Bridge Building Lesson One...

First things first, Step One - GET IT OUT. Tell a trusted confidant everything you don't like about your local law enforcement agencies, fire department, emergency medical and hospital personnel, political leaders, the Red Cross, Salvation Army, local Faith-based organizations, the neighborhood watch, the neighbors themselves, your own family, your dog..whoever or whatever. Spill your guts, say your peace, let it out, tell your confidant how you really feel.

Step Two - GET OVER IT.  When we are in a disaster we are all in it together. Yes, each organization, just like individuals, have their own boundaries, missions and agendas. They also all have their good days and their bad ones. If you chose to resent some person or organization because you felt mistreated three years ago and have no interaction with them other than to trash them to everyone you know... congratulations... you have identified a problem and made it worse. Go You! However, if you actually do want to be part of the solution resentment is not the answer. You have to build a bridge. And I do have to warn you that actual work is involved.

So Step Three - GET BUSY. I like the imagery of building a bridge because there is a clear concept that there are two different sides and nothing changes that. Also, bridges don't usually happen by accident and the greater the river they span the more intelligence, patience, and strength it takes to put and keep them in place.
You can do this and when you do, you will make the community safer and stronger for yourself and everyone around you. Go Everybody!

So where do you start? Well if you want to form an alliance you must first approach as an ally. Not a critic, not a judge, not a nay-sayer but dare I say it...show yourself friendly. That doesn't mean you approve of every actions or philosophy of the other party. It means you are smart enough to seen the benefit of working together for the common good.

If an individual or agency has truly done something bad they are probably in need of a few real friends who genuinely want to help ... becuase you can be pretty sure at that point that they've lost all their fair weather friends. Introduce yourself. Be honest about who you are and what you hope to accomplish. Then be helpful. They may accept you, they may reject you. Be helpful anyway.

You are not moving to their side of the river or moving them to yours. You are building a connection that allows you both to share. Now, if your past practice has been to stand on your bank and throw rocks at the other side...expect this process to take a while. But if you continue...patiently and persistently, being honest about who you are and what you hope to achieve...there will come a day when they see you coming and they will know that help is near. Start where you are and with who you know. Amazing things can happen in your community if you are willing to work for them.

Solution in a Sandwich Bag

I am stubborn on a cellular level. It is true. When I was a small child I had a fever and my mother gave me a baby aspirin. My fever went up. So she took me to the doctor. She was afraid that I might be having an allergic reaction. The doctor prescribed an adult aspirin. I am resistant to medication...always have been...probably always will be.

I had dental surgery to remove my wisdom teeth in my late 20s. The dental surgeon had to give me additional medication when I arrived for surgery because what he had prescribed was not enough. Eighteen months later I was getting braces and had to have some teeth removed. I went back to the same surgeon. He reviewed my file and wrote a prescription that was a significantly higer dose that one would normally write for a person of my size.

I only know that because the pharmacist looked at the script, then at me and in a very agitated voice said, "He can't prescibe you that. It is way too much!".

I calmly responded, "I didn't write the prescription, call the doctor and tell him."

The phone was on the counter and the pharmacist immediately made the call. I could hear the doctor's voice and caught phrases like "the max allowed by law" and "have you ever operated on this woman before, well I have." Shaken but satisfied the prescritpion was filled, and I have a much improved smile to prove it.

So what does this have to do with preparing for emergencies and disasters. Well it turns out that all human being are alike in that we are all unique. In our infinite diversity we can react to the same things very differently.

Imagine me in a large scale disaster, perhaps in a shelter, trying to explain to a doctor who has never met me before that I need twice as much medication as everyone else or it is not going to work. She's going to think I'm an addict and I am not going to get the level of treatment I need. Maybe you're the opposite and you only need half the normal dosage or maybe you have adverse responses to common treatments. What can you do to make this situation better?

Grab a sandwich bag. Make a photo copy of your current prescriptions and your medical and insurance information, fold it neatly and insert it into the sandwich bag and seal. Keep this up to date and with your emergency kit at all times. Make one for all the members of you family including you pets. If you have a family member who is in a wheel chair it should be kept in a pocket or pouch on the chair so that it stays with them. it takes five minutes to do and can save you a great deal of discomfort and distress.

These photo copies can then be shared with medical personnel in the disaster response and give them greater confidence in prescribing medication that will work for you. And by having a paper copy you won't have to rely on your memory to make sure you got it right. Here's to good health!

Being Resourceful...

A few years ago we had a drill for our volunteers called "Operation Callout". we paged them to different locations based on their points of origin and instructed them to come prepared for an outdoor first aid response.

When they arrived on scene, we checked to make sure they had the appropriate attire for the weather and personal protective equipment. Once they were checked in and deemed ready to respond, we gave them a list of tasks to accomplish...treating someone for shock, completing a head to toe assessment for injury, splinting an arm and splinting a leg...there was a slight catch...we provided no supplies.

We told them they could use whatever they brought with them, could find or borrow. Truthfully..in a disaster no one is going to be following you around with and endless supply of triangle bandages and tape.  So it pays to practice being resourceful.

It was a great exercise, one volunteer used kayak paddles he had in his truck, another made a great arm splint out of an old license plate she was about to return to the DMV. Another team tore apart old yellow pages that were on a recycling pile and rolled them up for short sturdy splinting materials. When the drill was over quite a few volunteers decided to add a flattened cardboard box and a roll of duct tape to list of things to always have in the trunk ... They don't take up a lot of space and can be used for a variety of purposes including first aid.

Use Your Imagination...

Okay. Let's talk disaster preparedness. I've seen the books, I've read the web sites and everything I've seen so far is either BORING or TERRIFYING. Neither works for me. I'm not some "chick" running around screaming that "THE SKY IS FALLING!!"  I just believe there are some practical steps we can all take before the world around us turns upside down and I believe it can be fun. I am involved in disaster planning, emergency management and crisis intervention every day and I'm having a blast! You should be too.

So here's your first assignment: Use you imagination. Imagine the last vehicle you rode in. Imagine that for the next three days (72 hours), your only source of anything is what is in that vehicle right now.  It is your only source of water, food, money, medication, light, warmth, clothing, shelter, entertainment...ANY thing. If it is not in that vehicle you don't get to have it for three whole days.

Now, raise you hand if you would be thirsty, hungry, having a medical emergency...bored to tears.  This is the essence of disaster preparedness. In a major disaster it is quite possible that you might need to be completely self reliant for three days or more.

How comfortable are you going to be if that happens. Now that you have thought about it, what are you going to put in that vehicle that wasn't there today. How comfortable do you want to be when the next disaster waltzes into town? You have a lot of options. Packing a backpack with some of your favorite foods, some water, a flashlight, a blanket, a battery operated radio, a favorite book. There are so many simple things you can do...use your imagination!