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
Monday, March 28, 2011
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.
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