#Natlprep: Because Disasters Happen

 

Note: September is National Preparedness Month . Follow this year’s campaign on Twitter by searching for the #NatlPrep hash tag.
 
This month, I’ll be rerunning some edited and updated older preparedness essays, along with some new ones.

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The heartbreaking images and stories coming out of the Bahamas in the wake of Category 5 Hurricane Dorian are reminders both of nature's fury, and of our continued vulnerability to natural calamities. 

Whether you ascribe it to dumb luck or divine intervention, South Florida avoided an unimaginable catastrophe because Dorian slowed, and stalled a little more than 100 miles east of West Palm Beach before turning north.

The next major hurricane may threaten Miami, Tampa, New Orleans, or New York City, and when that day comes, they may not be as lucky.  Disasters can happen anywhere, and at anytime, and the one great truth of the matter is - nature doesn't care who or what is in the way.  

If you lived in New Orleans during Katrina, Puerto Rico for Maria, or on Great Abaco for Dorian, you already appreciate this.  As do the tornado battered residents of Joplin Missouri, the fire scarred inhabitants of Fort McMurray, Alberta, and earthquake shattered people of Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

But most people - despite the evidence - still view disasters as something that happens to someone else.  Part of that may have to do with our short collective memories, and a recent (and almost certainly, temporary) drop in the number of big-ticket disasters around the globe.

Two months ago, in CRED: Global Natural Disasters 2018, we saw that last year was a below average year for disasters.  Of course, if you lived in the panhandle of Florida during CAT 5 hurricane Michael - or went through any of the other 314 other disasters around the world - you might beg to differ.

First a comparison of 2018 vs the 10 year average.

Second, while the United States wasn't the worst affected country, it did see the greatest economic losses.

Someday, California's earthquake drought will end (see Dr. Lucy Jones: `Imagine America Without Los Angeles’), a major Solar Flare/CME will damage our electronic infrastructure (see NASA: The Solar Super Storm Of 2012), or another great pandemic will kill hundreds of millions of people (see CLADE X: Archived Video & Recap).

On a long enough time-scale, all three are likely to occur.  Hopefully spaced far enough apart to make them manageable. 

But it doesn't take a disaster of biblical proportions to ruin your entire day.  A CAT 2 hurricane, a wild fire threatening your home or business, or a major flood could put your and your loved ones in harm's way.

When these disasters - large or small - invariably happen, those who are prepared will have an advantage over those who are not.   Which is the focus and intent of National Preparedness Month.

Note, I say an `advantage', not a `get out of hell' free card.  You can be well prepared and, through bad luck alone, still end up on the casualty list.  But your best chance of coming through a disaster with the fewest scars (physical and emotional) lie in what you do before that day arrives. 

Imagine being in Puerto Rico three weeks after Hurricane Maria, and still being without electricity, running water, or communications.

Now imagine it if you had a hand-crank radio, a decent water filter, a couple of solar powered lanterns, a first aid kit, enough food to get you and your family through the first few weeks, and some sort of alliance with friends of neighbors to look out for one another during and after a disaster (see In An Emergency, Who Has Your Back?).

Neither scenario are even remotely desirable, but having basic preps and plans - and the skills to use them - make being prepared far more survivable during dire events, and more palatable during lesser emergencies.

And make no mistake, small creature comforts during a disaster can pay big dividends, both in your ability to cope, and the long term psychological impact on you and your loved ones.

In Post Disaster Stress & Suicide Rates we looked at some the psychological effects of major disasters, including Hurricane Katrina, California's Northridge Earthquake, and Japan's 2011 Earthquake and Tsunami.

Six years ago, in Sandy 1 Year Later: Coping With The Aftermath, we looked at some of the lingering effects of New England’s brush with that storm, and in 2015 the CDC held a COCA Call: Understanding The Mental Health Impact Of Hurricane Sandy.

While the psychological impact of a major disaster cannot be fully prevented, individual, family, and business preparedness can go a long ways towards reducing the impact of any disaster.

The National Center For PTSD provides guidance - including videos - on how to provide Psychological First Aid.

Psychological First Aid: Field Operations Guide

Psychological First Aid
For Disaster Responders

Developed jointly with the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, PFA is an evidence-informed modular approach for assisting people in the immediate aftermath of disaster and terrorism: to reduce initial distress, and to foster short and long-term adaptive functioning.

All reasons why you and your family, your workplace, and your community should take disaster planning and preparedness seriously.

Because, like it or not, no one is immune to nature's fury.