Lessons Learned from the Disasters in New Zealand and Japan
March 15, 2011
by Jodi Granok - Organizing Magic, LLC
Like many of you, I have watched
recent coverage of the tragedies in New Zealand and Japan with sadness
and a bit of anxiety. Would I know what to do in a similar situation?
Living
in St. Louis, we are on top of the 2nd most dangerous fault line - The
New Madrid Fault. It has been about 200 years since we have had a major
earthquake in this area. I sometimes wonder if these global
earthquakes have a ripple or domino effect, and if that's true, I worry
that St. Louis is next.
Although we cannot prevent these
disasters from happening, we can prepare ourselves for what to do in the
event of an emergency. I find this government website, Ready.gov,
to be very useful. They detail what should be included in an emergency
kit. According to this website, you should be prepared to live without
assistance for 3 days, without electricity, phones, running water, or
food. That alone is a scary concept for me.
I have always
carried a blanket and snacks in my car, and water and my cell phone
wherever I go. But I never thought about carrying items like:
- a whistle - because it is much more effective to signal rescue workers than yelling for help.
- a cell phone charger for my car - because I have always relied on charging it in my home each night.
- a change of clothing that involves long pants, a long sleeved shirt, and sturdy shoes.
- a full tank of gas - I fill up only
when my tank is almost empty. But in the event of an emergency, gas
stations are not always available. It is much safer to fill up after
you have used half a tank.
Many of us are about to go on
vacation for Spring Break. I am going to use some of my vacation to
create a safety plan with my family which will include an emergency kit
for our home as well as our cars. How about you?
To help people around the world after a natural disaster, please visit www.redcross.org.
© Organizing Magic, LLC - 2011. All Rights Reserved.
|
|
