free sites have “info” that might really cause more issues than they cure. This can be why we spent years in gathering the over 400 additional books and training manuals on the CDs in “Disaster Prep 101.”
11. “Full preparedness means I have to urge a lot of guns and be a ‘Survivalist.”
While personal security and family safety are valid concerns, the overwhelming majority of individuals around you will not be a threat. Of course, though looters gained a lot of media attention once Katrina, there have been way additional varied stories of heroism. We tend to recommend you balance your personal security desires together with your need to assist those around you and attempt to succeed in the best of both worlds.
12. “If something very dangerous happens, NO one can help.”
There’s no such thing as “no one helping.” However, the best thing people can do to is to prepare their families so they need as little outside help as possible. There’s continuously somebody needier than you and also the a lot of prepared you are, the additional you unencumber assistance resources therefore they can facilitate those less fortunate.
Author Resource:
Carey Howard has been writing articles online for nearly 2 years now. Not only does this author specialize in Continuity-Disaster-Recovery, you can also check out his latest website about:
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