The always creative folks at the Oregon Trail Red Cross are again running their successful National Preparedness Month contest, #just1thing.
To enter, tweet just one thing that you’re doing to get prepared for emergencies to @RedCrossPDX and use the hashtag #just1thing.
It’s a terrific contest — fun, spurs action and creates a good preparedness list. Anyone can share anything they’re doing to get prepared at any time, but new this year each week of September will have a special theme and corresponding prize: Sept. 1-10: Children; Sept. 13-17: Families; Sept. 20-24: Workplace; Sept. 27-30: Pets. All participants are welcome, however only Oregon residents are eligible for prizes (valued at $100), to be awarded via random drawing.
Yesterday, I participated in several Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) activities as part of New York City’s kickoff of National Preparedness Month activities.
First, I handed out preparedness ‘goody bags’ to passersby in Manhattan’s Columbus Circle after stuffing the packages with other members in an impromptu assembly line. In each bag was a READY New York pen, hand santizer and info pamphlets. Most folks walking by our tent were interested in getting the bags maybe in part because of the increased awareness related to Hurricane Earl heading up the Eastern Seaboard.
Putting together preparedness bags.
Then, handing out the READY New York ‘goody’ bags in Columbus Circle.
After assembling and handing out the bags for a couple hours in Manhattan, I went to downtown Brooklyn where the City’s Office of Emergency Management Commissioner Joseph Bruno was announcing some new initiatives for National Preparedness Month, including a Facebook application to help New Yorkers locate family in an emergency. I was asked to stand with Bruno, the Fire Commissioner and officials from the Police Department, Red Cross and the Ad Council to represent CERT during the event.
Participating in a National Preparedness Month press conference in downtown Brooklyn.
After the press conference, I went over to a camera tent where OEM was interviewing/auditioning citizens for a preparedness public service announcement. In all, a full CERT day.
Auditioning for a READY New York public service announcement.
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To mark National Preparedness Month, the Empire State Building is lit tonight in Ready New York  Yellow making emergency readiness, at least for one evening, the ‘highest’ priority in the City. I took the (amateur) photos earlier this evening.
The Empire State Building lit in Ready New York Yellow tonight.
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The New York City Office of Emergency Management (OEM) and the Ad Council today launched a new Facebook application to help New Yorkers find a safe place to meet their families or friends during an emergency.
Located on OEM’s Facebook page, the new interactive web mapping application allows New Yorkers to select a meeting place from thousands of locations in the metropolitan area in advance of an emergency. Users can search for meeting places closest to their home or office addresses, such as schools, museums, libraries, senior centers, courthouses, post offices, or police or fire stations.
Other options include choosing a meeting place between two addresses or choosing your own meeting place. After the meeting place is chosen, it can be shared via e-mail with those users who want to meet at the designated point in an emergency. Users will also be able to share their meeting place via text message in the coming months.
Screenshot of New York City Office of Emergency Management/Ad Council Facebook “My Meeting Place” Application.
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This morning, I had the opportunity to speak to FEMA Deputy Administrator Richard Serino who was in Brooklyn to help the New York’s Office of Emergency Management kickoff National Preparedness Month.
In a video interview (below), Serino said that with Hurricane Earl heading up the Eastern Seaboard “today is the day for people to be prepared,” particularly in the New England area which may bear the brunt of the storm. Serino, who is from the Boston area, recommends that citizens get ready by charging their cellphones, filling their gas tanks and getting some extra cash.
FEMA Deputy Administrator Richard Serino
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Though yesterday’s launch of National Preparedness Month was filled with a lot of great activities taking place throughout the U.S., it also a day that underscores the shortcomings in the nation’s public readiness efforts — because also yesterday Japan held its annual Disaster Prevention Day during which 670,000 citizens participated in emergency drills in Tokyo and 34 prefectures around the country.
The government on Wednesday conducted a disaster drill under a scenario in which three massive simultaneous earthquakes struck a wide area along the Pacific coast in central Japan. Wednesday’s drill, the first under the triple-earthquake scenario, was among many similar exercises conducted nationwide, marking this year’s Disaster Prevention Day.
Japan’s Disaster Prevention Day was established to mark the anniversary of the Great Kanto Earthquake which killed more than 100,000 people in 1923. And China, since its 8.0-magnitude 2008 Sichuan Province earthquake, has also held two national disaster prevention days with nationwide drills.
This blog has long advocated both more extensive civilian drills as well as a special preparedness day to undertake them. If Japan and China can do so, I think we can too.
Most every top national and local government preparedness official I’ve spoken to believes that preparedness exercise for the public would increase citizen readiness and engagement. Short of an actual incident, a drill is the best way to get people to think through what they would do if something actually happens. (For example, how to evacuate in a hurricane for residents, like in the northeast, who are not used to doing so.)
And, I strongly believe that there needs to be one day in the year dedicated to the emergency planning process. If we as a nation feel it is really important for the public to develop emergency plans, it would be far more effective if everyone was doing that at the same time — rather than asking individuals to do it on their own. This ‘preparedness day’ would also be the time that we all asked the questions about planning then practiced and updated those plans. It would be useful for both responders and the public.
Among the questions that will come out of that type of drilling day include: Where would you go? Would it depend on the type of emergency? Would you be able to get out of work? Would your kids’ school want you to come there? How would you get in touch with each other as well as how would the authorities would communicate with you?
The fact is that families will never be able to fully answer all these ‘what if’ questions in advance; it will always depend to some extent on circumstances (ie. evacuating vs. sheltering in place), but this day would at least begin the preparedness process.  It would be the time to think through some scenarios and link together some of the institutions/people families would need to rely on in a disaster.
Japanese children in Disaster Prevention Day drill.
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With today marking the first day of National Preparedness Month (NPM), I wanted to mention that Ready Campaign Deputy Director Rebecca Marquis told me this morning that this year’s NPM has set the record for number of coalition members.
As of last Friday, there were 3684 members breaking the biggest previous figure of 3200 two years ago. Coalition members “have pledged to provide information, host events and/or sponsor activities for their customers, members, employees, stakeholders and communities throughout the month of September.” Marquis attributes the number to “very strong outreach effort this year by all levels of government (federal, state and local) as well as the private sector.”
If you would like to become a coalition member, click here
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During National Preparedness Month, the blog will be highlighting interesting, innovative and fun readiness events and ideas that are going on around the nation. One of those is the “30 Days, 30 Ways” Contest created by Clark Regional Emergency Services Agency (CRESA) in Vancouver, Washington. According to its website:
Each day in September, CRESA is going to post an activity-based challenge which will take everyone who plays one step closer towards being more resilient as a community and ready to face the next crisis.
Anyone can play. In fact, we encourage EVERYONE to play along in this fun challenge. Even if you don’t complete all 30 days of challenges, by simply doing some of these activities, you may find yourself thinking about emergencies differently.
The Day 1 activity, posted this morning, is very relevant to those across the U.S. from CRESA on the East Coast who are being asked to monitor possible local evacuation orders as a result of Hurricane Earl.
DAY 1 ACTIVITY: Identify the name of your local Emergency Management Agency and how you would receive information from them during emergencies.
To enter:
PROOF OF COMPLETION: There are 3 ways that you can complete this task: Â leave a comment with your answer in it on our blog, put your answer on our Facebook Fan Page or provide the answer on Twitter (please include @CRESA or hashtag #30days30ways in any tweets).
You do not have to complete the task on the day in which it is initially assigned; however, all proofs must be turned in by 9/30/10.
I was very happy to be asked to do a guest post, “LAFD: In Case of Emergency, Read Blog,” on the Los Angeles Fire Department’s (LAFD) popular blog as part of a special series it is doing for National Preparedness Month.
As the U.S. kicks off  National Preparedness Month today, I thought I would reprint a letter to the editor from a newspaper in Canada during that nation’s Emergency Preparedness Week. I think anyone involved in public preparedness will empathize with the challenge of engaging the public on this issue. The letter:
To the editor:
I guess everyone in Scugog Township is prepared for any emergency that may arise.
They must be, because at the end of Emergency Preparedness Week, on Saturday May 8, the No. 1 fire hall in Port Perry was open to everyone to learn about numerous ways to prepare for emergencies, and no one came.
I know my wife and I were not the only ones disappointed with the turnout. Five speakers were lined up to discuss anything and everything needed to prepare for disasters and emergencies of all kinds.
Some of the emergency situations noted in the past that have affected residents of Scugog were H1N1, increasing windstorms and severe summer weather numerous times, resulting in downed trees and other damage as well as the blackout of 2003.
Do you remember what you and your family went through during that blackout? Were you prepared? It could happen again. Will you be ready? Have you ever considered what could happen if flooding were to occur here? Think about broken dams, torrential rain and backed-up storm drains and septics.
At the seminar, tables were set up with giveaway information and supplies. Volunteers were on hand to inform and assist with information and to answer questions. Enbridge set up and prepared hot dogs, hamburgers and pop for visitors.
We want to thank the chief, the mayor and councillors and all the volunteers that were on hand for this event.
Bruno and Darlene Gauweiler, Caesarea
I am also posting the letter for those organizing events this month to show that no matter how difficult things are to do, it always could be worse! I wish everyone the best — and great attendance — with all their activities during Preparedness Month.
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Participating in a National Preparedness Month press conference in downtown Brooklyn.
