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.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
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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