I am very appreciative of you who read my blog. It’s really wonderful that you take the time to read my weekly messages and occasionally let me know you like what I have to say. So, in case I have not said it before, Thank you!
I have tried to make my entries meaningful and thought-provoking in some way, with a little whimsy tossed in. However, I am trying to beef up my readership, so I was looking at events and people that make the biggest headlines. What do they have that people want to read?
A quick look at the “top news” revealed devastating storms, changes in international leadership and the Kardashian’s Christmas card. WHAT? Seriously? The Kardashian’s? What is it about those kooky (my description) family that makes them so irresistible to otherwise normal people? Now that I am a seasoned blogger (1 year and two months!), I was curious as to the type of blog that Ms. K, et al, would produce, so after a half a dozen (irritating) clicks, I finally managed to find it. “It” was, disappointingly yet expected, some flashy photos of herself, the fam and a few other links to all things K. Really? Is that all there is?
Blogging is really a wonderful thing. It allows the famous to the unknown, the knowledgeable to the goofball, the profound to the radical to say something to anyone with an internet connection. That does lead to a conundrum (I have been dying to use that word in a sentence all month!) of easily obtaining free advice and information, but potentially not truthful, valid or safe to employ. There is no Accuracy gauge on any site, but those of us who blog to help others – however oblique and convoluted the message often is! – really do try our best to give you, as our momentary audience, something that is worthy of your time and your consideration.
Which brings me to this. Seasoned journalists are being sorely disappearing as more news media are down-sizing and putting news journalists in unemployment lines. I can’t imagine an LA Times without Steve Lopez or Bill Plaschke! It’s tragic because these are people with their eyes on the world for many years, often discovering crime and injustices where no one had looked before. Look at Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein’s opening of Watergate, or, for those in Southern California, the City of Bell salary scandal, brought to our attention by a team of twelve journalists from the LA Times. It was their tenacity and bravery that brought these issues to the public’s attention.
Blogs, while no replacement for that caliber of journalistic investigation, can help people. Blogs can prod, enlighten and entertain. Thankfully, some of those vivid analytical journalistic minds have turned to blogs and continue to speak to us electronically. And, for small-time bloggers like myself, I try very hard to bring things that are newsworthy and important, especially in the area of emergency preparedness.
So, read on, dear reader. I will continue to blog as long as there is something worth telling you, and hopefully help you, too. And it is OK, if you wander over to Ms K’s blog. We all need an escape once in a while. Even into that world of make-believe.
Blog On! Oh, and don’t forget to check all your batteries this week. I bet they are on sale...
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Monday, December 19, 2011
Toto, we are not in Kansas anymore – Thank Goodness!
Don’t get me wrong. I love Kansas. In fact, my mother was born in Coffeyville and I still have many family members who live there. If you have not been there, you really should go there some summer. It holds the largest piece of untouched prairie grassland in the country*. Standing in those grassy fields will let you feel nature in which native people thrived and early travelers encountered as they drove their wagons westward.
This morning Kansas was visited by a snow storm that is currently dumping several inches of havoc, especially in the southwest part of the state. Depths of over a foot are expected in many places, with gusty winds whipping those unique ice particles across highways and reducing visibility to practically zero. In short, no one is going anywhere any time soon.
I have now lived in California for over 20 years and even though I grew up in Michigan (complete with “snow days,” digging my car out of the driveway with a tractor, driving through blizzards, and shoveling snow for hours...), now I can barely survive a short walk to my car when the temperature dips below 50! So, truthfully, my chances of survival there are slim to none, with or without Toto. How do those hardy Kansans make it through something as severe as this? Well, one thing I can tell you is that they are definitely prepared for harsh weather. Whether it is a tornado blowing houses on witches, or snow drifting 6-foot high walls across highways, they know what to do. Been there, done that.
It is one of the things that we as emergency managers struggle against all the time. It is easy to get people to get prepared for something that they encounter regularly. In Kansas, for example, it is common for houses to have storm cellars for seeking shelter from tornadoes. In lieu of that, people know to seek shelter in low, inner floors, often in bathtubs where people have saved themselves. You can also bet that cars also carry a shovel, some chains and possibly a bag of salt in the trunk during the winter. Their survival depends on being prepared for these things and they know it.
Which gets me to my point (FINALLY, Sue...)... Getting people to prepare for things they have never or rarely seen or experienced is very difficult. A recent poll of students on campus found that most were not worried about nor prepared for earthquakes. Few were old enough to remember the Northridge earthquake that was the last quake to give the region a good shake. Even though they have seen images of Haiti, Chile, New Zealand and Japan in recent years, those are things that happen elsewhere. Not here. No experience with that, so it doesn’t exist.
So, this is what drives me. I don’t really want to be the Chicken Little with all that shouting about falling skies, but I do care about others. I really want them to be prepared, just like those Kansans. I want us to be prepared so that when something does happen, we can simply pull something out of the trunk. Dig ourselves out and go on because there is no place like home. Right, Toto?
*To “experience” a walk across the prairie, I highly recommend reading “PrairieErth” by William Least Heat-Moon. Long, but worth the journey.
This morning Kansas was visited by a snow storm that is currently dumping several inches of havoc, especially in the southwest part of the state. Depths of over a foot are expected in many places, with gusty winds whipping those unique ice particles across highways and reducing visibility to practically zero. In short, no one is going anywhere any time soon.
I have now lived in California for over 20 years and even though I grew up in Michigan (complete with “snow days,” digging my car out of the driveway with a tractor, driving through blizzards, and shoveling snow for hours...), now I can barely survive a short walk to my car when the temperature dips below 50! So, truthfully, my chances of survival there are slim to none, with or without Toto. How do those hardy Kansans make it through something as severe as this? Well, one thing I can tell you is that they are definitely prepared for harsh weather. Whether it is a tornado blowing houses on witches, or snow drifting 6-foot high walls across highways, they know what to do. Been there, done that.
It is one of the things that we as emergency managers struggle against all the time. It is easy to get people to get prepared for something that they encounter regularly. In Kansas, for example, it is common for houses to have storm cellars for seeking shelter from tornadoes. In lieu of that, people know to seek shelter in low, inner floors, often in bathtubs where people have saved themselves. You can also bet that cars also carry a shovel, some chains and possibly a bag of salt in the trunk during the winter. Their survival depends on being prepared for these things and they know it.
Which gets me to my point (FINALLY, Sue...)... Getting people to prepare for things they have never or rarely seen or experienced is very difficult. A recent poll of students on campus found that most were not worried about nor prepared for earthquakes. Few were old enough to remember the Northridge earthquake that was the last quake to give the region a good shake. Even though they have seen images of Haiti, Chile, New Zealand and Japan in recent years, those are things that happen elsewhere. Not here. No experience with that, so it doesn’t exist.
So, this is what drives me. I don’t really want to be the Chicken Little with all that shouting about falling skies, but I do care about others. I really want them to be prepared, just like those Kansans. I want us to be prepared so that when something does happen, we can simply pull something out of the trunk. Dig ourselves out and go on because there is no place like home. Right, Toto?
*To “experience” a walk across the prairie, I highly recommend reading “PrairieErth” by William Least Heat-Moon. Long, but worth the journey.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Anticipation of the Big Slugger
Anyone who is not a big baseball fan, and especially not an Angels fan, may not be too excited about this, but Albert Pujols is leaving St. Louis for the Big A. This is seriously great news for the Angels, but especially for fans, even moderate ones like myself. I am not one of those fans that dresses and possesses everything Angels, like jerseys, jackets, hats and (“Give it up for...”) the Rally Monkey, but I love the sound and rhythm of the game and enjoy sitting in the stadium with a few thousand similarly-minded people.
I have sat near “those fans,” however, and there is something unmistakably exciting about being in that sphere of semi-craziness. One woman, who I would have guessed to be the least likely to fall into this category OUTSIDE of the stadium, was clearly a one-person cheer squad INSIDE the stadium. She had on an Angels sleeveless t-shirt, but with designer jeans, high heels and fashionably coiffed hair. Even in her 60’s, she was obviously pretty fit, petite and surprising for her size, a huge set of pipes. Even at our elevated location (READ: Cheap seats), her interaction with the players and conversations about their actions on the field were not diminished in the slightest. In fact, I swore that one of the out-fielders on the far side of the field turned his head our way after one of her spicy admonishments.
She was not content, though, to just interact with her Angels. No, in fact, she interacted with everyone around her and expected you to join in. When a home run was hit, she slid up and down the aisles to high five half the people in Section 536. I thought she’s hit her pinnacle when late in the game and it had started get cool, she put on her premiere Angels jacket, with her beloved Bourjos’ name on the back. But no, with the Angels needed it most, she whipped out her Rally Monkey in the top of the 9th, and before you could say, “Give me a banana,” the Angels drove home two runs to take the lead and win the game.
You can be sure there were at least two rounds of high fives for that one.
It is really exciting to be in these situations where someone is so excited and so “into” something that they infect you with that enthusiasm. I wasn’t ready to dish out $150 for a personalized Angels jacket and whatever it was for a Rally Monkey (however obviously powerful that animal is...), but I think it was fun to be there and share the bit of craziness during a really fun game of baseball.
I really hope that someone near you can give you that electric rush of their unchecked spirit. I hope she can enthuse you with desire of doing something fun and even worthwhile. Like starting your emergency preparedness kit. I’m just saying.
Go Angels!
I have sat near “those fans,” however, and there is something unmistakably exciting about being in that sphere of semi-craziness. One woman, who I would have guessed to be the least likely to fall into this category OUTSIDE of the stadium, was clearly a one-person cheer squad INSIDE the stadium. She had on an Angels sleeveless t-shirt, but with designer jeans, high heels and fashionably coiffed hair. Even in her 60’s, she was obviously pretty fit, petite and surprising for her size, a huge set of pipes. Even at our elevated location (READ: Cheap seats), her interaction with the players and conversations about their actions on the field were not diminished in the slightest. In fact, I swore that one of the out-fielders on the far side of the field turned his head our way after one of her spicy admonishments.
She was not content, though, to just interact with her Angels. No, in fact, she interacted with everyone around her and expected you to join in. When a home run was hit, she slid up and down the aisles to high five half the people in Section 536. I thought she’s hit her pinnacle when late in the game and it had started get cool, she put on her premiere Angels jacket, with her beloved Bourjos’ name on the back. But no, with the Angels needed it most, she whipped out her Rally Monkey in the top of the 9th, and before you could say, “Give me a banana,” the Angels drove home two runs to take the lead and win the game.
You can be sure there were at least two rounds of high fives for that one.
It is really exciting to be in these situations where someone is so excited and so “into” something that they infect you with that enthusiasm. I wasn’t ready to dish out $150 for a personalized Angels jacket and whatever it was for a Rally Monkey (however obviously powerful that animal is...), but I think it was fun to be there and share the bit of craziness during a really fun game of baseball.
I really hope that someone near you can give you that electric rush of their unchecked spirit. I hope she can enthuse you with desire of doing something fun and even worthwhile. Like starting your emergency preparedness kit. I’m just saying.
Go Angels!
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
One Square At A Time
It is often difficult to see how you, as one person, can make any difference at all. We’ve all heard that “one person” importance phrase in some form or another, but rarely can one truly visualize what that looks like.
Well, my friends (known and unknown to me), I can now say that I have not only seen it, I was a part of it. This past weekend, I joined a group of remarkable women who were crocheting 3-inch squares (8-centimeter squares, for those metrically advanced). Hundreds of them, in varying hues and patterns. Individually, of course, it looked like the tail end of a summer camp craft project, with seemingly no focal point.
Then I saw it. Laid out on a table, I saw them, coloring the gray table, taking shape, rising above its individual pieces. I saw the sky and clouds, I saw the great orange balloon, symbol of Orange County and the Great Park, like the one hanging resolutely outside. Slowly, beautifully, those tiny squares were becoming much more than the sum of its parts.
To put this into perspective, this is the work of an uncommon genius. Thinking WAY outside the box, my lovely friend does this craft for herself, for others but, more, for the community, places far outside herself. Her work has covered cars, animals (just frames, not real ones, of course...), floors and walls. This particular work of art (approximately 8-foot by 20-foot) will soon be a “cozy” to be wrapped around one of the stately 30-foot date palms just outside her studio.
As a whole you can easily see the image as it was intended, all colors in the right place to create the cozy's big picture. Unusual, certainly... I mean covering a full size palm tree in yarn!? But there it was, a single piece of stunning art.
So this is how it works. Any project, no matter how difficult or daunting or just so unpleasant, you just can’t start, really can get done. You start with one little thing, then keep going, piece by piece, until suddenly you are there. Like your emergency kit – You put it together, item by item, then before you know it, you are prepared!
You can get yourself prepared for disasters, or anything really. You just need to start with one little three inch square. It can be done. I’ve seen it.
View the artwork of Amy Caterina at: http://freerangeamy.com.
Well, my friends (known and unknown to me), I can now say that I have not only seen it, I was a part of it. This past weekend, I joined a group of remarkable women who were crocheting 3-inch squares (8-centimeter squares, for those metrically advanced). Hundreds of them, in varying hues and patterns. Individually, of course, it looked like the tail end of a summer camp craft project, with seemingly no focal point.
Then I saw it. Laid out on a table, I saw them, coloring the gray table, taking shape, rising above its individual pieces. I saw the sky and clouds, I saw the great orange balloon, symbol of Orange County and the Great Park, like the one hanging resolutely outside. Slowly, beautifully, those tiny squares were becoming much more than the sum of its parts.
To put this into perspective, this is the work of an uncommon genius. Thinking WAY outside the box, my lovely friend does this craft for herself, for others but, more, for the community, places far outside herself. Her work has covered cars, animals (just frames, not real ones, of course...), floors and walls. This particular work of art (approximately 8-foot by 20-foot) will soon be a “cozy” to be wrapped around one of the stately 30-foot date palms just outside her studio.
As a whole you can easily see the image as it was intended, all colors in the right place to create the cozy's big picture. Unusual, certainly... I mean covering a full size palm tree in yarn!? But there it was, a single piece of stunning art.
So this is how it works. Any project, no matter how difficult or daunting or just so unpleasant, you just can’t start, really can get done. You start with one little thing, then keep going, piece by piece, until suddenly you are there. Like your emergency kit – You put it together, item by item, then before you know it, you are prepared!
You can get yourself prepared for disasters, or anything really. You just need to start with one little three inch square. It can be done. I’ve seen it.
View the artwork of Amy Caterina at: http://freerangeamy.com.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Black Friday and Cyber Monday – How about Prepare Wednesday?
We have officially moved into the biggest shopping time of the year. The rules have changed – you get sneak peaks at Black Friday ads for practically every store a full week before rather than waiting for Thursday’s paper, which has 3 times more ads than newspaper itself – but essentially it boils down to the same. Get ready to buy something!
Some things have alarmingly gone awry over the years. For example, I used to get up at 6 am to get to the stores by 7 am (gasp!), but this year some stores didn’t even pause long enough to sweep the floors before starting in again. Gone is open at 3 am – now it’s “Open at midnight!” And along with this craziness is the inevitable... people go crazy. Most notable is the pepper-spraying incident at a southern California Wal-Mart. In case you missed it, apparently a woman was a bit possessive over an electronic game and was willing to use a little unfair offense to get it. Wal-Mart is a place in my opinion that has its own issues (don’t get me started...), but the point is that we have taken things a little too crazy!
My proposal is Prepare Wednesday. The timing is right, too. Prepare on Wednesday for all the food you will eat (and suffer for) on Thursday. Prepare on Wednesday for shopping on Friday, which depends on which store you shop and when. Prepare on Wednesday for something you don’t know is coming, like an earthquake or fire.
So while you are wheeling around stores snapping up unbelievable deals on stuff you may never possibly want or need, toss a couple more things in that cart you can use. Maybe a new flashlight and an extra pack of batteries. There are newer, cooler, crank-type radios coming out all the time. And how about an extra blanket? Grab a couple of those door-busters and toss in your Home or Car Preparedness Kit. See some comfy shoes that may not be stylish, but are cheap? Get those, too!
All the crazy shopping may still be crazy, but it can be worthwhile if you plan it right. Just keep focused on what you really need, have fun and leave the pepper spray at home.
Some things have alarmingly gone awry over the years. For example, I used to get up at 6 am to get to the stores by 7 am (gasp!), but this year some stores didn’t even pause long enough to sweep the floors before starting in again. Gone is open at 3 am – now it’s “Open at midnight!” And along with this craziness is the inevitable... people go crazy. Most notable is the pepper-spraying incident at a southern California Wal-Mart. In case you missed it, apparently a woman was a bit possessive over an electronic game and was willing to use a little unfair offense to get it. Wal-Mart is a place in my opinion that has its own issues (don’t get me started...), but the point is that we have taken things a little too crazy!
My proposal is Prepare Wednesday. The timing is right, too. Prepare on Wednesday for all the food you will eat (and suffer for) on Thursday. Prepare on Wednesday for shopping on Friday, which depends on which store you shop and when. Prepare on Wednesday for something you don’t know is coming, like an earthquake or fire.
So while you are wheeling around stores snapping up unbelievable deals on stuff you may never possibly want or need, toss a couple more things in that cart you can use. Maybe a new flashlight and an extra pack of batteries. There are newer, cooler, crank-type radios coming out all the time. And how about an extra blanket? Grab a couple of those door-busters and toss in your Home or Car Preparedness Kit. See some comfy shoes that may not be stylish, but are cheap? Get those, too!
All the crazy shopping may still be crazy, but it can be worthwhile if you plan it right. Just keep focused on what you really need, have fun and leave the pepper spray at home.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
It's not too late!
Two months ago both my husband and I succumbed to a most terrible bout of the flu. He, one week and I, the next, ached and had horrible sore throats for nearly a week, then coughed for the next six weeks as added insult. When this weekend we both started with the aches, the fever and sore throats, we couldn’t believe it – AGAIN!? Haven’t we paid our dues already this flu season?
Well, apparently the dues he paid are a different rate than mine. Today, after just a couple days of feeling really lousy, I feel pretty good and am back to work. He, on the other hand, is still at home, and feeling terrible. He also had a bonus 104-degree fever, which I never got.
The difference? Prevention. Yes, OK, a few horses escaped the barn before I closed the door, but about a month ago, I got my flu shot. I was in for another reason (I got kicked in the head, close range, with a soccer ball and I thought I’d broken my jaw... another story...) and when asked if I wanted my flu shot, I thought, well, I’ve already had the flu, but why not.
Why not, indeed. While I cannot confirm we had the exact same virus, we did have the same symptoms (albeit at different temperatures) at the same time. So, I am guessing that while my flu shot did not completely shield me from getting infected, the army was ready, so to speak, and once the call was made, I was more ready to fight back and kick those little bad boys out of my system.
So, when people tell me it is too late to prepare--"What’s the point? I’ve lived so long being unprepared, so why start now?"--I am going to remind them of that flu shot. Yeah, I still got the flu, but it just visited instead of setting up shop. That’s what being prepared is all about. It won’t shield you from a disaster, but it will allow you to survive it much better than those who are not prepared.
So, it really is not too late for anything. Like cleaning out your garage, writing a will, or getting your emergency preparedness kits ready for home, car and work, you can start any time. Don’t wish you HAD done something. Be glad of it.
Well, apparently the dues he paid are a different rate than mine. Today, after just a couple days of feeling really lousy, I feel pretty good and am back to work. He, on the other hand, is still at home, and feeling terrible. He also had a bonus 104-degree fever, which I never got.
The difference? Prevention. Yes, OK, a few horses escaped the barn before I closed the door, but about a month ago, I got my flu shot. I was in for another reason (I got kicked in the head, close range, with a soccer ball and I thought I’d broken my jaw... another story...) and when asked if I wanted my flu shot, I thought, well, I’ve already had the flu, but why not.
Why not, indeed. While I cannot confirm we had the exact same virus, we did have the same symptoms (albeit at different temperatures) at the same time. So, I am guessing that while my flu shot did not completely shield me from getting infected, the army was ready, so to speak, and once the call was made, I was more ready to fight back and kick those little bad boys out of my system.
So, when people tell me it is too late to prepare--"What’s the point? I’ve lived so long being unprepared, so why start now?"--I am going to remind them of that flu shot. Yeah, I still got the flu, but it just visited instead of setting up shop. That’s what being prepared is all about. It won’t shield you from a disaster, but it will allow you to survive it much better than those who are not prepared.
So, it really is not too late for anything. Like cleaning out your garage, writing a will, or getting your emergency preparedness kits ready for home, car and work, you can start any time. Don’t wish you HAD done something. Be glad of it.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Happy Birthday, Marie!
One hundred and forty-four years ago this past Monday, a baby was born in Poland who would become one of the greatest scientific minds in our history. Born Marie Sklodowska, we all know her today as Madame Marie Curie. She and her husband Pierre discovered radioactivity (a term they coined) and forever changed life on earth.
Radioactivity is a multi-faceted thing. In the beginning, the Curies thought they had discovered something wondrous and fascinating. It was thought to be a cure for cancer, among many other things. Radium, discovered in 1898 and one of the two radioactive elements they discovered together, was often carried by men in a small vial as a small, albeit novel and perhaps magical, fashionable accessory for any man worth this scientific salt. Then it went through phases of a health potion (from innocuous to sometimes dangerous results) and diagnostic tool, to bombs.
Of all those uses of radioactivity, our fear rests with the power held within those nuclear-heavy atoms. Certain radioactive elements are so unstable in their nuclei, that they fission, or split, with no outside force, and generate tremendous energy. On a positive note that energy converts to heat, creates steam that turns turbines and generates electricity. Negatively, those forces can be sealed in vessels and dropped on enemy forces, which sadly were unsuspecting Japanese citizens. Nuclear bombs have not been used since those dark, tragic days of August 1945, but the threat remains.
When Emergency managers consider possible threats to their institutions, I often wonder what they think when they rank “nuclear threat” on their lists. As a health physicist, I am no expert, but I think I do have a solid foundation of the mechanics of the how radioactive elements interact with matter, especially people. Certainly, people can be severely hurt and die from over-exposure, but the biggest threat comes from just the possibility that someone, somewhere, could use it to threaten, harm and destroy, which is so far from what the Curies intended.
So, Marie, I hope you know that you did find a good thing, a wondrous thing. It HAS been used to treat cancer and allow people to live longer, healthier lives. It HAS powered things in remote locations where conventional energy is not possible. It HAS been used in places to light up dials so we can navigate more safely. We can only hope that one day, as a present to you, that we stop any harmful use of radioactivity and honor your dedication and years of hard work and suffering to find the magic that is in those special atoms.
Prost, Marie.
Radioactivity is a multi-faceted thing. In the beginning, the Curies thought they had discovered something wondrous and fascinating. It was thought to be a cure for cancer, among many other things. Radium, discovered in 1898 and one of the two radioactive elements they discovered together, was often carried by men in a small vial as a small, albeit novel and perhaps magical, fashionable accessory for any man worth this scientific salt. Then it went through phases of a health potion (from innocuous to sometimes dangerous results) and diagnostic tool, to bombs.
Of all those uses of radioactivity, our fear rests with the power held within those nuclear-heavy atoms. Certain radioactive elements are so unstable in their nuclei, that they fission, or split, with no outside force, and generate tremendous energy. On a positive note that energy converts to heat, creates steam that turns turbines and generates electricity. Negatively, those forces can be sealed in vessels and dropped on enemy forces, which sadly were unsuspecting Japanese citizens. Nuclear bombs have not been used since those dark, tragic days of August 1945, but the threat remains.
When Emergency managers consider possible threats to their institutions, I often wonder what they think when they rank “nuclear threat” on their lists. As a health physicist, I am no expert, but I think I do have a solid foundation of the mechanics of the how radioactive elements interact with matter, especially people. Certainly, people can be severely hurt and die from over-exposure, but the biggest threat comes from just the possibility that someone, somewhere, could use it to threaten, harm and destroy, which is so far from what the Curies intended.
So, Marie, I hope you know that you did find a good thing, a wondrous thing. It HAS been used to treat cancer and allow people to live longer, healthier lives. It HAS powered things in remote locations where conventional energy is not possible. It HAS been used in places to light up dials so we can navigate more safely. We can only hope that one day, as a present to you, that we stop any harmful use of radioactivity and honor your dedication and years of hard work and suffering to find the magic that is in those special atoms.
Prost, Marie.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
This is Only a Test
On Wednesday, November 9, at 11:00 a.m., (California Time – 8 a.m. Eastern, etc.) the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will be conducting the first nation-wide test of this kind.
At this same time, all across the nation, a three and half minute message of “This is a test of the Emergency Alert System...this is only a test...” will be broadcast to all radio and television stations. Most people probably have seen some type of local monthly tests on TV or radio, but the timing and messaging of these systems vary from station to station, state to state. By contrast, this one will be the same from coast to coast.
I found this reassuring that we are getting our emergency messages standardized across the nation and that support for these types of important services are now supported at a federal level and not dependent on the resources, or lack thereof, of local TV and radio stations.
And, actually I was feeling pretty good about this test until my husband said, “But most people don’t watch live TV anymore and, for that matter, many don’t listen to live radio.” Geesh, he was right. [Yes, he WILL frame this blog and highlight that sentence...] But, it’s true! I can’t remember the last time I watched live TV. We record the programs we want to watch and super-fast forward through commercials and other interruptions, so any emergency message that could be there would be swept along with all those messages to help me be prettier, have a cleaner toilet bowl and drive a cooler car.
The good news is that even if a real emergency message were passed along this way, we would still catch wind of it. We may not be hooked up to TV and radio the way we once were, but we are very connected to “ancillary” devices such as iPods, iPads and smart phones that are connected to news feeds. Social networks also seem to be close tabs on the pulse of what is going on, although from my experience the validity of what is posted is variable and often questionable...
So, when you hear the “This is a test, this is only a test,” relax. You didn’t need to study or even cram for this test. It just happens and you will receive an A just for being alive to hear it. Congratulations.
At this same time, all across the nation, a three and half minute message of “This is a test of the Emergency Alert System...this is only a test...” will be broadcast to all radio and television stations. Most people probably have seen some type of local monthly tests on TV or radio, but the timing and messaging of these systems vary from station to station, state to state. By contrast, this one will be the same from coast to coast.
I found this reassuring that we are getting our emergency messages standardized across the nation and that support for these types of important services are now supported at a federal level and not dependent on the resources, or lack thereof, of local TV and radio stations.
And, actually I was feeling pretty good about this test until my husband said, “But most people don’t watch live TV anymore and, for that matter, many don’t listen to live radio.” Geesh, he was right. [Yes, he WILL frame this blog and highlight that sentence...] But, it’s true! I can’t remember the last time I watched live TV. We record the programs we want to watch and super-fast forward through commercials and other interruptions, so any emergency message that could be there would be swept along with all those messages to help me be prettier, have a cleaner toilet bowl and drive a cooler car.
The good news is that even if a real emergency message were passed along this way, we would still catch wind of it. We may not be hooked up to TV and radio the way we once were, but we are very connected to “ancillary” devices such as iPods, iPads and smart phones that are connected to news feeds. Social networks also seem to be close tabs on the pulse of what is going on, although from my experience the validity of what is posted is variable and often questionable...
So, when you hear the “This is a test, this is only a test,” relax. You didn’t need to study or even cram for this test. It just happens and you will receive an A just for being alive to hear it. Congratulations.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
What is the Face in Facebook?
It has been a trying week. So much to do, so little time. So, what goes first? The extra little things -- the sudoku, surfing for recipes for tonight’s dinner, checking Facebook... For some, checking in with Facebook is as regular and necessary as having a meal, if not more often and more critical. For me, I check my Facebook maybe once a week. If that. I look for news, event notices, political articles, things that make me think. Personally, I’m really not interested in where someone is at the moment, or who washed their cars.
Many of my friends and certainly my teenage daughter think that I am a dinosaur in my thinking. Facebook is today’s face time, according to her and apparently millions of others. To be fair, I do see a potential with this type of networking. I have also witnessed the power of linking people after disasters or social events. Look at Egypt! Missouri! New Orleans! These are wonderful, completely valid uses of a pretty easy and accessible tool.
However, when I discover something that happened weeks ago and I am told, “Didn’t you see it in my Facebook?”, I sigh. Is that what we have come to? That the importance of my knowing something is equal to someone’s other 248 Friends? I guess my fear is that Facebook will soon replace the time when someone close to me actually calls me to tell me their arm is broken, or they need someone to talk to.
So, Facebook, I acknowledge you and your power. I see the genius in your ability to reach people when other avenues have not. I see you as an important tool, especially in times of crisis and disaster. But for the rest of my life, I’m old school. Please, just call me.
Many of my friends and certainly my teenage daughter think that I am a dinosaur in my thinking. Facebook is today’s face time, according to her and apparently millions of others. To be fair, I do see a potential with this type of networking. I have also witnessed the power of linking people after disasters or social events. Look at Egypt! Missouri! New Orleans! These are wonderful, completely valid uses of a pretty easy and accessible tool.
However, when I discover something that happened weeks ago and I am told, “Didn’t you see it in my Facebook?”, I sigh. Is that what we have come to? That the importance of my knowing something is equal to someone’s other 248 Friends? I guess my fear is that Facebook will soon replace the time when someone close to me actually calls me to tell me their arm is broken, or they need someone to talk to.
So, Facebook, I acknowledge you and your power. I see the genius in your ability to reach people when other avenues have not. I see you as an important tool, especially in times of crisis and disaster. But for the rest of my life, I’m old school. Please, just call me.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Be Aesop's Ant
Sorry, for the late posting. This was the week of California’s Great ShakeOut, a time in which all of Californian’s were to Drop, Cover and Hold On as practice and reminder of what we need to do during an earthquake. I spent the last several days engaged in activities that I hoped would bring the concept of earthquake safety in particular and emergency preparedness in general to the forefront of people’s minds.
Maybe it was the gloomy day, the gloomy economy, or any other gloomy aspect of human existence we can blame these days, but people really seemed to be listless and quite apathetic about the whole event. Major earthquake? Major disaster? Blah.
This could have been simply the sharp contrast to MY enthusiasm over the event, but, no, it just seemed that many just didn’t care.
And maybe it was just on such a day in the 5th century B.C. that Aesop sat down and, after observing an ant and grasshopper, composed his story. It’s best to prepare for days of need, the Ant advised the Grasshopper.
Yes, indeed. I fear that there are not enough of us ants when the time comes. Are you listening, Grasshoppers?
Maybe it was the gloomy day, the gloomy economy, or any other gloomy aspect of human existence we can blame these days, but people really seemed to be listless and quite apathetic about the whole event. Major earthquake? Major disaster? Blah.
This could have been simply the sharp contrast to MY enthusiasm over the event, but, no, it just seemed that many just didn’t care.
And maybe it was just on such a day in the 5th century B.C. that Aesop sat down and, after observing an ant and grasshopper, composed his story. It’s best to prepare for days of need, the Ant advised the Grasshopper.
Yes, indeed. I fear that there are not enough of us ants when the time comes. Are you listening, Grasshoppers?
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
It’s what’s on the inside that counts
Those interested in the architecture of an “earthquake-resilient” building have probably heard a similar theory. If a building is flexible, it will move but not break or fall down when shaken in an earthquake. It seems logical, right? In fact, I remember seeing old wooden structures in Japan that had survived hundreds of earthquakes. Rather than fall, they simply went with the flow, swayed a bit, then came back to stand as it had for centuries.
What I never saw in those building photos, however, were the insides.
Last week, I got the chance to take a peek inside. Not those lovely old Japanese structures, but more modern ones after the Santiago, Chile, quake. A specialist called to the site to make damage assessments showed astonishing images. Some structures were visibly broken and required extensive, expensive repairs after that whopping 8.8 magnitude shaker in February of 2010.
The most shocking photos came from those with no exterior damage at all. Large, modern beautiful buildings, some with huge glass fronts, had hardly a hint that it had been shaken – until you opened the front door.
It’s interesting that we know to earthquake-proof our shelves, TV’s cupboards, refrigerators and water heaters at home, yet we completely forget this where we work. In some of the specialist’s examples, the damage from some of these buildings’ interiors exceeded the cost of the building itself!
That hardly seems possible, but there it was. High-tech equipment – servers, mainframes, desktop computers, all kinds of specialized electronics –lay in ruins all of the floor. Drop ceilings literally dropped, spilling ceiling tiles and light fixtures everywhere. Water lines, now unhampered by any ceiling material, broke and continued to ruin what wasn’t already broken.
The three areas which seemed to cause the most damage was: 1) Lack of attaching equipment – even though the brackets were there! – or were cheap and easy to install – such as the straps to attach lap-top equipment. 2) The use of bolts that were too small, too weak for their purpose – he recommended at least 5/8-inch bolts, and 3) the widespread use of drop ceilings. Drop ceilings, while cheap and easy to install, universally caused damage everywhere they were used. His recommendation – stop using them. It will be cost effective in the long run to install hard ceilings instead.
So, go to work, your mall, your favorite store and look around. If things started to shake, what would be left standing? Hopefully, YOU, because objects stayed in place, where they should. And you could walk out to tell about it.
What I never saw in those building photos, however, were the insides.
Last week, I got the chance to take a peek inside. Not those lovely old Japanese structures, but more modern ones after the Santiago, Chile, quake. A specialist called to the site to make damage assessments showed astonishing images. Some structures were visibly broken and required extensive, expensive repairs after that whopping 8.8 magnitude shaker in February of 2010.
The most shocking photos came from those with no exterior damage at all. Large, modern beautiful buildings, some with huge glass fronts, had hardly a hint that it had been shaken – until you opened the front door.
It’s interesting that we know to earthquake-proof our shelves, TV’s cupboards, refrigerators and water heaters at home, yet we completely forget this where we work. In some of the specialist’s examples, the damage from some of these buildings’ interiors exceeded the cost of the building itself!
That hardly seems possible, but there it was. High-tech equipment – servers, mainframes, desktop computers, all kinds of specialized electronics –lay in ruins all of the floor. Drop ceilings literally dropped, spilling ceiling tiles and light fixtures everywhere. Water lines, now unhampered by any ceiling material, broke and continued to ruin what wasn’t already broken.
The three areas which seemed to cause the most damage was: 1) Lack of attaching equipment – even though the brackets were there! – or were cheap and easy to install – such as the straps to attach lap-top equipment. 2) The use of bolts that were too small, too weak for their purpose – he recommended at least 5/8-inch bolts, and 3) the widespread use of drop ceilings. Drop ceilings, while cheap and easy to install, universally caused damage everywhere they were used. His recommendation – stop using them. It will be cost effective in the long run to install hard ceilings instead.
So, go to work, your mall, your favorite store and look around. If things started to shake, what would be left standing? Hopefully, YOU, because objects stayed in place, where they should. And you could walk out to tell about it.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
On the Road Again
I am in San Diego at a conference this week with a bunch of emergency managers. Not that I want anything to happen, but if it did, well, this is the group with whom to be!
A crack in the radiator of my son's car required me to change my mode of transportation this week. Originally, I was going to drive my car the 100 miles or so to the conference, but now my son needed my car to get back to college. That's OK, I thought, because I can easily take the train, and I don't have to worry about traffic. It all seemed so easy... until I started to pack...
I feel pretty confident traveling in my car. I have water, food, warm and comfortable clothes. I have a flashlight, radio, toilet paper, a first aid kit, extra eyeglasses and a good, long book to read. I even have a beach chair, umbrella and a warm and waterproof jacket. So what do I need on the train?
As a traveler, I had extra clothes, but they weren't really the type of clothes you want not to be wearing during a disaster. Heels, skirt and a silk blouse are simply not very functional in disaster situations, even though Karen Allen managed to pull off wearing that lovely white gown in "Riders of the Lost Ark."
Obviously I could not nor would want to duplicate what my car has, but I an think about what I can pack that could make me better off should an emergency occur. So I added some casual shoes, jacket and small, collapsible umbrella. I packed a large water bottle, snacks and my purse-sized first aid kit. I also added a flashlight, a pack of tissues and emergency contact information for my wallet.
I certainly am not completely prepared to survive several days alone somewhere, but I have some important tools for my survival and, just as important,a large peace of mind.
A crack in the radiator of my son's car required me to change my mode of transportation this week. Originally, I was going to drive my car the 100 miles or so to the conference, but now my son needed my car to get back to college. That's OK, I thought, because I can easily take the train, and I don't have to worry about traffic. It all seemed so easy... until I started to pack...
I feel pretty confident traveling in my car. I have water, food, warm and comfortable clothes. I have a flashlight, radio, toilet paper, a first aid kit, extra eyeglasses and a good, long book to read. I even have a beach chair, umbrella and a warm and waterproof jacket. So what do I need on the train?
As a traveler, I had extra clothes, but they weren't really the type of clothes you want not to be wearing during a disaster. Heels, skirt and a silk blouse are simply not very functional in disaster situations, even though Karen Allen managed to pull off wearing that lovely white gown in "Riders of the Lost Ark."
Obviously I could not nor would want to duplicate what my car has, but I an think about what I can pack that could make me better off should an emergency occur. So I added some casual shoes, jacket and small, collapsible umbrella. I packed a large water bottle, snacks and my purse-sized first aid kit. I also added a flashlight, a pack of tissues and emergency contact information for my wallet.
I certainly am not completely prepared to survive several days alone somewhere, but I have some important tools for my survival and, just as important,a large peace of mind.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Security Depends on Symbolism
This title paraphrases an article I just read about the degree of security given to various national monuments around the United States. However, I wanted to read the article for what I thought it was going to talk about – symbolism and its relationship to emergency situations.
Now, haven’t you gone somewhere and saw the symbol to something and wondered what the heck it was trying to say? Here are some examples...
Giant snowflake. When I lived in Germany, a German friend pointed at the sign and said, “Look out! A giant snowflake!” Agreed.
Semi-truck-trailer (rear view) on its two side wheels with an arching arrow over it. A truck should be tipping over, but, wait, a force field is making it flip back the other way!
A star-burst with a line straight to a person’s eyes. I think that is supposed to warn of a laser beam or some other light source, but it really looks like the person is shooting lasers FROM his eyes.
The flying deer. Why is it flying? Why not running? I remember the excitement I had as a kid because I thought it was the area where one could see Santa’s flying reindeer. Imagine my disappointment...
The kangaroo. Honestly, it looks like it is barely hopping, yet the deer is shown flying through the air. Having grown up in Michigan, I know deer can jump, but I suspect a kangaroo can out-jump a deer any day.
The giant exclamation mark. Angry? Loud? Cursing?
Door Open/Close. This is the most confusing for me. In an elevator there are two buttons, each with two triangles. One has the sides together and the other has the points together. To me, the sides together looks “closed,” and so the two arrows together look “open.” So, guess what happens when someone rushes to get in the elevator that I am in and I reach for the button to hold the door open.... !
The clarity of symbols is extremely important in emergencies. Symbols need to be fluent in every language and culture. Exits and paths need to be clearly marked. Where to find help or activate alarms should not take Indiana Jones or Robert Langdon to figure out. So, if you are in charge of signs for your family or your community, make sure that they make sense to everyone. The last symbol you need in an emergency is ?
Now, haven’t you gone somewhere and saw the symbol to something and wondered what the heck it was trying to say? Here are some examples...
Giant snowflake. When I lived in Germany, a German friend pointed at the sign and said, “Look out! A giant snowflake!” Agreed.
Semi-truck-trailer (rear view) on its two side wheels with an arching arrow over it. A truck should be tipping over, but, wait, a force field is making it flip back the other way!
A star-burst with a line straight to a person’s eyes. I think that is supposed to warn of a laser beam or some other light source, but it really looks like the person is shooting lasers FROM his eyes.
The flying deer. Why is it flying? Why not running? I remember the excitement I had as a kid because I thought it was the area where one could see Santa’s flying reindeer. Imagine my disappointment...
The kangaroo. Honestly, it looks like it is barely hopping, yet the deer is shown flying through the air. Having grown up in Michigan, I know deer can jump, but I suspect a kangaroo can out-jump a deer any day.
The giant exclamation mark. Angry? Loud? Cursing?
Door Open/Close. This is the most confusing for me. In an elevator there are two buttons, each with two triangles. One has the sides together and the other has the points together. To me, the sides together looks “closed,” and so the two arrows together look “open.” So, guess what happens when someone rushes to get in the elevator that I am in and I reach for the button to hold the door open.... !
The clarity of symbols is extremely important in emergencies. Symbols need to be fluent in every language and culture. Exits and paths need to be clearly marked. Where to find help or activate alarms should not take Indiana Jones or Robert Langdon to figure out. So, if you are in charge of signs for your family or your community, make sure that they make sense to everyone. The last symbol you need in an emergency is ?
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
You First Aid Kit--Probably NOT what you think...
This message was originally a CSU Fullerton Great ShakeOut Message No. 6, sent to all CSUF faculty and staff on Sept. 16. I really try to bring brand new material to this blog every week, but the flu got the better of me and, honestly, my brain cells are on strike. Please enjoy, even if you have read this before...
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I recently looked at my first aid supplies at home. The Power Puff Girl bandaids looked a little old, so I replaced them with Phineas and Ferb. I have to stay with the times at the very least. I was feeling pretty good, too, as I checked the expiration date on the OTC medications, and added other things my 92-year-old mother would need, such as LOTS more bandages and incontinent pads (sigh...), when it hit me. The most important thing in my first aid kit wouldn’t fit at all. That’s because that thing is me!
After playing in a soccer tournament all weekend, I was reminded by my muscles (loudly, I might add) that I am not as young as I used to be. Doing a push-up is nearly impossible and forget chin-ups – something that just a few years ago was a simple task. It’s not as though I could not do these things with a little time and effort. I just got busy, you know? Busy with work, busy with teenagers, busy with family. Too busy to keep myself as fit as I could be. So, if an emergency arose right now, what would I be capable of doing?
We respond to incidents often by reflex. We rush to help a child or an elderly person who has fallen. We’d grab our napkins to help sop the hot coffee from the person’s lap next to us. We do these things because we can.
Now let’s go to a much more serious situation. A 7.0-plus earthquake. Heavy things have fallen on people, a colleague needs help walking. What is in you – your personal first aid kit – that can help?
We all have limitations on what we can do and that range is quite large. But, what we should do is prepare ourselves to be in the best personal state possible in case a disaster or emergency occurs. We start taking care of ourselves and our family so we can handle a disaster, physically and mentally. Here is a list to help you assess yourself.
1. Don’t worry, be happy! (Sing it, Bobby!) Serious situations require a serious demeanor, but try to make all those other times a bit lighter. A positive attitude is actually a strength builder.
2. Eat better. No one loves chocolate cake more than I do, but that can be tempered with lots of fruits and vegetables.
3. Exercise more. We are not elite athletes, but there are probably things all of us can do, regardless of our personal limitations, to be in better shape and a little stronger. Walk more than drive. Bend your knees as often as you can to pick up something. Stretch your arms high over your head. Breathe deeply.
4. Avoid antibacterial soaps and cleaners. “WHAT? Don’t I need to kill those germs?” Yes, but regular soap is equally effective at killing bacteria and do not encourage antibiotic-resistant strains to flourish. Dr. Marcelo Tolmasky, Professor of Biology here at CSUF, has done extensive study on this growing problem (http://calstate.fullerton.edu/news/inside/2006/tomalsky.html). It cannot be stressed enough that antibacterial products should only be used in very specific situations, and that they often cause more problems with allergies and disease than they prevent. And in times of stress, we will be more susceptible to disease.
For all the other things for your First Aid Kit (the things that DO fit!), get some good ideas at http://prepare.fullerton.edu/GSOMsgs/7FirstAid.pdf, or from the American Red Cross at http://www.redcross.org/services/hss/lifeline/fakit.html.
Good health to you all!
------------------
I recently looked at my first aid supplies at home. The Power Puff Girl bandaids looked a little old, so I replaced them with Phineas and Ferb. I have to stay with the times at the very least. I was feeling pretty good, too, as I checked the expiration date on the OTC medications, and added other things my 92-year-old mother would need, such as LOTS more bandages and incontinent pads (sigh...), when it hit me. The most important thing in my first aid kit wouldn’t fit at all. That’s because that thing is me!
After playing in a soccer tournament all weekend, I was reminded by my muscles (loudly, I might add) that I am not as young as I used to be. Doing a push-up is nearly impossible and forget chin-ups – something that just a few years ago was a simple task. It’s not as though I could not do these things with a little time and effort. I just got busy, you know? Busy with work, busy with teenagers, busy with family. Too busy to keep myself as fit as I could be. So, if an emergency arose right now, what would I be capable of doing?
We respond to incidents often by reflex. We rush to help a child or an elderly person who has fallen. We’d grab our napkins to help sop the hot coffee from the person’s lap next to us. We do these things because we can.
Now let’s go to a much more serious situation. A 7.0-plus earthquake. Heavy things have fallen on people, a colleague needs help walking. What is in you – your personal first aid kit – that can help?
We all have limitations on what we can do and that range is quite large. But, what we should do is prepare ourselves to be in the best personal state possible in case a disaster or emergency occurs. We start taking care of ourselves and our family so we can handle a disaster, physically and mentally. Here is a list to help you assess yourself.
1. Don’t worry, be happy! (Sing it, Bobby!) Serious situations require a serious demeanor, but try to make all those other times a bit lighter. A positive attitude is actually a strength builder.
2. Eat better. No one loves chocolate cake more than I do, but that can be tempered with lots of fruits and vegetables.
3. Exercise more. We are not elite athletes, but there are probably things all of us can do, regardless of our personal limitations, to be in better shape and a little stronger. Walk more than drive. Bend your knees as often as you can to pick up something. Stretch your arms high over your head. Breathe deeply.
4. Avoid antibacterial soaps and cleaners. “WHAT? Don’t I need to kill those germs?” Yes, but regular soap is equally effective at killing bacteria and do not encourage antibiotic-resistant strains to flourish. Dr. Marcelo Tolmasky, Professor of Biology here at CSUF, has done extensive study on this growing problem (http://calstate.fullerton.edu/news/inside/2006/tomalsky.html). It cannot be stressed enough that antibacterial products should only be used in very specific situations, and that they often cause more problems with allergies and disease than they prevent. And in times of stress, we will be more susceptible to disease.
For all the other things for your First Aid Kit (the things that DO fit!), get some good ideas at http://prepare.fullerton.edu/GSOMsgs/7FirstAid.pdf, or from the American Red Cross at http://www.redcross.org/services/hss/lifeline/fakit.html.
Good health to you all!
Monday, September 12, 2011
The Importance of Teaching
This is the story of a teacher who believed that teaching and practicing what you teach is the most important thing you can do. And he gave his life for it.
Rick Rescorla was born a British citizen in 1939, and was a member of the British Army. He eventually came to the United States and enlisted in the U.S. Army and fought in Viet Nam, where he received several decorations for valor. In the early 80’s he joined Dean Witter Reynolds, which eventually became Morgan Stanley in 1997, as the Vice President for Security.
The company was located in the World Trade Center and as early as 1992, he warned the New York Port Authority (WTC owner) that it was vulnerable to terrorist attack. His warning was unheeded and the following year, terrorists attacked on the WTC with a truck bomb. Rescorla was there, however, and he helped lead the building occupants to safety.
Rescorla reasoned that the threat was still very real, so he tried to convince management to move from the WTC. Astonishingly, he even speculated that the towers would be terrorist targets for a plane crash. Unfortunately, the lease with the WTC was not due to expire for several more years and costly to change, so they refused to move. Since they were staying, Rescorla insisted that he be allowed to practice a building evacuation every 3 months so that every employee would be well versed on how to safely get out of the building. And he did. He practiced every 3 months, all 2700 employees, down from the 47th floor to the ground level. Everyone. No exceptions.
September 11, 2001. A plane hit Tower 1 and WTC management told everyone to Shelter In Place in Tower 2 to avoid falling debris from Tower 1. Rescorla immediately saw the danger in staying so he ordered an evacuation of all Morgan Stanley employees. He grabbed his bullhorn and sang patriotic songs to employees to calm them as they walked down the stairs.
In the end, all 2700 Morgan Stanley employees survived, along with the 1000 or so others who came with them. The last time anyone saw Rick Rescorla was when he and 5 other employees went back into Tower 2 to try to rescue more people.
This is why we practice emergency drills. It is why we disrupt your class, your test, and your meeting. We need to learn emergency procedures, and know them so well, we could do them without even thinking. We all need to learn what Rick gave his life for – to learn how to do what is needed during times of crisis, to know where and how to evacuate, or drop, cover and hold on, or shelter in place.
Learn more about Rick Rescorla's incredible life in the book "Heart of a Soldier" A Story of Love, Heroism, and September 11th" by James B. Stewart.
An opera of the same name just opened this fall at the San Francisco Opera. Read all about it at the Opera's Website.
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This piece was originally published by me on August 11, 2011, as Great ShakeOut Message No. 1 at California State University, Fullerton.
Rick Rescorla was born a British citizen in 1939, and was a member of the British Army. He eventually came to the United States and enlisted in the U.S. Army and fought in Viet Nam, where he received several decorations for valor. In the early 80’s he joined Dean Witter Reynolds, which eventually became Morgan Stanley in 1997, as the Vice President for Security.
The company was located in the World Trade Center and as early as 1992, he warned the New York Port Authority (WTC owner) that it was vulnerable to terrorist attack. His warning was unheeded and the following year, terrorists attacked on the WTC with a truck bomb. Rescorla was there, however, and he helped lead the building occupants to safety.
Rescorla reasoned that the threat was still very real, so he tried to convince management to move from the WTC. Astonishingly, he even speculated that the towers would be terrorist targets for a plane crash. Unfortunately, the lease with the WTC was not due to expire for several more years and costly to change, so they refused to move. Since they were staying, Rescorla insisted that he be allowed to practice a building evacuation every 3 months so that every employee would be well versed on how to safely get out of the building. And he did. He practiced every 3 months, all 2700 employees, down from the 47th floor to the ground level. Everyone. No exceptions.
September 11, 2001. A plane hit Tower 1 and WTC management told everyone to Shelter In Place in Tower 2 to avoid falling debris from Tower 1. Rescorla immediately saw the danger in staying so he ordered an evacuation of all Morgan Stanley employees. He grabbed his bullhorn and sang patriotic songs to employees to calm them as they walked down the stairs.
In the end, all 2700 Morgan Stanley employees survived, along with the 1000 or so others who came with them. The last time anyone saw Rick Rescorla was when he and 5 other employees went back into Tower 2 to try to rescue more people.
This is why we practice emergency drills. It is why we disrupt your class, your test, and your meeting. We need to learn emergency procedures, and know them so well, we could do them without even thinking. We all need to learn what Rick gave his life for – to learn how to do what is needed during times of crisis, to know where and how to evacuate, or drop, cover and hold on, or shelter in place.
Learn more about Rick Rescorla's incredible life in the book "Heart of a Soldier" A Story of Love, Heroism, and September 11th" by James B. Stewart.
An opera of the same name just opened this fall at the San Francisco Opera. Read all about it at the Opera's Website.
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This piece was originally published by me on August 11, 2011, as Great ShakeOut Message No. 1 at California State University, Fullerton.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Water – Elusive Elixir and Unwelcome Invader
Over 12 million people are suffering from the worst drought in sixty years in an area known as the Horn of Africa – Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya. The drought has severely impacted food supplies so that now around one million are facing starvation. Hundreds of people are dying every day, and nearly half of those are children.
In an almost surreal event, Vermont was hit by a hurricane last month. An astonishing one-and-a-half inches of rain fell every hour for a while, pushing river water to record levels. Homes were destroyed and many historic bridges and roads were washed away. Several towns were flooded in several feet of water and 5 million people were without power. In the end, the storm cost $45 billion dollars and the lives of 40 people. Recovery will take weeks to months, with many things lost forever.
Water is absolutely necessary for life. We need it to move nutritional elements and essential salts through our bodies. Blood is about 8% of our body weight and about 50% of that is plasma, which is mostly water. This vital fluid moves through our heart and kidneys and filters out the bad and unwanted material. As the amount of water in our body shrinks, the delicate balance of fluid composition is disrupted and the body becomes much more susceptible to infection and disease.
On the other hand, too much water can dilute your body’s electrolytic balance and neurons can no longer fire and cells miss important messages. While we are all sadly aware of drowning, a person can literally die from consuming too much water as well. This is extreme, to be sure, but it can and has happened.
Once water has seeped into your home, your carpets, and your walls, it often prepares a perfect spot to host undesirable elements such as mold, mildew and fungus. It is so difficult to rid of them that sometimes the wet objects (keepsakes to furniture to houses) can only be thrown away or completely replaced.
Water, so necessary and yet so dangerous. We cannot tell Mother Nature where to drop this life-giving/life-threatening elixir, but we can look at our own lives and think, “What if...” then “What can I do to protect this...”
For those who want to find some way to help those in need in the Horn of African, go to: http://www.wfp.org/stories/horn-africa-10-ways-you-can-help.
In an almost surreal event, Vermont was hit by a hurricane last month. An astonishing one-and-a-half inches of rain fell every hour for a while, pushing river water to record levels. Homes were destroyed and many historic bridges and roads were washed away. Several towns were flooded in several feet of water and 5 million people were without power. In the end, the storm cost $45 billion dollars and the lives of 40 people. Recovery will take weeks to months, with many things lost forever.
Water is absolutely necessary for life. We need it to move nutritional elements and essential salts through our bodies. Blood is about 8% of our body weight and about 50% of that is plasma, which is mostly water. This vital fluid moves through our heart and kidneys and filters out the bad and unwanted material. As the amount of water in our body shrinks, the delicate balance of fluid composition is disrupted and the body becomes much more susceptible to infection and disease.
On the other hand, too much water can dilute your body’s electrolytic balance and neurons can no longer fire and cells miss important messages. While we are all sadly aware of drowning, a person can literally die from consuming too much water as well. This is extreme, to be sure, but it can and has happened.
Once water has seeped into your home, your carpets, and your walls, it often prepares a perfect spot to host undesirable elements such as mold, mildew and fungus. It is so difficult to rid of them that sometimes the wet objects (keepsakes to furniture to houses) can only be thrown away or completely replaced.
Water, so necessary and yet so dangerous. We cannot tell Mother Nature where to drop this life-giving/life-threatening elixir, but we can look at our own lives and think, “What if...” then “What can I do to protect this...”
For those who want to find some way to help those in need in the Horn of African, go to: http://www.wfp.org/stories/horn-africa-10-ways-you-can-help.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Irene Was A Wolf
Already I am reading stories about people who are complaining about preparing for the “Storm of the Century” that didn’t happen. Complaints of the hype surrounding Irene and the extensive evacuations, shutting down public transportation, sandbagging, etc. are coming from residents up and down the Eastern coast.
One local old salt on North Carolina coast claimed that this was nothing but media hype and that he had gone through many worse storms before. All that evacuation was a waste of time and money according to him.
Some would-be politicians even have the gall to joke that Irene was a message from God to Washington lawmakers. Seriously? Over 30 people died, priceless personal objects lost or ruined, homes flooded, bridges and roads were washed away and the damage is estimated at around three billion dollars. Hardly joking material.
The obvious contrast to this is Katrina, where the shout of a wolf’s approach was too little, too late and too unrealistic. People either had nowhere to go, no means to do it, or simply didn’t want to leave their homes. As a result, over 1800 people died and the cost just in dollars was around 8.1 billion. Entire neighborhoods still lay in ruins.
That’s the problem with Emergency Preparedness. When you prepare well and relatively little seems to happen, people think a big deal was made of nothing. [Los Angelinos might well think of the recent shutting down of the heavily traveled 405 freeway for a weekend, or Carmageddon, which resulted in surprisingly little disruption.] However, that is the point. When you prepare well, you expect very little to happen because, well, you prepared well!
And, just for record, our salty North Carolina friend, also had a high-sitting house with plenty of food, water and an emergency generator, so he was well-prepared and was confident because of it.
So, when you hear the notice to prepare, to evacuate, to shelter in place, don’t think of it as a cry for a wolf who never comes. Think of it as a reminder that this is why we prepare. We are ready for that wolf, and even with that huff and puff, he simply can’t blow your house down.
One local old salt on North Carolina coast claimed that this was nothing but media hype and that he had gone through many worse storms before. All that evacuation was a waste of time and money according to him.
Some would-be politicians even have the gall to joke that Irene was a message from God to Washington lawmakers. Seriously? Over 30 people died, priceless personal objects lost or ruined, homes flooded, bridges and roads were washed away and the damage is estimated at around three billion dollars. Hardly joking material.
The obvious contrast to this is Katrina, where the shout of a wolf’s approach was too little, too late and too unrealistic. People either had nowhere to go, no means to do it, or simply didn’t want to leave their homes. As a result, over 1800 people died and the cost just in dollars was around 8.1 billion. Entire neighborhoods still lay in ruins.
That’s the problem with Emergency Preparedness. When you prepare well and relatively little seems to happen, people think a big deal was made of nothing. [Los Angelinos might well think of the recent shutting down of the heavily traveled 405 freeway for a weekend, or Carmageddon, which resulted in surprisingly little disruption.] However, that is the point. When you prepare well, you expect very little to happen because, well, you prepared well!
And, just for record, our salty North Carolina friend, also had a high-sitting house with plenty of food, water and an emergency generator, so he was well-prepared and was confident because of it.
So, when you hear the notice to prepare, to evacuate, to shelter in place, don’t think of it as a cry for a wolf who never comes. Think of it as a reminder that this is why we prepare. We are ready for that wolf, and even with that huff and puff, he simply can’t blow your house down.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Grandma, the Original Emergency Responder
I am old enough to have lived during a time when people looked after their neighbors. At least that was my grandmother’s philosophy. I remember the visits to my grandparents’ house always included trips to various neighbors as my grandma’s aide. There was never any indication that these trips were a burden on my grandmother and they seemed quite a natural thing to do. The persons we visited were all elderly and in need of some help and seemed to greet my grandmother with great appreciation yet with the same natural acceptance of her visit as if she were related to all of them.
As I look back on it, it was amazing that my grandmother, with no more than a grade school education and no formal training, knew what to bring to everyone and how to tend to their needs. She was efficient without seeming rushed and arranged every visit in some lengthy yet unwritten schedule. There was never money exchanged for any of her services, yet I could guarantee that when cookies or candy were around that I would be showered generously with them.
I wonder if my grandmother’s counterpart lives in my neighborhood. I wonder if that spirit of selflessly taking care of another, with no expectation of reward, exists today. I hope it does. I do feel that urge from time to time as I see one of my elderly neighbors take his trash to the curb, but then he disappears back into his house and I disappear into my own world of activities and responsibilities and then I forget all about him again until trash day allows us to meet again.
Maybe it is time for me to change things up. Make a promise to myself and my grandmother to go to my neighbor’s house and check on him, see how he’s doing, see what he needs and maybe how I can help him. She’d like that. In fact, because she’s my grandma, I'm sure she’ll go with me.
As I look back on it, it was amazing that my grandmother, with no more than a grade school education and no formal training, knew what to bring to everyone and how to tend to their needs. She was efficient without seeming rushed and arranged every visit in some lengthy yet unwritten schedule. There was never money exchanged for any of her services, yet I could guarantee that when cookies or candy were around that I would be showered generously with them.
I wonder if my grandmother’s counterpart lives in my neighborhood. I wonder if that spirit of selflessly taking care of another, with no expectation of reward, exists today. I hope it does. I do feel that urge from time to time as I see one of my elderly neighbors take his trash to the curb, but then he disappears back into his house and I disappear into my own world of activities and responsibilities and then I forget all about him again until trash day allows us to meet again.
Maybe it is time for me to change things up. Make a promise to myself and my grandmother to go to my neighbor’s house and check on him, see how he’s doing, see what he needs and maybe how I can help him. She’d like that. In fact, because she’s my grandma, I'm sure she’ll go with me.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Sadly, Why We Practice
It is still shocking to envision that island in Norway where on July 22 a lone gunman, dressed as a police officer, could simply walk through a youth camp and shoot 69 people dead. Immediately, we have all tried to sort it out – How could he do such a thing? Why would he target children? Why couldn’t anyone stop him?
As a parent, I am utterly heartbroken when I think of the parents running these very questions in a continuous loop through their minds, haunting every waking and sleeping moment. It was all so senseless, so inhumane. And yet, these things do happen. They happen in Norway, at Virginia Tech (32 dead), at Columbine (13 dead), at Northern Illinois University (21 dead), Beslan, Russia (334 dead, 186 were children)... Sadly, they happen.
If there is a small glimmer of silver hope in this story, it is that these occurrences are relatively rare. Generally, schools are safe places and gunmen do not freely roam the streets [in most of the world...]. But the fact that they DO happen, CAN happen, that we practice. We simulate “active shooter” scenarios and practice how we could quickly amount an attack and stop the attacker before he gets very far.
On Friday, July 29, we, at Cal State Fullerton, practiced this scenario. We set up a full-scale exercise to allow our first responders (University Police, surrounding Police and Fire agencies and our on-campus medical response team) to see, hear and feel what it is like to “be there.” We made our “victims” look like injured victims. [Kudos to our great make up team at CSUF!] We had guns that fire blanks so they everyone could hear what a gunshot sounds like and experience that first shock at how loud it really is. Police attack teams quickly formed and pursued the gunman. Police and Fire worked together in teams to rescue the injured.
Honestly, it was incredible to watch. They played, they worked, they learned. People who had never worked together before clicked into place. They had one common purpose – to pursue the gunman and bring him down.
I can’t help but think that if those teenagers in Norway had received some “fight back” training when confronted with an Active Shooter that the outcome could have been much different. We are now training people that sometimes you can’t just hide – that you have to actively participate in your survival. Of course when you just see yourself as a kid against a man – a “police man!” – with a gun, it must have seemed quite hopeless. But there are tactics out there that can be employed in such situations and we need to start teaching them.
So, this is why we practice. We try to engage as many people as possible that survival in any situation takes practice and knowledge. So, while it is sad that we need to practice these things, we practice because we know that if that one day comes, we will already have the skills to respond.
To see some great photos of our Active Shooter exercise, please to go http://prepare.fullerton.edu. Thank you to all who participated. You are awesome.
As a parent, I am utterly heartbroken when I think of the parents running these very questions in a continuous loop through their minds, haunting every waking and sleeping moment. It was all so senseless, so inhumane. And yet, these things do happen. They happen in Norway, at Virginia Tech (32 dead), at Columbine (13 dead), at Northern Illinois University (21 dead), Beslan, Russia (334 dead, 186 were children)... Sadly, they happen.
If there is a small glimmer of silver hope in this story, it is that these occurrences are relatively rare. Generally, schools are safe places and gunmen do not freely roam the streets [in most of the world...]. But the fact that they DO happen, CAN happen, that we practice. We simulate “active shooter” scenarios and practice how we could quickly amount an attack and stop the attacker before he gets very far.
On Friday, July 29, we, at Cal State Fullerton, practiced this scenario. We set up a full-scale exercise to allow our first responders (University Police, surrounding Police and Fire agencies and our on-campus medical response team) to see, hear and feel what it is like to “be there.” We made our “victims” look like injured victims. [Kudos to our great make up team at CSUF!] We had guns that fire blanks so they everyone could hear what a gunshot sounds like and experience that first shock at how loud it really is. Police attack teams quickly formed and pursued the gunman. Police and Fire worked together in teams to rescue the injured.
Honestly, it was incredible to watch. They played, they worked, they learned. People who had never worked together before clicked into place. They had one common purpose – to pursue the gunman and bring him down.
I can’t help but think that if those teenagers in Norway had received some “fight back” training when confronted with an Active Shooter that the outcome could have been much different. We are now training people that sometimes you can’t just hide – that you have to actively participate in your survival. Of course when you just see yourself as a kid against a man – a “police man!” – with a gun, it must have seemed quite hopeless. But there are tactics out there that can be employed in such situations and we need to start teaching them.
So, this is why we practice. We try to engage as many people as possible that survival in any situation takes practice and knowledge. So, while it is sad that we need to practice these things, we practice because we know that if that one day comes, we will already have the skills to respond.
To see some great photos of our Active Shooter exercise, please to go http://prepare.fullerton.edu. Thank you to all who participated. You are awesome.
Monday, August 8, 2011
No Shot in the Dark
A shot in the dark is basically some attempt to do something blindly. For some, this means picking lottery numbers, or dropping in your quarter in the gumball machine and hoping for a red one. Sadly, unfortunately and frighteningly, some people do this with their children. Parents who do not, or worse, refuse, to have their children immunized are doing just that. Shooting in the dark, hoping for the best, and risking the life of their own child.
There was paper published in a British medical journal 13 years ago that claimed a connection between vaccines and autism. That single, false claim has thankfully been routed out and it has been thoroughly established that NO link exists between the two, but somehow there are still some who manage to cough that one up when it comes to why they don’t vaccinate their most precious possessions.
Let’s be clear. Immunizations prevent disease and have completely eradicated others, savings millions of lives. Children, especially infants, who are the most susceptible to these diseases no longer die because of them. However, in cases where immunizations are not given, children do die and their numbers are growing. Diseases we thought had disappeared from the doctor’s office are now making regular appointments.
When I talk of emergency preparedness, it is not just talk of keeping enough water, or replenishing your first aid kits. This is preparedness at a very basic level. It’s preparing yourself from the inside. After a disaster hits, people seeking shelter often are forced in close quarters with a lot of other people. These are situations where people are anxious, possibly injured and their immune systems stressed -- situations where communicable diseases are easily transferred. And depending on the disaster, medical response may be a long way off when someone does fall ill. Now, what does this create? The perfect storm of disease transmission and those without immunizations will be the first to feel the brunt of it.
Immunizations are not horrible things. They are culture-less, race-blind, and without religious connotation or creed. They are given to those who need it most and it is up to all of us to make sure it happens. Rebel against something else if you feel you need to, but don’t let polio, rubella, measles and Type b influenzae be the thing that brings you down when your strength is needed most.
Be prepared. Get your shots and get shots for your kids. It just may be the thing that lets you – and your loved ones -- survive the disaster.
Please read Amanda Manscarelli’s thoughtful article from the Sunday, August 7, Los Angeles Times at: http://www.latimes.com/health/la-he-vaccines-qa-20110801,0,4888541.story.
There was paper published in a British medical journal 13 years ago that claimed a connection between vaccines and autism. That single, false claim has thankfully been routed out and it has been thoroughly established that NO link exists between the two, but somehow there are still some who manage to cough that one up when it comes to why they don’t vaccinate their most precious possessions.
Let’s be clear. Immunizations prevent disease and have completely eradicated others, savings millions of lives. Children, especially infants, who are the most susceptible to these diseases no longer die because of them. However, in cases where immunizations are not given, children do die and their numbers are growing. Diseases we thought had disappeared from the doctor’s office are now making regular appointments.
When I talk of emergency preparedness, it is not just talk of keeping enough water, or replenishing your first aid kits. This is preparedness at a very basic level. It’s preparing yourself from the inside. After a disaster hits, people seeking shelter often are forced in close quarters with a lot of other people. These are situations where people are anxious, possibly injured and their immune systems stressed -- situations where communicable diseases are easily transferred. And depending on the disaster, medical response may be a long way off when someone does fall ill. Now, what does this create? The perfect storm of disease transmission and those without immunizations will be the first to feel the brunt of it.
Immunizations are not horrible things. They are culture-less, race-blind, and without religious connotation or creed. They are given to those who need it most and it is up to all of us to make sure it happens. Rebel against something else if you feel you need to, but don’t let polio, rubella, measles and Type b influenzae be the thing that brings you down when your strength is needed most.
Be prepared. Get your shots and get shots for your kids. It just may be the thing that lets you – and your loved ones -- survive the disaster.
Please read Amanda Manscarelli’s thoughtful article from the Sunday, August 7, Los Angeles Times at: http://www.latimes.com/health/la-he-vaccines-qa-20110801,0,4888541.story.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Heart Attack? There’s an App for that...
Yes, if you see someone having a heart attack – or I suppose even if it is you – you can use this app to send a call for help to people around you who know how to perform CPR. This application for iPhone, iPads, and other smart phones and devices was developed by the San Ramon Valley, California, Fire Department folks – and called, obviously, “Fire Department.” While the area and users for this app are relatively small (although San Francisco now has it), it opens the gates to other similar emergency responses.
Apparently, the alert sent via this app call for anyone close enough to walk to the victim and offer their expertise. Additionally, the alerts go to Emergency Response personnel (i.e., EMT’s at the Fire Department) so that the professionals can be launched as well. As an added bonus, the location of the closest AED’s (automated external defibrillators) are displayed to aid responders as well.
As much as people often like to make fun of how people are literally attached to their cell phones, especially the “smart” ones, they are a burgeoning marketful of ideas for all kinds of resources – from the nearest pizza parlor or Ghirardelli Chocolate outlet to life-saving applications.
So, when you start to wonder just what those fire-fighters are doing when not responding to a fire, now you know they are not just testing the latest recipes from Iron Chef. They are programming cool stuff like this. Yeah, they can do all that AND fight fires. Cool, huh?
Apparently, the alert sent via this app call for anyone close enough to walk to the victim and offer their expertise. Additionally, the alerts go to Emergency Response personnel (i.e., EMT’s at the Fire Department) so that the professionals can be launched as well. As an added bonus, the location of the closest AED’s (automated external defibrillators) are displayed to aid responders as well.
As much as people often like to make fun of how people are literally attached to their cell phones, especially the “smart” ones, they are a burgeoning marketful of ideas for all kinds of resources – from the nearest pizza parlor or Ghirardelli Chocolate outlet to life-saving applications.
So, when you start to wonder just what those fire-fighters are doing when not responding to a fire, now you know they are not just testing the latest recipes from Iron Chef. They are programming cool stuff like this. Yeah, they can do all that AND fight fires. Cool, huh?
Monday, July 25, 2011
The Policies of Earthquake Preparedness
The Sunday, July 24, 2011 Los Angeles Times (Op-Ed, page A26) had an excellent and quite thought provoking article on the relationship between a disaster’s outcome and a country’s public policies. Claire Berlinski, the article’s author, stated that while there is a popular belief that a country’s preparedness is inextricably linked to a country’s economic wealth there is much more to that story.
The images from Haiti were startling and heart-breaking. Everyone could see the shoddy construction of the homes, schools, hospitals and businesses led to massive death and destruction by the 7.0 magntitude earthquake last January (2010). Over 200,000 people died and forced a million and a half to live in camps.
Speed over to Concepcion, Chile, that endured an 8.8 shaker that moved the entire city to the west 10 feet. Sadly, 521 people died in this city, but this quake shook an urban population 180 times HARDER than Haiti, yet look at the difference. The city of over 200,000 citizens and another 700,000 in the surrounding area had much less damage. Let’s be clear, though -- buildings collapsed, bridges fell, homes were destroyed. Concepcion experienced an extraordinarily hard shake, but you can’t help but note the difference between the two areas.
Why? Building codes and diligence. As Ms. Berlinski so pointedly states, Chile has “some of the strictest and most advanced building codes in the world, and because the codes do not merely exist on paper – they are enforced.” And look at Japan. Granted this country was hit hard by the nuclear power plant disaster and an unbelievable tsunami, but the earthquake itself did very little damage. And why? They changed the way they built buildings. They worked on shoring up those that needed it. They designed and invented ways to make buildings more earthquake resistent. Building codes and diligence.
And the link to a country’s economics? This may be a little more complex to sort out, particularly in countries like Haiti where corruption has its own political party, but look at Chile. The salary of an average Chilean worker is one-third that of the United States worker, yet their public policy has invested in itself and, in this case, most definitely saved lives.
So, what about your workplace or your school? Honestly, this may be difficult – albeit not impossible – information to get, but what about your house? Is it up to code? Is it bolted to the foundation? Is your masonry held together with rebar, or a kiss and a prayer? (My mother’s favorite saying).
Can you, individual person, make a difference? Sure you can. Start now. Find out about your city’s building codes with regard to earthquake proofing. Find out about your own house or apartment to see what it has or needs. You can do things yourself, such as bolting things inside, too, such as high bookshelves, heavy TV’s and cabinets. Talk to your city council and your state legislators and get your local codes to be strict AND enforced.
Don’t wait until things start falling down to remind you that a well-enforced building policy can go a long way to keep you and your house standing.
The images from Haiti were startling and heart-breaking. Everyone could see the shoddy construction of the homes, schools, hospitals and businesses led to massive death and destruction by the 7.0 magntitude earthquake last January (2010). Over 200,000 people died and forced a million and a half to live in camps.
Speed over to Concepcion, Chile, that endured an 8.8 shaker that moved the entire city to the west 10 feet. Sadly, 521 people died in this city, but this quake shook an urban population 180 times HARDER than Haiti, yet look at the difference. The city of over 200,000 citizens and another 700,000 in the surrounding area had much less damage. Let’s be clear, though -- buildings collapsed, bridges fell, homes were destroyed. Concepcion experienced an extraordinarily hard shake, but you can’t help but note the difference between the two areas.
Why? Building codes and diligence. As Ms. Berlinski so pointedly states, Chile has “some of the strictest and most advanced building codes in the world, and because the codes do not merely exist on paper – they are enforced.” And look at Japan. Granted this country was hit hard by the nuclear power plant disaster and an unbelievable tsunami, but the earthquake itself did very little damage. And why? They changed the way they built buildings. They worked on shoring up those that needed it. They designed and invented ways to make buildings more earthquake resistent. Building codes and diligence.
And the link to a country’s economics? This may be a little more complex to sort out, particularly in countries like Haiti where corruption has its own political party, but look at Chile. The salary of an average Chilean worker is one-third that of the United States worker, yet their public policy has invested in itself and, in this case, most definitely saved lives.
So, what about your workplace or your school? Honestly, this may be difficult – albeit not impossible – information to get, but what about your house? Is it up to code? Is it bolted to the foundation? Is your masonry held together with rebar, or a kiss and a prayer? (My mother’s favorite saying).
Can you, individual person, make a difference? Sure you can. Start now. Find out about your city’s building codes with regard to earthquake proofing. Find out about your own house or apartment to see what it has or needs. You can do things yourself, such as bolting things inside, too, such as high bookshelves, heavy TV’s and cabinets. Talk to your city council and your state legislators and get your local codes to be strict AND enforced.
Don’t wait until things start falling down to remind you that a well-enforced building policy can go a long way to keep you and your house standing.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Mid-Summer Night's Dream
Yes, I know. More dreaming. But, it's summer. And, it is hot out, so this is a good time to sit down with a cool beverage and sort out the stuff in your emergency kits. I will try to make it easy for you:
For Home, Car and Work or School...
___Check the integrity of your bin. Cracked? Water tight? Need a new liner?
___ If anything is bulging, rusted or beyond its expiration date, toss it.
___Check an adhesive bandage. Is it still sticky? If one is bad, they probably all are. The hotter the climate, the more likely they will go bad in a year or two.
____Is your phone, contact and insurance information still current?
____Give your wind up flashlight/radio a good cranking.
____If anyone has "grown" since the last check, replace the clothes.
____Replace the water in your large bins or drums. Your lawn needs the water anyway.
____Use the helpful checklist for emergency supplies at http://emergencypreparedness.fullerton.edu/TwelveSteps.htm for more kit ideas.
Don’t stress that you can’t do it all at once. In fact, do a little every day or two for a week and get the whole family involved. You will be up to date in no time.
Enjoy your summer and sweet dreams.
For Home, Car and Work or School...
___Check the integrity of your bin. Cracked? Water tight? Need a new liner?
___ If anything is bulging, rusted or beyond its expiration date, toss it.
___Check an adhesive bandage. Is it still sticky? If one is bad, they probably all are. The hotter the climate, the more likely they will go bad in a year or two.
____Is your phone, contact and insurance information still current?
____Give your wind up flashlight/radio a good cranking.
____If anyone has "grown" since the last check, replace the clothes.
____Replace the water in your large bins or drums. Your lawn needs the water anyway.
____Use the helpful checklist for emergency supplies at http://emergencypreparedness.fullerton.edu/TwelveSteps.htm for more kit ideas.
Don’t stress that you can’t do it all at once. In fact, do a little every day or two for a week and get the whole family involved. You will be up to date in no time.
Enjoy your summer and sweet dreams.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Bollywood Dreams
It’s official. My mind is completely warped. As I was walking into the Hollywood Bowl last night (to watch an incredible performance by A.R. Rahman along with the L.A. Philharmonic Orchestra, and my friend Shelly, by the way), I found myself wondering what they would do in a major emergency. The Bowl holds almost 18,000 people and my informal scanning of the masses calculated that we were probably something close to that number. That is a lot of people in a relatively small space. And getting out of there – HA! The Bowl uses “stacked parking” strategies to get everyone in there (except for those geniuses like my family who took the bus from the zoo!), which means that NO ONE gets out easily or quickly.
As I was making remarks to this effect to my husband, his mouth dropped open. “Really? Are you going to do this every where you go now? Worry about the disaster plan?” Um, well, maybe. OK, yes. I can’t help it, though. When you concern yourself everyday with this stuff, it’s rather hard to stop.
One really should not become obsessed over this topic and “forget to smell the roses” when out for a drive or a concern or vacation. I am sure that worrying over some disaster to befall you everywhere you go is not only unhealthy, but a real downer for anyone who is with you. Hence my husband’s comment, I presume.
To be fair, I really wasn’t worried or paranoid, but I was curious. How, on earth, do you move that many people anywhere, if you needed to? Thankfully, that is not my job, but whoever does have this job really just be a person of extraordinary talent and/or resources. In any case, I trusted that somewhere there was a plan and that it was a good one.
And before I worried if anyone thought that of me, I just sat back in a sea of appreciative people and enjoyed the intoxicating sounds of Indian music, written and performed by the “Slumdog Millionaire” music composer, with Bollywood, and clearly not Hollywood disasters, on my mind.
As I was making remarks to this effect to my husband, his mouth dropped open. “Really? Are you going to do this every where you go now? Worry about the disaster plan?” Um, well, maybe. OK, yes. I can’t help it, though. When you concern yourself everyday with this stuff, it’s rather hard to stop.
One really should not become obsessed over this topic and “forget to smell the roses” when out for a drive or a concern or vacation. I am sure that worrying over some disaster to befall you everywhere you go is not only unhealthy, but a real downer for anyone who is with you. Hence my husband’s comment, I presume.
To be fair, I really wasn’t worried or paranoid, but I was curious. How, on earth, do you move that many people anywhere, if you needed to? Thankfully, that is not my job, but whoever does have this job really just be a person of extraordinary talent and/or resources. In any case, I trusted that somewhere there was a plan and that it was a good one.
And before I worried if anyone thought that of me, I just sat back in a sea of appreciative people and enjoyed the intoxicating sounds of Indian music, written and performed by the “Slumdog Millionaire” music composer, with Bollywood, and clearly not Hollywood disasters, on my mind.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
The rockets red flare, bombs bursting in air...
The Fourth of July is such a pleasant holiday. Typically in nice (hot) weather, this day is a day to be proud that you are an American and BBQ-ing in the backyard. All is great until the sun goes down, however, then KABOOM, all bets are off.
Before anyone thinks that I don’t like fireworks, I have to say that I do like seeing those bright lights and colors exploding overhead. That, however, is not the problem. It’s the “non-professional” fireworks that cause me worry. Last year, nearly 9000 people required medical treatment for injuries sustained while setting off their own snap, crackle, pop. Nearly 40% of those injured were under the age of 15. A third of firework injuries involved the hand and by and large, that hand was male. Most people think of firework injuries the result of firecrackers, which certain do pack a wallop, but more than half of the injuries are from burns – and half of those burns are from Sparklers.
Sparklers? Really? Jeesh, Sparklers are those things you give little kids to play with, right? Yes, and that is the problem. What you may not know is that Sparklers burn exceedingly hot. Depending on the chemical used, they can burn at 1200 degrees Fahrenheit or more. (For reference, glass melts at a balmy 900 degrees.) So, now think of any other circumstance in which you would give a little kid something hotter than molten glass...
Fireworks also caused more than 18,000 fires in 2009, 700 of which were homes and 400 were vehicles. Additionally, many pets run away over this holiday and some injure themselves trying to escape the loud noise.
So, my new category – prepare for the Fourth of July! Along with getting out the BBQ, husking some corn and baking an apple pie, make sure that your pets are locked indoors and safe. Some soothing music would help, too. Make sure that your lawn has been watered thoroughly and no piles of leaves or dried debris are lying around. Keep an eye on the “celebrators” in your neighborhood and discourage any fireworks displays in front of your house (which could range from asking them politely to calling the police).
Don’t become a statistic during this holiday. Relax, enjoy your good cooking and be glad you’re an American. Just without the red glare.
Before anyone thinks that I don’t like fireworks, I have to say that I do like seeing those bright lights and colors exploding overhead. That, however, is not the problem. It’s the “non-professional” fireworks that cause me worry. Last year, nearly 9000 people required medical treatment for injuries sustained while setting off their own snap, crackle, pop. Nearly 40% of those injured were under the age of 15. A third of firework injuries involved the hand and by and large, that hand was male. Most people think of firework injuries the result of firecrackers, which certain do pack a wallop, but more than half of the injuries are from burns – and half of those burns are from Sparklers.
Sparklers? Really? Jeesh, Sparklers are those things you give little kids to play with, right? Yes, and that is the problem. What you may not know is that Sparklers burn exceedingly hot. Depending on the chemical used, they can burn at 1200 degrees Fahrenheit or more. (For reference, glass melts at a balmy 900 degrees.) So, now think of any other circumstance in which you would give a little kid something hotter than molten glass...
Fireworks also caused more than 18,000 fires in 2009, 700 of which were homes and 400 were vehicles. Additionally, many pets run away over this holiday and some injure themselves trying to escape the loud noise.
So, my new category – prepare for the Fourth of July! Along with getting out the BBQ, husking some corn and baking an apple pie, make sure that your pets are locked indoors and safe. Some soothing music would help, too. Make sure that your lawn has been watered thoroughly and no piles of leaves or dried debris are lying around. Keep an eye on the “celebrators” in your neighborhood and discourage any fireworks displays in front of your house (which could range from asking them politely to calling the police).
Don’t become a statistic during this holiday. Relax, enjoy your good cooking and be glad you’re an American. Just without the red glare.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Prepredness can't take a vacation
My husband thinks that I can take a week or two off from my blog when on vacation, but I just can't. I am a little obsessed possibly, but I can't help it. Things keep popping in my head and I need to get them out!
For example, I was curious how Hawaiians prepare for disaster. It is so beautiful and relaxed here with the weather sunny and 85 year round, it sure would make it hard to think of anything going bad. But I suppose with the tsunamis hitting recently and a gigantic volcano on the other side of the island blowing out several thousands of tons of lava every day or two, it really should give anyone pause.
Responsibly, Hawaii has a state emergency preparedness site with the usual references to FEMA information but with a little local add on that I really thought was great. Along with the usual list of water, food, medicine, it was noted that it should all fit in a five gallon bucket. Wait, that's genius! Each person could have their own bucket with their clothes, small tools, food and such. Customizing these buckets and making each person in the household responsible for keeping their bucket up to date is a fantastic idea! Of course, depending on the age of the child, he or she would need a little guidance (I can see my daugher filling hers with chocolate -- and shes 16!), but this really would make keeping clothes rotated out and up to date. Even in a disaster, I can just see my teenagers refusing to wear something that I put in their emergency kit. "Mom, what were you thinking when you put THAT in there?!"
So, see, in paradise, you can get some work done. You just need to get away from it all sometimes to discover things you'd never thought of before. Well, that and maybe the mai tai... Aloha.
For example, I was curious how Hawaiians prepare for disaster. It is so beautiful and relaxed here with the weather sunny and 85 year round, it sure would make it hard to think of anything going bad. But I suppose with the tsunamis hitting recently and a gigantic volcano on the other side of the island blowing out several thousands of tons of lava every day or two, it really should give anyone pause.
Responsibly, Hawaii has a state emergency preparedness site with the usual references to FEMA information but with a little local add on that I really thought was great. Along with the usual list of water, food, medicine, it was noted that it should all fit in a five gallon bucket. Wait, that's genius! Each person could have their own bucket with their clothes, small tools, food and such. Customizing these buckets and making each person in the household responsible for keeping their bucket up to date is a fantastic idea! Of course, depending on the age of the child, he or she would need a little guidance (I can see my daugher filling hers with chocolate -- and shes 16!), but this really would make keeping clothes rotated out and up to date. Even in a disaster, I can just see my teenagers refusing to wear something that I put in their emergency kit. "Mom, what were you thinking when you put THAT in there?!"
So, see, in paradise, you can get some work done. You just need to get away from it all sometimes to discover things you'd never thought of before. Well, that and maybe the mai tai... Aloha.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Prepare for Paradise
Yes, well, this does sound a little ridiculous, but preparedness does not stop at your own door. Regardless of where you are, your little pocket mouse is still there and reminding you of what you need to do to keep yourself and your family ready to face whatever it is. For example, I am writing this blog today from Hawaii. I might add that it is not just from Hawaii (the Big Island to clarify), but from a place sitting right on the ocean, from which I can glance up and see surfers riding curling waves toward a lava rock shore. Honestly, it is awesome.
When packing for this trip, I went through the same steps as I would for any trip in my car. Remember to have water, change of clothes, first aid kit, flashlight. It’s now all in a bag in our rental car. Everyone has orders to have all cell phones charged before leaving in the morning. Gas tank is never less than half full. It is remarkably easy to do. It is just something that is a part of your checklist when traveling.
Kona was hit pretty hard with the Tsunami last March and while most everyone is back in business, you can still see the effects. New walls, a house blocked up and boarded up, new furniture in many downtown restaurants that are on the ocean side of the street. It is so hard to imagine that a wave (several actually) dispatched from Japan could wreak so much havoc so far away.
But it did and it was a reminder to all – residents and visitors alike – that even Paradise can be dangerous. Just remember to be prepared and you’ll be back surfing in no time.
Aloha.
When packing for this trip, I went through the same steps as I would for any trip in my car. Remember to have water, change of clothes, first aid kit, flashlight. It’s now all in a bag in our rental car. Everyone has orders to have all cell phones charged before leaving in the morning. Gas tank is never less than half full. It is remarkably easy to do. It is just something that is a part of your checklist when traveling.
Kona was hit pretty hard with the Tsunami last March and while most everyone is back in business, you can still see the effects. New walls, a house blocked up and boarded up, new furniture in many downtown restaurants that are on the ocean side of the street. It is so hard to imagine that a wave (several actually) dispatched from Japan could wreak so much havoc so far away.
But it did and it was a reminder to all – residents and visitors alike – that even Paradise can be dangerous. Just remember to be prepared and you’ll be back surfing in no time.
Aloha.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
All for a Blueberry Donut
I am not, AM NOT a food addict. I honestly don’t believe I have any fanatical obsessions, except possibly reading and soccer, but they are (for the most part) controlled. So, when I heard about the blueberry donuts, it just started as a curiosity (OK, curiosity COULD be an obsession) to find out what all the hoopla was about.
A student intern brought in said donut a week ago. By the time I got to the front office, there was only one small taste left, but I have to say that it was very tasty and I wished I could have sampled the whole thing. I found that the place that sells these particular donuts is a little shop at Katella and Lincoln (Anaheim, CA for the out-of-towners). Since we are in the age of Google, I soon found a map, Facebook page and an astounding number of reviews – for a donut shop!
This donut shop is odd for two reasons. One, is that the only donut that gets any press at this shop is the famed blueberry donut. Two, is that the hours of this place are 9:30 PM to 12:00 PM. No, it’s not a typo. That’s 9:30 AT NIGHT to noon the next day. For whatever reason they have done this, it appears to work. People line up FOR HOURS in the middle of the night for these blueberry confectionary pieces of heaven, apparently, and still say they will do it again!
This really got me intrigued, so after reading many reviews, I found a few reviewers mentioned other “notable” blueberry donut sources in that same general area, but at normal hours and with minimal wait. Now comes the truly incredible part. I found myself writing the addresses of all of those blueberry donut shops and plotting how I was going to visit them all in the same morning so I could sample them all at the same time—to be scientifically valid. Then it hit me that a single bite of a tasty morsel was turning into an obsession. Even my husband raised an eyebrow when I told him how I was leaving the house at 6 am so I could miss traffic and be at donut shop One by 6:20, then hit No. Two by 7, provided I didn’t have wait long, then No. Three by....
Recognition of the problem is the first step to recovery. What I recognized is that this donut is what I seek. Well, not the donut itself, really, but the bait, the hook, the carrot to get people to start to be obsessed by something – like getting prepared for emergencies! Maybe we need to come up something to be placed in the package of an item that goes into an emergency preparedness kit – a prize, a Golden Ticket, or certificate for one dozen blueberry donuts (with no wait!). Everyone wants one, right?
If anyone has any ideas, I am open to suggestions, no matter how crazy. It might just work. For now, I am just using Google to find the shortest route between three of my newest friends.
A student intern brought in said donut a week ago. By the time I got to the front office, there was only one small taste left, but I have to say that it was very tasty and I wished I could have sampled the whole thing. I found that the place that sells these particular donuts is a little shop at Katella and Lincoln (Anaheim, CA for the out-of-towners). Since we are in the age of Google, I soon found a map, Facebook page and an astounding number of reviews – for a donut shop!
This donut shop is odd for two reasons. One, is that the only donut that gets any press at this shop is the famed blueberry donut. Two, is that the hours of this place are 9:30 PM to 12:00 PM. No, it’s not a typo. That’s 9:30 AT NIGHT to noon the next day. For whatever reason they have done this, it appears to work. People line up FOR HOURS in the middle of the night for these blueberry confectionary pieces of heaven, apparently, and still say they will do it again!
This really got me intrigued, so after reading many reviews, I found a few reviewers mentioned other “notable” blueberry donut sources in that same general area, but at normal hours and with minimal wait. Now comes the truly incredible part. I found myself writing the addresses of all of those blueberry donut shops and plotting how I was going to visit them all in the same morning so I could sample them all at the same time—to be scientifically valid. Then it hit me that a single bite of a tasty morsel was turning into an obsession. Even my husband raised an eyebrow when I told him how I was leaving the house at 6 am so I could miss traffic and be at donut shop One by 6:20, then hit No. Two by 7, provided I didn’t have wait long, then No. Three by....
Recognition of the problem is the first step to recovery. What I recognized is that this donut is what I seek. Well, not the donut itself, really, but the bait, the hook, the carrot to get people to start to be obsessed by something – like getting prepared for emergencies! Maybe we need to come up something to be placed in the package of an item that goes into an emergency preparedness kit – a prize, a Golden Ticket, or certificate for one dozen blueberry donuts (with no wait!). Everyone wants one, right?
If anyone has any ideas, I am open to suggestions, no matter how crazy. It might just work. For now, I am just using Google to find the shortest route between three of my newest friends.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Misery in Missouri, but not for long
Missouri, the Show Me State, reportedly so called because House Representative Willard Duncan Vandiver, declared in 1899 that, "frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me... you must show me...” has been hit hard. Our dear Mother (Nature) has been in a real fit this year and took a great deal of frustation out on the people in Joplin, Missouri.
Cars were picked up and tossed miles away, homes reduced to virtually nothing, a hospital came crushing down on its occupants. In the end, more than 130 people died and over 8000 homes and apartments destroyed. How do you recover from something like this? Complete neighborhoods were simply flung away!
In step the people from Missouri. As soon as the storm had passed, the survivors and the lesser affected were out in the streets, in their cars (where they could get around) and extended hands, food and sometimes just a should to cry on. They came out in two’s and by the truckload. With axes and blankets and a willingness to help their neighbors, they came. Some baked cookies while others packed lunches for the workers and the displaced alike.
While we often hear of looters and the dishonest ready to take advantage of that weakened lot, many, many more step up and volunteer themselves, their equipment and their hearts. A dear friend of mine just moved to a little town just south of Joplin last year and has been emailing me an eye-witness account. He’s a big “manly” man, but not immune to the heartbreak. At the end of an exhausting day of cutting down tree branches, hauling equipment in his big pick up and generally anything he can, even he can’t stop the tears. It is just not something you can imagine unless you are there.
So, I will stop now with my feeble frothy eloquence and just say to the people of Missouri, you are tough stuff, and you have indeed shown us that.
Cars were picked up and tossed miles away, homes reduced to virtually nothing, a hospital came crushing down on its occupants. In the end, more than 130 people died and over 8000 homes and apartments destroyed. How do you recover from something like this? Complete neighborhoods were simply flung away!
In step the people from Missouri. As soon as the storm had passed, the survivors and the lesser affected were out in the streets, in their cars (where they could get around) and extended hands, food and sometimes just a should to cry on. They came out in two’s and by the truckload. With axes and blankets and a willingness to help their neighbors, they came. Some baked cookies while others packed lunches for the workers and the displaced alike.
While we often hear of looters and the dishonest ready to take advantage of that weakened lot, many, many more step up and volunteer themselves, their equipment and their hearts. A dear friend of mine just moved to a little town just south of Joplin last year and has been emailing me an eye-witness account. He’s a big “manly” man, but not immune to the heartbreak. At the end of an exhausting day of cutting down tree branches, hauling equipment in his big pick up and generally anything he can, even he can’t stop the tears. It is just not something you can imagine unless you are there.
So, I will stop now with my feeble frothy eloquence and just say to the people of Missouri, you are tough stuff, and you have indeed shown us that.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
A Day To Remember
Memorial Day is a day to honor and remember those individuals who have given their lives while in the U.S. military service. It began sometime in the late 1860’s to pay homage to and decorate the graves of Civil War soldiers, although it was not officially a federal holiday until 1971. Regardless of its beginning, it should give everyone a moment of pause to salute, in whatever manner, to those who made those decisions to put on uniforms to represent and give their lives as U.S. soldiers.
Memory is a funny thing, though. We vow to various things -- “We will never forget,” yet somehow we really do. It is not that these things do not matter. We just somehow find a place of comfort, or perhaps just routine, so that we put some things to the back of our mind, and subtly, from our purpose.
We have very recently seen the unbelievable destruction in Joplin, Missouri. Houses, hospitals, entire communities were flatted and strewn over miles. We ache for those who stand outside the cracked and splintered remnants of their homes, either engulfed in tears or stunned to silence. The images take your breath away.
Those are images that we think we will never forget. Yet... Do you recall the images of Christchurch, New Zealand? That was just in January. Five months ago. Or how about Fukashima, Japan? Two months ago. Don’t you remember?
If we did remember, we would be assembling our emergency kits for our home, our car, our workplace. We would be contacting our relatives out of state to contact during emergencies. We would be securing important paperwork, such as insurance policies, birth certificates, prescription drug lists and dog licenses in a place we could access if we could not enter our houses. We would talk to our neighbors about assembling community teams to support one another during disasters. We would do these things because we haven’t forgotten New Orleans, Haiti, Christchurch or Fukashima.
We do mean that “We will never forget.” We just sometimes don’t remember.
Memory is a funny thing, though. We vow to various things -- “We will never forget,” yet somehow we really do. It is not that these things do not matter. We just somehow find a place of comfort, or perhaps just routine, so that we put some things to the back of our mind, and subtly, from our purpose.
We have very recently seen the unbelievable destruction in Joplin, Missouri. Houses, hospitals, entire communities were flatted and strewn over miles. We ache for those who stand outside the cracked and splintered remnants of their homes, either engulfed in tears or stunned to silence. The images take your breath away.
Those are images that we think we will never forget. Yet... Do you recall the images of Christchurch, New Zealand? That was just in January. Five months ago. Or how about Fukashima, Japan? Two months ago. Don’t you remember?
If we did remember, we would be assembling our emergency kits for our home, our car, our workplace. We would be contacting our relatives out of state to contact during emergencies. We would be securing important paperwork, such as insurance policies, birth certificates, prescription drug lists and dog licenses in a place we could access if we could not enter our houses. We would talk to our neighbors about assembling community teams to support one another during disasters. We would do these things because we haven’t forgotten New Orleans, Haiti, Christchurch or Fukashima.
We do mean that “We will never forget.” We just sometimes don’t remember.
Monday, May 23, 2011
We're Still Here
Personally, I am really over hearing about The End that didn’t come on Saturday, May 21, 2011 by 6 pm (any time zone, Earth). And, on that note, I should really leave it alone, but it points out something that is completely related to what I have been saying about being prepared. In the face of something insurmountable, we either 1) Do nothing, or 2) Look for an easy way out.
I was shocked, as many probably were, of the stories of people who sold everything, packed their bags and literally waited at the curb to “be taken.” Since nothing did happen, it really seems absurd, but that is exactly what we do when faced with something over which we have so little control. For example, there was a story of man whose house was in foreclosure and he'd lost his job, so maxed out his credit cards to get him to May 21 when it would all finally be over. He simply felt helpless and saw this as a solution to all his problems.
When preparing for anything that scares us, makes us uncomfortable, or depresses us, we will do nearly anything to avoid it. In college, I used to suddenly become obsessed with cleaning my apartment instead working on some complicated physics problems. Not that I don’t like my house clean, but at any other time of my life, I could have cared less about competing with Rosie the Robot. It’s simply avoidance. Or, perhaps, substitution of doing something we know we can accomplish rather than tackle something that seems so impossible to do.
So, here is some help. My favorite place to start is with a case of water. Easy Peasy. Stop home on the way from work or school and put a case in the trunk of your car. It is probably on sale anyway. Then for the rest of the week, think about what would make you uncomfortable if you got stranded in your car. Personally, I hate being uncomfortable and cold, so I make sure I have a comfortable pair of walking shoes, socks and a nice warm blanket along with my case of water. Chances are, you have an old pair of running shoes that might not look so good any more, but would be welcome relief if you get stuck somewhere away from home in those incredibly sexy, but highly impractical, three-inch heels.
To best utilize your trunk space, I recommend a bag for all of this stuff (except the case of water, which I leave by itself). A gym bag would work. Or, one “freebie” is that heavy-duty clear plastic zippered case that new blankets and sheet-sets come in. They often have handles and are great for this purpose. They zip to keep dirt out, but they are clear so you can see what is in them.
So, we’re still here and there’s lots to do, but it’s really not all that hard. You just have to start and I am here to help you. You can count on that. Really.
I was shocked, as many probably were, of the stories of people who sold everything, packed their bags and literally waited at the curb to “be taken.” Since nothing did happen, it really seems absurd, but that is exactly what we do when faced with something over which we have so little control. For example, there was a story of man whose house was in foreclosure and he'd lost his job, so maxed out his credit cards to get him to May 21 when it would all finally be over. He simply felt helpless and saw this as a solution to all his problems.
When preparing for anything that scares us, makes us uncomfortable, or depresses us, we will do nearly anything to avoid it. In college, I used to suddenly become obsessed with cleaning my apartment instead working on some complicated physics problems. Not that I don’t like my house clean, but at any other time of my life, I could have cared less about competing with Rosie the Robot. It’s simply avoidance. Or, perhaps, substitution of doing something we know we can accomplish rather than tackle something that seems so impossible to do.
So, here is some help. My favorite place to start is with a case of water. Easy Peasy. Stop home on the way from work or school and put a case in the trunk of your car. It is probably on sale anyway. Then for the rest of the week, think about what would make you uncomfortable if you got stranded in your car. Personally, I hate being uncomfortable and cold, so I make sure I have a comfortable pair of walking shoes, socks and a nice warm blanket along with my case of water. Chances are, you have an old pair of running shoes that might not look so good any more, but would be welcome relief if you get stuck somewhere away from home in those incredibly sexy, but highly impractical, three-inch heels.
To best utilize your trunk space, I recommend a bag for all of this stuff (except the case of water, which I leave by itself). A gym bag would work. Or, one “freebie” is that heavy-duty clear plastic zippered case that new blankets and sheet-sets come in. They often have handles and are great for this purpose. They zip to keep dirt out, but they are clear so you can see what is in them.
So, we’re still here and there’s lots to do, but it’s really not all that hard. You just have to start and I am here to help you. You can count on that. Really.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
The Word
Word Power! Word On! Go Words! That is the extent of my cheer list, but words can be powerful stuff and we sometimes forget that. For example, I teach an Occupational Health class through the Health Science Department here at the University and my students had to write a 10-15 page paper (yeah, am I mean or crazy?), that examined the duties of a particular occupation and its associated hazards and prevention methods. As usual, there was the range of the stunningly wonderful paper to the, well, the not so wonderful. And, what makes the difference? The words!
Words, carefully chosen and assembled, can create visual images, deliver important information or even teach. They can tell a story, provide details to a process or event or provide the opportunity to experience something from another person’s perspective. In the right order, they can be powerful. Elegant. Musical. They can make a person say, “Wow!” or “Beautiful,” or give a person pause.
I am reminded of this aspect of words when considering of the importance of communication – for any reason. I am communicating right now – through my blog – in the hopes of telling you a story, however brief, that will make you say, “Gee, I never thought of that before.” And, just because it is in my personality and, quite frankly, I can’t help myself, I always like to throw in something to make you smile or possibly solicit an LOL.
When I tell people why we need to be prepared for emergencies, I carefully choose my words. Words can act like clubs, a tap on a shoulder, or even a tickle. They make the difference of inviting a reader, or turning them off, so it is important that you know how to use them to your advantage.
They are powerful stuff, those words, so choose carefully. Go Words!
Words, carefully chosen and assembled, can create visual images, deliver important information or even teach. They can tell a story, provide details to a process or event or provide the opportunity to experience something from another person’s perspective. In the right order, they can be powerful. Elegant. Musical. They can make a person say, “Wow!” or “Beautiful,” or give a person pause.
I am reminded of this aspect of words when considering of the importance of communication – for any reason. I am communicating right now – through my blog – in the hopes of telling you a story, however brief, that will make you say, “Gee, I never thought of that before.” And, just because it is in my personality and, quite frankly, I can’t help myself, I always like to throw in something to make you smile or possibly solicit an LOL.
When I tell people why we need to be prepared for emergencies, I carefully choose my words. Words can act like clubs, a tap on a shoulder, or even a tickle. They make the difference of inviting a reader, or turning them off, so it is important that you know how to use them to your advantage.
They are powerful stuff, those words, so choose carefully. Go Words!
Monday, May 2, 2011
A Community that Plans Together...
...Survives together. This weekend I was reminded of the importance of community. Not that I had really forgotten. I have been a member of the North Orange County League of Women Voters for years and they represent the ultimate in community activism and participation in those political activities that make a difference to your every day life. This weekend, however, I finished the last segment of a CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) course offered by the cities of Brea and Placentia. The concept is simple – give ordinary citizens some basic skills in emergency response so that they can be valuable resources in times of crisis.
When I looked around at my fellow students, I felt some really deep satisfaction. These are people who live in my city, perhaps close by, and are willing to pitch in and help themselves and others around them when the time comes. Now WHEN that time comes, is never known, but when it DOES come, they have a leg up on how to make the best of it.
In some ways, it was more like a fun family reunion for that final day than something that takes away eight hours of a Saturday. We watched an interesting video on the miraculous survival of that 1989 plane crash in Iowa (all due to PRACTICING for a disaster!), then participated in a hands-on exercise to find “victims” of an earthquake, triage and rescue them. And, just like all authentic family get-togethers, we had a delicious potluck, an amazing array of great food, courtesy of us CERT students.
And this is how communities survive. We learn important things, we plan and practice, we communicate and share things (especially food!) – all of which builds a community capable of assembling itself in times of disaster.
It’s a great comfort knowing that there are other like-minded people in my neighborhood, who, regardless of their physical abilities, are mentally prepared to be there and help me when I need it most.
Thank you, neighbor.
When I looked around at my fellow students, I felt some really deep satisfaction. These are people who live in my city, perhaps close by, and are willing to pitch in and help themselves and others around them when the time comes. Now WHEN that time comes, is never known, but when it DOES come, they have a leg up on how to make the best of it.
In some ways, it was more like a fun family reunion for that final day than something that takes away eight hours of a Saturday. We watched an interesting video on the miraculous survival of that 1989 plane crash in Iowa (all due to PRACTICING for a disaster!), then participated in a hands-on exercise to find “victims” of an earthquake, triage and rescue them. And, just like all authentic family get-togethers, we had a delicious potluck, an amazing array of great food, courtesy of us CERT students.
And this is how communities survive. We learn important things, we plan and practice, we communicate and share things (especially food!) – all of which builds a community capable of assembling itself in times of disaster.
It’s a great comfort knowing that there are other like-minded people in my neighborhood, who, regardless of their physical abilities, are mentally prepared to be there and help me when I need it most.
Thank you, neighbor.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
As Seen from Outer Space
When I see photos of the earthquake and tsunami aftermath in Japan, the images are quite shocking. It’s as if you are looking at something that can’t possibly be real. Entire communities literally swept away. One minute there and the next...gone. I moved to Seattle in 1983, three years after Mt. St. Helens blew her top and you could still walk through that area in complete disbelief that it was real. Entire forests were laid flat and stripped of life. They laid there like millions of giant toothpicks in patterns of lines and swirls across thousands of acres of mountainside. The force of nature was beyond comprehension.
When I think of areas such as Fukushima, Japan, or Christchurch, New Zealand, or Port Au Prince, Haiti, or the oil-slicked Gulf Coast, it makes me wonder where is the line? Over which spot was it OK? Did someone “miss the bullet” so to speak by being in one spot and not another?
Photos taken from the Space Station are stunningly beautiful and I could gaze at them for hours – something that I imagine is one of the things that consume much of the astronauts’ free time... But it reminds me that there are no borders for disasters. There is no clear line over which disaster may not go. Natural disasters, at least, care not for historical structures or the location of schools. They care not for who lives in the building, the town or the ocean. They simply happen.
So when we prepare for disasters, do we worry about where those lines are drawn? Which stuff is mine, or yours, or whose responsibility is it? If we look from outer space, there are no lines, no arrows, no absolutes. Just a planet with people, places and things. So, let’s all pitch in and get ready, for you, your neighbor, that guy across town or across the ocean.
We are all in this together. Go Earth!
When I think of areas such as Fukushima, Japan, or Christchurch, New Zealand, or Port Au Prince, Haiti, or the oil-slicked Gulf Coast, it makes me wonder where is the line? Over which spot was it OK? Did someone “miss the bullet” so to speak by being in one spot and not another?
Photos taken from the Space Station are stunningly beautiful and I could gaze at them for hours – something that I imagine is one of the things that consume much of the astronauts’ free time... But it reminds me that there are no borders for disasters. There is no clear line over which disaster may not go. Natural disasters, at least, care not for historical structures or the location of schools. They care not for who lives in the building, the town or the ocean. They simply happen.
So when we prepare for disasters, do we worry about where those lines are drawn? Which stuff is mine, or yours, or whose responsibility is it? If we look from outer space, there are no lines, no arrows, no absolutes. Just a planet with people, places and things. So, let’s all pitch in and get ready, for you, your neighbor, that guy across town or across the ocean.
We are all in this together. Go Earth!
Monday, April 18, 2011
The Simplicity of Complexity
There is no use in hiding it. I am a math nut. Yes, one of those really weird people who really love mathematics, fooling around with numbers and all of that possibly outside-the-norm stuff. In fact, I dream in numbers and think of numbers when I am conscious at some of the least expected times. But before all you therapists out there start emailing me your next available slot, I think I am relatively OK otherwise. Just crazy about numbers.
Which bring me to today’s topic – Mathematics Awareness Month! You can hardly imagine how excited I was when, after all these years, I found out only this past weekend of this fantastic annual event. My discovery came during the April 16 program on NPR in which Sanford University Professor, Keith Devlin, was describing this year’s topic, Unraveling Complex Systems. What really got me hooked was his statement that, “Complex systems are inherently non-unravelable. The best you can do is gain a holistic understanding by running simulations.”
Holy quadratic equations, Batman! Isn’t that what emergency preparedness is all about? [OK, how many of you were trying to see how I was finally going to make a connection...] Preparing for disaster is in essence preparing for everything. Floods, earthquakes, fires, terrorism, tornadoes. That is a complex and a daunting task. Which, incidentally, is why so many people delay getting prepared, or deny that preparedness does them any good.
So, if we think of what Dr. Devlin said, that we gain an understanding by running simulations, then we are all closer to simplifying a very complex problem by doing just that – running simulations in the form practice drills, practicing your fire escape, practice turning off the gas to your house (but DON’T turn it off until you have a real emergency!), practicing what to do when an armed gunman enters your classroom, practicing drop, cover and hold on... It is all simulation to help you understand how the real thing works, then being able to do it when the real thing occurs.
Complexity to simplicity. It can work. You just have to play with the numbers.
Which bring me to today’s topic – Mathematics Awareness Month! You can hardly imagine how excited I was when, after all these years, I found out only this past weekend of this fantastic annual event. My discovery came during the April 16 program on NPR in which Sanford University Professor, Keith Devlin, was describing this year’s topic, Unraveling Complex Systems. What really got me hooked was his statement that, “Complex systems are inherently non-unravelable. The best you can do is gain a holistic understanding by running simulations.”
Holy quadratic equations, Batman! Isn’t that what emergency preparedness is all about? [OK, how many of you were trying to see how I was finally going to make a connection...] Preparing for disaster is in essence preparing for everything. Floods, earthquakes, fires, terrorism, tornadoes. That is a complex and a daunting task. Which, incidentally, is why so many people delay getting prepared, or deny that preparedness does them any good.
So, if we think of what Dr. Devlin said, that we gain an understanding by running simulations, then we are all closer to simplifying a very complex problem by doing just that – running simulations in the form practice drills, practicing your fire escape, practice turning off the gas to your house (but DON’T turn it off until you have a real emergency!), practicing what to do when an armed gunman enters your classroom, practicing drop, cover and hold on... It is all simulation to help you understand how the real thing works, then being able to do it when the real thing occurs.
Complexity to simplicity. It can work. You just have to play with the numbers.
Monday, April 11, 2011
A History Lesson to Save Your Life
A collective gasp and shaking of heads occurs every time we learn of a shooting that occurs on a school or university. The venues changes, but the outcome is nearly always the same... Student, armed, walks onto the school or campus and shoots other students and teachers. People die, then the shooter usually kills himself. Later we find that the shooter had mental illness—sometimes overt, sometimes not. The killings mostly seem random, but always are senseless.
Four years ago this very week, a student shot and killed 32 people before shooting himself at Virginia Tech. From the grief and horror of this terrible act, some good did come out of it. For one, the awareness of dealing with those with severe mental illnesses has been greatly heightened. Schools are now actively engaged in their student populations to gain more information, earlier, when things are going south with one of their own. Also, the way in which we prepare people for such incidents has changed as well. When once we trained to, “hide and shelter,” we now know that sometimes you just can’t wait.
After Columbine and now Virginia Tech, police have learned that it is often best to run away from trouble, as quickly as possible. Barricading can work to protect a person, but only if that barricade is sturdy enough to keep out an intruder and does involve using a person to hold it in place. Through the heroics of one professor at Virginia Tech, Liviu Librescu, who held the door’s barricade, some student managed to escape, while he was shot fatally through the door.
We have learned now that first thing is to run. We know that if have no where to run, but we can lock the door, we can deny entry and avoid deadly fire. However, we now also know that we lose options one and two, that the only hope to survival is to fight back.
A group called “ACT, or Attack Countermeasures Training,” among others, are now offering classes in how to launch an attack on an armed person. These groups teach you how to barricade and how to set up attack groups. You learn how you can use strength in numbers to overcome a person with a gun and ultimately change the situation. See a sample video at http://prepare.fullerton.edu/shelter-in-place.htm
On some level it is downright frightening to think that you need to learn how to do this, but history teaches us we have no choice. When it comes to a situation of an unstable person and a gun and you act passively, you will likely die.
So, listen to history and the cries of those who fell before us. Learn and live.
Four years ago this very week, a student shot and killed 32 people before shooting himself at Virginia Tech. From the grief and horror of this terrible act, some good did come out of it. For one, the awareness of dealing with those with severe mental illnesses has been greatly heightened. Schools are now actively engaged in their student populations to gain more information, earlier, when things are going south with one of their own. Also, the way in which we prepare people for such incidents has changed as well. When once we trained to, “hide and shelter,” we now know that sometimes you just can’t wait.
After Columbine and now Virginia Tech, police have learned that it is often best to run away from trouble, as quickly as possible. Barricading can work to protect a person, but only if that barricade is sturdy enough to keep out an intruder and does involve using a person to hold it in place. Through the heroics of one professor at Virginia Tech, Liviu Librescu, who held the door’s barricade, some student managed to escape, while he was shot fatally through the door.
We have learned now that first thing is to run. We know that if have no where to run, but we can lock the door, we can deny entry and avoid deadly fire. However, we now also know that we lose options one and two, that the only hope to survival is to fight back.
A group called “ACT, or Attack Countermeasures Training,” among others, are now offering classes in how to launch an attack on an armed person. These groups teach you how to barricade and how to set up attack groups. You learn how you can use strength in numbers to overcome a person with a gun and ultimately change the situation. See a sample video at http://prepare.fullerton.edu/shelter-in-place.htm
On some level it is downright frightening to think that you need to learn how to do this, but history teaches us we have no choice. When it comes to a situation of an unstable person and a gun and you act passively, you will likely die.
So, listen to history and the cries of those who fell before us. Learn and live.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Nuclear Primordial Soup
Having knowledge is a good thing. Having a little bit of knowledge and applying it liberally to everything around you is, at a minimum, annoying, but could actually be harmful. Take the issue of protecting yourself from radiation. With the damage from the Japanese nuclear power facilities seemingly worse every day, people are really gearing up their fears. Certainly the situation in Japan is sad and concerning, but that does not mean that we should react as though Fukushima were down the street from our house.
As a health physicist for over 18 years, the one thing I strove to do was to education people about radioactivity. Every day it is used beneficially in medicine, research, manufacturing and therapy. But, it also has a “bad side” if unchecked and used inhumanely, as the Japanese can sadly attest. That said, radioactivity is not new on Planet Earth. In fact, Earth was radioactive from the start, and has been gradually “decaying” over four and a half billion years. Everything on earth has evolved from a radioactive atmosphere, although today’s level of radiation is greatly reduced from the days of the original Primordial Soup.
In the April 3, 2011, Los Angeles Times, Chris Woolston wrote an article on the fear of radiation here in the United States and that people are grasping anxiously for anything to protect them from the clouds of radiation undoubtedly wafting over the Pacific. The fact is that if all of the Japanese fuel rods burned up and became airborne, that the amount of radiation received on our coast would still be extraordinarily small and probably add little change to our chance of illness or disease in our lifetimes.
However, people are afraid of things they don’t understand, so they grab onto things which are easy and obtainable. According to Woolston, people believe that taking supplements, especially iodine, and changing to macrobiotic diets [miso soup, brown rice and seaweed] will protect them from radiation. Actually, for healthy individuals, these foods are low fat and could be very good for you. The problem is that many people are sensitive or allergic to iodine. If you are allergic to shellfish, it is probably the iodine that gets you. Additionally, iodine varies in the type of seaweed, some varying by as much as 1000 fold!
There is strong evidence that antioxidants (such as that in soybeans) can help protect DNA from damage, but our DNA has been the subject of damage from those Primordial Soup days and will continue to do so. While some DNA damage is harmful, it is also how we got to where we are today. DNA change is the basis for evolution and all living things on earth are subject to it.
When someone tells me that I need to “eat only,” or “eliminate” a certain thing from my diet, I like to remember what Julia Child once said, which I am sure I am paraphrasing – “Eat a little bit of everything.” Small amounts of most anything are good, but large doses – like iodine supplements or certain seaweed -- could be quite harmful.
So, when protecting yourself, you can do so with what you eat. Just make sure it is full of a variety of nutritional elements and omit the dash of fear. Now that’s a healthy bowl of soup.
As a health physicist for over 18 years, the one thing I strove to do was to education people about radioactivity. Every day it is used beneficially in medicine, research, manufacturing and therapy. But, it also has a “bad side” if unchecked and used inhumanely, as the Japanese can sadly attest. That said, radioactivity is not new on Planet Earth. In fact, Earth was radioactive from the start, and has been gradually “decaying” over four and a half billion years. Everything on earth has evolved from a radioactive atmosphere, although today’s level of radiation is greatly reduced from the days of the original Primordial Soup.
In the April 3, 2011, Los Angeles Times, Chris Woolston wrote an article on the fear of radiation here in the United States and that people are grasping anxiously for anything to protect them from the clouds of radiation undoubtedly wafting over the Pacific. The fact is that if all of the Japanese fuel rods burned up and became airborne, that the amount of radiation received on our coast would still be extraordinarily small and probably add little change to our chance of illness or disease in our lifetimes.
However, people are afraid of things they don’t understand, so they grab onto things which are easy and obtainable. According to Woolston, people believe that taking supplements, especially iodine, and changing to macrobiotic diets [miso soup, brown rice and seaweed] will protect them from radiation. Actually, for healthy individuals, these foods are low fat and could be very good for you. The problem is that many people are sensitive or allergic to iodine. If you are allergic to shellfish, it is probably the iodine that gets you. Additionally, iodine varies in the type of seaweed, some varying by as much as 1000 fold!
There is strong evidence that antioxidants (such as that in soybeans) can help protect DNA from damage, but our DNA has been the subject of damage from those Primordial Soup days and will continue to do so. While some DNA damage is harmful, it is also how we got to where we are today. DNA change is the basis for evolution and all living things on earth are subject to it.
When someone tells me that I need to “eat only,” or “eliminate” a certain thing from my diet, I like to remember what Julia Child once said, which I am sure I am paraphrasing – “Eat a little bit of everything.” Small amounts of most anything are good, but large doses – like iodine supplements or certain seaweed -- could be quite harmful.
So, when protecting yourself, you can do so with what you eat. Just make sure it is full of a variety of nutritional elements and omit the dash of fear. Now that’s a healthy bowl of soup.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Surviving the Triangle of Death
Oh dear, is it that time of year again?
Those of us in Emergency Management groan when we see this horrible email about the “Triangle of Life,” which manages to float through the internet year after year. This is a complete hoax. Its author, known as Doug Copp, is hopefully in jail now for all of this really deadly “advise” that he is spreading. (In fact, he is currently under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice fraud unit...) He is wrong, DEAD wrong.
Let’s think about how this works. He claims that if you are beside something sturdy, rather than under it, a collapsed building will not hurt you? Honestly, if the building pancakes on top of you, you are a goner one way or the other. But this is rarely how buildings actually collapse, nor is it how people are injured or killed during earthquakes. Usually it is stuff flying around or falling over on people that gets them. Which means that getting UNDER something is the SMART thing to do!
For those minor examples Copp claims people survived in the “triangle,” there are thousands more that show the opposite. In fact, there is a photo often shown as one of his examples with the desk in the middle of the picture– if one had been UNDER that desk, one would have survived! NEXT to it (in the triangle) one would have likely not survived, or been severely injured.
Drop, COVER and hold on WILL save your life in an earthquake. Please spread that word instead. DO NOT forward these emails, or refute any sent to you.
For those unwilling to believe me and drop that triangle from their dead, crushed hands, go to Snopes for their take. http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/household/triangle.asp
Those of us in Emergency Management groan when we see this horrible email about the “Triangle of Life,” which manages to float through the internet year after year. This is a complete hoax. Its author, known as Doug Copp, is hopefully in jail now for all of this really deadly “advise” that he is spreading. (In fact, he is currently under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice fraud unit...) He is wrong, DEAD wrong.
Let’s think about how this works. He claims that if you are beside something sturdy, rather than under it, a collapsed building will not hurt you? Honestly, if the building pancakes on top of you, you are a goner one way or the other. But this is rarely how buildings actually collapse, nor is it how people are injured or killed during earthquakes. Usually it is stuff flying around or falling over on people that gets them. Which means that getting UNDER something is the SMART thing to do!
For those minor examples Copp claims people survived in the “triangle,” there are thousands more that show the opposite. In fact, there is a photo often shown as one of his examples with the desk in the middle of the picture– if one had been UNDER that desk, one would have survived! NEXT to it (in the triangle) one would have likely not survived, or been severely injured.
Drop, COVER and hold on WILL save your life in an earthquake. Please spread that word instead. DO NOT forward these emails, or refute any sent to you.
For those unwilling to believe me and drop that triangle from their dead, crushed hands, go to Snopes for their take. http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/household/triangle.asp
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Should We Start Weekly Meetings?
I listened with interest, hope and frustration this week as one person interviewed on the radio noted that this week's events in Japan, followed on the heels of New Zealand's quakes, really made him think about emergency preparedness. OK, maybe it is the fact that I do emergency preparedness for a living, but...REALLY!? Should it take an event of this magnitude to get someone simply to think about getting prepared?
As I mentioned in an earlier blog, our human nature is to disregard, put off, or just flat out deny the possibiity of something unpleasant or sad. Understandable, but it is something that we need to learn to do. And now! We have learned to buy insurance to guard against car accidents or house fires. We have learned that wearing seat belts will save your life if you get in a car crash. We have learned to put rubber mats in showers to prevent slips and falls. So now we need to learn to acquire a new skills set... Prepare for a NATURAL incident.
Preparing for disasters, manmade or natural, should be something we need to weave into our daiy lives. Rather than making it "that thing" so ominous we don't even want to name, we can learn to accept it as a part of our routine, like grocery shopping or cleaning house. Maybe not pleasant activities, but relatively neutral. Once we change the flavor of the label of preparedness, we can start building our cache of tools and supplies to help you survive whatever comes your way.
I doesn't have to be a revolution, but maybe a quiet, but resolute change in ourselves. I doesn't have to be difficult either. At http://prepare.fullerton.edu, you can find a simple 12 step program to get prepared in no time. It doesn't require you to stand, state your name, and tell us that you used to deny that disasters happen.
But it wouldn't hurt. Give it a try and let me know how it works out.
As I mentioned in an earlier blog, our human nature is to disregard, put off, or just flat out deny the possibiity of something unpleasant or sad. Understandable, but it is something that we need to learn to do. And now! We have learned to buy insurance to guard against car accidents or house fires. We have learned that wearing seat belts will save your life if you get in a car crash. We have learned to put rubber mats in showers to prevent slips and falls. So now we need to learn to acquire a new skills set... Prepare for a NATURAL incident.
Preparing for disasters, manmade or natural, should be something we need to weave into our daiy lives. Rather than making it "that thing" so ominous we don't even want to name, we can learn to accept it as a part of our routine, like grocery shopping or cleaning house. Maybe not pleasant activities, but relatively neutral. Once we change the flavor of the label of preparedness, we can start building our cache of tools and supplies to help you survive whatever comes your way.
I doesn't have to be a revolution, but maybe a quiet, but resolute change in ourselves. I doesn't have to be difficult either. At http://prepare.fullerton.edu, you can find a simple 12 step program to get prepared in no time. It doesn't require you to stand, state your name, and tell us that you used to deny that disasters happen.
But it wouldn't hurt. Give it a try and let me know how it works out.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
The Earth Wants Us to Listen
Mother Earth has shook herself again... Just a few weeks ago in New Zealand and now in Japan. In this day of high technology and smart phones and instantaneous broadcasts, we all stopped in our tracks and stood and watched in horror as the images of that 8.9 quake literally shook the life from many Japanese.
And yet, many say, they were lucky in that Japan has the most advanced early warning system on earth to warn people when an earthquake is detected. Now, granted, that “early warning” means a minute or less, but that could mean you’d have time to find a sturdy table or desk, or race to the car in tsunami prone areas. However, many images that I saw defied any sense that it could have mattered.
Japan is known for its preparedness for earthquakes, since this is a place known for such natural occurrences. I have read many times that they are all well trained and know what to do. Yet, the images I saw were quite clear – people STOOD near their desks as things topped around them. People RAN across their offices to stand IN DOORWAYS. A person stood next to a high, fully loaded grocery shelf, ARMS UP, trying to keep it upright. People RAN out of buildings while boulder sized chunks of building smashed to the ground around them.
Maybe it is the Emergency Management Coordinator in me, but I was thinking, “Where is the Drop Cover and Hold On” technique everyone trains to do? Why are people running out of buildings where we KNOW things fall off and have killed many people? Where is your training?
The answer is not simple, nor clear. How could I possibly in the comfort of my own home judge what I would really do in such a violent event? Honestly, I don’t, but it does remind me that we don’t practice enough. If you want to learn to play a game, do you only play it once in a while and expect to know how to play well, or play to win? Of course not. Take the game of golf, an area where I actually do have some expertise. You get instructions, then you hit practice balls. THOUSANDS of them and practice some more. Eventually, your body learns what to do so you don’t even have to think about it. This is what we really need to do: Practice until our body does the right thing before our brain (in panic, fear) short-circuits what we practiced.
I feel tremendous sorrow for the people of Japan, New Zealand, Haiti – they have all suffered tremendously and will continue to for some time. So, for them, and FOR US, I want to remind everyone that practice you should, and, if I have my way, practice we shall.
There are ways to survive and survive well. We just need to listen. And practice.
And yet, many say, they were lucky in that Japan has the most advanced early warning system on earth to warn people when an earthquake is detected. Now, granted, that “early warning” means a minute or less, but that could mean you’d have time to find a sturdy table or desk, or race to the car in tsunami prone areas. However, many images that I saw defied any sense that it could have mattered.
Japan is known for its preparedness for earthquakes, since this is a place known for such natural occurrences. I have read many times that they are all well trained and know what to do. Yet, the images I saw were quite clear – people STOOD near their desks as things topped around them. People RAN across their offices to stand IN DOORWAYS. A person stood next to a high, fully loaded grocery shelf, ARMS UP, trying to keep it upright. People RAN out of buildings while boulder sized chunks of building smashed to the ground around them.
Maybe it is the Emergency Management Coordinator in me, but I was thinking, “Where is the Drop Cover and Hold On” technique everyone trains to do? Why are people running out of buildings where we KNOW things fall off and have killed many people? Where is your training?
The answer is not simple, nor clear. How could I possibly in the comfort of my own home judge what I would really do in such a violent event? Honestly, I don’t, but it does remind me that we don’t practice enough. If you want to learn to play a game, do you only play it once in a while and expect to know how to play well, or play to win? Of course not. Take the game of golf, an area where I actually do have some expertise. You get instructions, then you hit practice balls. THOUSANDS of them and practice some more. Eventually, your body learns what to do so you don’t even have to think about it. This is what we really need to do: Practice until our body does the right thing before our brain (in panic, fear) short-circuits what we practiced.
I feel tremendous sorrow for the people of Japan, New Zealand, Haiti – they have all suffered tremendously and will continue to for some time. So, for them, and FOR US, I want to remind everyone that practice you should, and, if I have my way, practice we shall.
There are ways to survive and survive well. We just need to listen. And practice.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Let the Force Be With You
Star Wars, a New Hope, was on today. What a great film. Classic good versus evil, strong female character, adventure, excitement, lovable heroes. People in my household have seen it and its 2 sequels many times. Shockingly (to me), my daughter has friends who have never seen a single episode of Star Wars. So, when someone says to them, "Let the Force be with you," how could they possibly know what that means? [OK, perhaps I should amend that to "when I say, 'May the force be with you...'", but that is likely another blog, or therapy session...]
Actually, it is a great phrase. It means listen to yourself and trust in yourself. Honestly, how great a message is that?! Of course it could be applied to any situation, but it really can and should be applied to those situations of high stress or anxiety.
Sometimes we fret over a strict following of instructions, or feel compelled to do something in a certain way because that is the way everyone is supposed to do it. However, there really are times when we should make our own judgments and do what feels right. That is NOT to say you should always just "wing it," or fly by the seat of your pants! In fact, training, training, training are the 3 most vital elements of not only surviving, but surviving well!
The point is to trust yourself and others to come together to do what needs to be done. This is particularly true in times of emergencies. Those responding to emergencies need to unite as a team with a common purpose. With all of our training, we know our roles, and where we reside in the chart, but we miss the point if we only see the chart and not its purpose. The training should certainly give one the flavor, but let you give it shape. You set aside your egos and the “that ain’t my job” attitude and do what’s right.
So, when something happens that is bad or frightening, it’s OK to be scared or confused. You just need to remember that you can do what needs to be done. Just trust in yourself and your team (family, friends, coworkers) and let -- well, you know what I’m talking about -- guide you.
Actually, it is a great phrase. It means listen to yourself and trust in yourself. Honestly, how great a message is that?! Of course it could be applied to any situation, but it really can and should be applied to those situations of high stress or anxiety.
Sometimes we fret over a strict following of instructions, or feel compelled to do something in a certain way because that is the way everyone is supposed to do it. However, there really are times when we should make our own judgments and do what feels right. That is NOT to say you should always just "wing it," or fly by the seat of your pants! In fact, training, training, training are the 3 most vital elements of not only surviving, but surviving well!
The point is to trust yourself and others to come together to do what needs to be done. This is particularly true in times of emergencies. Those responding to emergencies need to unite as a team with a common purpose. With all of our training, we know our roles, and where we reside in the chart, but we miss the point if we only see the chart and not its purpose. The training should certainly give one the flavor, but let you give it shape. You set aside your egos and the “that ain’t my job” attitude and do what’s right.
So, when something happens that is bad or frightening, it’s OK to be scared or confused. You just need to remember that you can do what needs to be done. Just trust in yourself and your team (family, friends, coworkers) and let -- well, you know what I’m talking about -- guide you.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Reminder from Down Under
This week, on Tuesday, February 22, a 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit Christchurch, New Zealand. So far 145 are confirmed dead, with another 200 missing. Over 30,000 have no power, 62,000 are without water and at least 100,000 have no access to sewer service.
Adding insult to injury, this is the second big quake that hit New Zealand. On September 4, an even bigger quake hit nearly this same spot with a 7.1 magnitude jolt. Fortunately, because the quake hit in the very early morning hours, most people were not at work or on the streets, so no lives were lost, but a lot of older structures fell and the damage was city-wide and extensive.
To put these numbers into perspective, consider that Christchurch has a population of 348,000, or about 1/12 of New Zealand's population of 4 million. We have nearly that many in Orange County alone (3 million), but less than half of Los Angeles County's 10 million.
What do all these numbers mean? Think of it this way...imagine that a 6.3 or 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit in either Orange or La County... Thousands, not hundreds, could be missing. A million or more would be left without water, sewer or power. Access to freeways would likely be limited, at best, and life as we know it would come to a halt. And not for a day or two, but for weeks and probably months before a real semblance of normalcy would return.
If this scares you, that is not my intent. This is just a reminder that Mother Nature shows her self randomly and with no warning. So rather than being scared, get energized. Remember that being prepared for disaster is the best way to not only survive, but to survive well. I feel saddened when I see the images of those New Zealanders digging out of the rubble, but it does harden my resolve to keep typing and reminding that we all need to be prepared.
We just need to listen to Mother's occasional reminders. Even when she is “down under.”
Adding insult to injury, this is the second big quake that hit New Zealand. On September 4, an even bigger quake hit nearly this same spot with a 7.1 magnitude jolt. Fortunately, because the quake hit in the very early morning hours, most people were not at work or on the streets, so no lives were lost, but a lot of older structures fell and the damage was city-wide and extensive.
To put these numbers into perspective, consider that Christchurch has a population of 348,000, or about 1/12 of New Zealand's population of 4 million. We have nearly that many in Orange County alone (3 million), but less than half of Los Angeles County's 10 million.
What do all these numbers mean? Think of it this way...imagine that a 6.3 or 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit in either Orange or La County... Thousands, not hundreds, could be missing. A million or more would be left without water, sewer or power. Access to freeways would likely be limited, at best, and life as we know it would come to a halt. And not for a day or two, but for weeks and probably months before a real semblance of normalcy would return.
If this scares you, that is not my intent. This is just a reminder that Mother Nature shows her self randomly and with no warning. So rather than being scared, get energized. Remember that being prepared for disaster is the best way to not only survive, but to survive well. I feel saddened when I see the images of those New Zealanders digging out of the rubble, but it does harden my resolve to keep typing and reminding that we all need to be prepared.
We just need to listen to Mother's occasional reminders. Even when she is “down under.”
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
The Carriage Return < CR >
Chances are that if you know what a carriage return is, you are of certain age and a certain technological ability. I am quite sure that my teen-aged children do not. It occurred to me upon seeing an old typewriter, an old manual typewriter even, how technology has changed. < cr >
My children could hardly believe that that first phone we had on our farm had a "party line," which is not nearly as fun as it sounds. It meant that when you picked up the phone that it was possible and probable that another person could be talking on (and using so that you’d have to wait) that same "line." Conversely, you could be chatting and have a neighbor pick up their phone only to discover that you were on it. I guess it was a sort of precursor of wire-tapping and, depending upon the skills of the listener, you could tap into your neighbor’s business undetected with ease. < cr >
I listened with curiosity this weekend about some MIT researchers who claimed that the use of Facebook and texting and such were diminishing human interactions and were detrimental to our social well-being. HA! I laughed. He obviously does not have a teenage daughter, who is a virtual social network all by herself with her 300 Facebook friends (not sure about this number, but I bet I’m not far off...maybe a big low...) and trusty cell phone by her side. Yes, she sleeps with it and I am quite sure all of her friends do, too. She texts as fast as I can talk and can do so with hardly a glance at the keyboard. < cr >
Do I consider this new interaction “detrimental?” Hardly. This researcher may think this new technology de-humanizing, but he just fails to see outside the box. These kids can communicate faster than a speeding bullet, solve social problems easier than leaping over tall buildings and still develop into responsible, lovely, interactive people. < cr >
So, if you really want to understand technology and social networking and how well it really works, hang out with a bunch of teens for a while. And they did it all without even knowing the < cr >.
2/23/2011 Postscript: I just glanced at my Post and noticed that the "< cr >" was not there on my original post. I altered it slightly to < space CR space >, then it showed up. Well, I'll be... That ancient Carriage Return is still there after all. The computer just "recognized" this shorthand for the old Carriage Return and did just that. Next paragraph, please... ;-)
My children could hardly believe that that first phone we had on our farm had a "party line," which is not nearly as fun as it sounds. It meant that when you picked up the phone that it was possible and probable that another person could be talking on (and using so that you’d have to wait) that same "line." Conversely, you could be chatting and have a neighbor pick up their phone only to discover that you were on it. I guess it was a sort of precursor of wire-tapping and, depending upon the skills of the listener, you could tap into your neighbor’s business undetected with ease. < cr >
I listened with curiosity this weekend about some MIT researchers who claimed that the use of Facebook and texting and such were diminishing human interactions and were detrimental to our social well-being. HA! I laughed. He obviously does not have a teenage daughter, who is a virtual social network all by herself with her 300 Facebook friends (not sure about this number, but I bet I’m not far off...maybe a big low...) and trusty cell phone by her side. Yes, she sleeps with it and I am quite sure all of her friends do, too. She texts as fast as I can talk and can do so with hardly a glance at the keyboard. < cr >
Do I consider this new interaction “detrimental?” Hardly. This researcher may think this new technology de-humanizing, but he just fails to see outside the box. These kids can communicate faster than a speeding bullet, solve social problems easier than leaping over tall buildings and still develop into responsible, lovely, interactive people. < cr >
So, if you really want to understand technology and social networking and how well it really works, hang out with a bunch of teens for a while. And they did it all without even knowing the < cr >.
2/23/2011 Postscript: I just glanced at my Post and noticed that the "< cr >" was not there on my original post. I altered it slightly to < space CR space >, then it showed up. Well, I'll be... That ancient Carriage Return is still there after all. The computer just "recognized" this shorthand for the old Carriage Return and did just that. Next paragraph, please... ;-)
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