Is the "Disaster Preparation Begins with Each Person" Theme a Convenient CYA Cop-Out?
Today's Honolulu Star-Bulletin advances the concept heard over and over in the post-Katrina period. The editorial -- "Preparing for natural disasters begins at home" -- concludes with the motherly advice that preparing for an emergency begins with each individual.
Well, whether it "begins" there or not may be open to interpretation. Every city and state worth its salt began spending millions upon millions of dollars in civil defense planning and preparedness long ago. Are we getting a fair return on that investment? Should individual citizens be given an opportunity to provide feedback on the "comfort factor" of those plans before the next disaster?
(News item: Two named tropical storms in the eastern Pacific are expected to grow to hurricane size within 72 hours of this writing. The predicted path of future-Hurricane Jova takes it north of its current track straight toward the Hawaiian Islands.)
[9/16 update: Both storms have been upgraded to hurricane status.]
[9/27 update: Jova passed northeast of the state after being downgraded; Kenneth is expected to degrade and pass closer to the islands. The hurricane track link above shows only current storms.]
After Katrina, it should be an accepted practice to put our planners on the hotseat if necessary -- not for sport or because we're make-wrong artists but because these questions need asking to know where we stand as a community is our disaster preparedness.
"Three days of food, water, a battery-powered radio and a can opener" is always good advice, especially if you live in tornado or hurricane alley, but let's get specific about the big picture -- long-term housing for the homeless, long-term food supplies for mid-Pacific communities and all the other issues that our planners should have worked out long ago.
Just tell us your big-picture plans for survival, and we'll decide whether it feels right.
Well, whether it "begins" there or not may be open to interpretation. Every city and state worth its salt began spending millions upon millions of dollars in civil defense planning and preparedness long ago. Are we getting a fair return on that investment? Should individual citizens be given an opportunity to provide feedback on the "comfort factor" of those plans before the next disaster?
(News item: Two named tropical storms in the eastern Pacific are expected to grow to hurricane size within 72 hours of this writing. The predicted path of future-Hurricane Jova takes it north of its current track straight toward the Hawaiian Islands.)
[9/16 update: Both storms have been upgraded to hurricane status.]
[9/27 update: Jova passed northeast of the state after being downgraded; Kenneth is expected to degrade and pass closer to the islands. The hurricane track link above shows only current storms.]
After Katrina, it should be an accepted practice to put our planners on the hotseat if necessary -- not for sport or because we're make-wrong artists but because these questions need asking to know where we stand as a community is our disaster preparedness.
"Three days of food, water, a battery-powered radio and a can opener" is always good advice, especially if you live in tornado or hurricane alley, but let's get specific about the big picture -- long-term housing for the homeless, long-term food supplies for mid-Pacific communities and all the other issues that our planners should have worked out long ago.
Just tell us your big-picture plans for survival, and we'll decide whether it feels right.
posted by Doug Carlson at 9:46 AM
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