Ready now, Steady later

Preparing for a disaster is one of those projects it's easy to put off. Don't wait; do it now. Rarely do you get a warning that a disaster is on its way in time to do much about it. At worst, planning ahead can make the difference between surviving or not. At the least, an emergency kit and a clear plan will help your family and neighbors be more comfortable while you wait it out.

Oregon is vulnerable to vaious types of natural hazards, from severe winter storms to earthquakes and floods. We also need to be prepared for thereats from aiforne chemicals, fires, tainted water or acts of aggression.

Many regional and national organizations have web sites, blogs and other communications dedicated to disaster preparedness. Oregon Emergency Management suggests you visit www.ready.gov for information about "Sheltering in Place," prepareing a 72 hour kit and making a disaster plan. There are diagrams and lists you can review and print out to help. The Red Cross also has a very useful site, www.oregonredcross.org. Check your local emergency management agencies for twitters and blogs like this one.

OEM's twitter is www.twitter.com/baileyjn. This is where we will post emergency information during disasters and education information when things are calmer.

Myth 6 Nothing like that could ever happen here

Though some areas are more prone to certain types of disasters, for example earthquakes in California, or terror attacks in New York, no area on earth is completely immune. Also, as much as people travel these days, you might end up somewhere in a disaster situation that you never considered before.

There is nothing smarter than being prepared for the unexpected. You don't want to be one of the dependent ones.

There are two types of trauma - physical and mental. Physical trauma includes the body's response to serious injury and threat. Mental trauma includes frightening thoughts and painful feelings. Mental trauma can produce strong feelings. It can also produce extreme behavior; such as intense fear or helplessness, withdrawal or detachment, lack of concentration, irritability, sleep disturbance, aggression, hypervigilance, (intensely watching for more distressing events), or flashbacks (sense that event is reoccuring).

Studies of survivors have found that those who had thought about possible disasterous events in advance, even just a small amount, reacted faster and better than those who hadn't. You do not want to have to think during a disaster, you want to just react appropriately and quickly.

No one wants to dwell on scary things, but planning evacuation routes out of your home, knowing where you would go, etc. is just like knowing where the exits are at the movie theater or having a smoke dectector in your home. Please put just a little more effort into considering other possibilites such as earthquake, chemical emergencies, pandemics, wind storms, and floods. Make sure every member of your family is ready and confident.