30 days, 30 ways

There have been comments made that my recent posts have lacked the "meat" or "substance" of previous posts; to them and others who have been thinking the same thing I say: you're right. There are aspects of preparedness that I plan on going more in depth on, but for the most part, my goal for National Preparedness Month has been to showcase the unique efforts I've found that incorporate preparedness into our lives in interesting ways. All that to say, enjoy this respite while you can because there are more in depth posts on the horizon.

So, today I would like to call your attention to the website: 30days30ways. I like this site for many reasons but my favorite is because of Mr. Yuk, I remember him growing up on things that I wasn't supposed to drink...this was after a brief incident where I inadvertently drank mouthwash...but that's another story.

My name is Mr. Yuk

30 Days 30 Ways is a site that challenges its readers to participate in a simple activity every day during the month of September. They ask for submissions and give out prizes to their winners...and while some people will roll their eyes at the activities, I think this site is a great way to engage kids in preparedness. It provides an opportunity to talk with them about subjects that wouldn't normally come up and to do so while engaging in an activity that reinforces its message and importance. Kids in preparedness isn't something you hear too much about, but when something happens it's all we focus on, so better to start the conversation now instead of later.

Traditional preparedness is messaging accompanied by manuals or "tool kits" of some kind to help jump start the process. While tool kits exist to help make engaging in preparedness easier, people are often turned off because of the extraneous reading they require and ignore the message or exercise. 30 Days 30 Ways offers quick and simple activities that anyone can do and it should appeal to a wider audience without all the jargon.

I suggest checking them out...who knows, if you participate you may win a prize...and who doesn't love prizes?

The Emergency Bra

In looking at the different ways we're integrating preparedness into our daily lives, I came across the Emergency Bra (EBra), an invention of Dr. Elena Bodnar. The EBra is first and foremost a functioning undergarment but has filters sewn into the lining of the cups that work to protect the wearer from smoke, airborne particulate, etc... Dr. Bodnar has been clear that this is not a substitute for traditional forms of respiratory protection like half, full, or N-95 respirators but that it is supposed to be a stopgap should those options not be readily available.

While Dr. Bodnar's inspiration may have come from real world scenarios working with the World Health Organization, it may not be the most practical approach to the problem. Be that as it may, it's her innovative approach at trying to make preparedness as accessible as possible that I appreciate.

From music, to “literature,” and now clothing, emergency preparedness is being integrated into the fabric of our lives--i'm on the lookout for a the male counterpart...the Emergency Jockstrap.

A is for Armageddon

Just like KRS-One applying his lyrical abilities to help raise awareness around disaster preparedness, I've found a book by Richard Horne called "A is for Armageddon' that takes a similar approach but in coffee table format. Full of colorful illustrations, this book takes a comprehensive look at the ways the world could come to an end.

And while this doesn't scream disaster preparedness in the traditional sense, I think it's a great way to engage people on the subject--almost tricking them into thinking about it. The tried and true methods don't create as the same impact anymore which is why you see FEMA using humor in their ads for National Preparedness month this year. Richard Horne has created unique illustrations and tongue and cheek prose to educate the reader on some of the potential dangers that exist and possibly bring an end to the world. 

Imagine this is sitting on a table at a friend's place and you open it to the 'Periodic Catastrophic' page, just trying to decipher this table is enough to get a conversation started, which is a good thing. Bringing disaster into an everyday context is the first and arguably hardest step, getting people to take action is the next.

If you're interested in learning more about this book check out 'A is for Armageddon' on Amazon.

Preparedness Messages in Music

Music is a great to raise awareness. How often have you woken up with a song stuck in your head? What if the lyrics bouncing through your brain contained relevant information instead of being about breaking up, falling in love, or working for the weekend?

The messages in music are powerful and KRS-One's "Disaster Kit" is no exception; it has a lot of good information and he even manages to make water purification rhyme.

And while listening to this may sound strange, using rap and other genres of music to spread unusual messages is taking root within the development community. USAID has funded programming in the Caribbean that uses music as a way for kids to relate to foreign subject matter and make it relevant to them. (http://blog.usaid.gov/2013/05/how-rap-music-is-saving-lives-in-the-Caribbean/)

However the messages are being spread, the fact that the preparedness message is being spread in such a unique way is great to see.



The below video makes you realize just how difficult it can be to create a song about disaster preparedness sound good.

Insurance & you: A love hate relationship.

As part of preparedness month I thought I would start off with something that should be first on the list for owners and renters alike--insurance. I know insurance can be convoluted and the legalese is enough to make your head spin, but this is your first and oftentimes best line of defense to ensure (get it?) that you're protected when something happens.

http://wainassoc.com/2013/01/10/right-insurance-agent-could-save-you-thousands/

Before going further you need to click the link above and read the story, you'll be outraged but know situations like the one Mr. Crea faced happen more often than you think...

Ok, so now I need you set aside the anger you're feeling and know that you can avoid ending up in a similar situation by following some simple steps:

Review your policy. Don't have one? Well this is a great time to do some research on the types of events your community is prone to and to talk to an insurance agent. If you already have a policy, read it through, how much coverage do you have? What's covered, what isn't? Confused by something? Call your agent--be a pain, but don't stop until you understand what you're paying for. Insurance should give you piece of mind, not keep you up at night because you're unsure of what's covered and what isn't.

Resources to help get you started:

• floodsmart.gov (lots of useful and easy to understand info)
• http://www.investopedia.com/articles/pf/08/homeowner-insurance.asp (a beginner's guide)
• [insert your insurance agent's phone number here]

Ok, so you're feeling good, you understand your policy, you and your insurance agent your buddies, so what do you do when something happens? 

Contact your insurance company as soon as possible. Because you've kept all of your important documents in a secure place, referring to them will be a breeze when talking to your agent, a claims adjuster, or whomever is taking down your information. They are going to ask you questions about the damage, the losses, etc... you can help this process along by...

Compiling a list of everything that's been damaged. A good idea is to keep a disposable camera in your preparedness kit so that you can catalogue the damage to your personal property for insurance purposes, the ideal is to capture everything on video if possible. The urge to start cleaning up will be great, but resist; don't begin cleaning until everything has been captured on film and you have an inventory of the damaged items, and most importantly an adjuster has gone over it with you. This will ensure that you get as much as possible in the long run. However, if you have questions about whether you need to wait for an adjuster before beginning cleanup, ask your insurance company. 

Make sure your adjuster can contact you. There is a lot of uncertainty following an event, if you have to make a temporary move, make sure your insurance company knows how to get a hold of you.

Have broken windows? Is your roof leaking? Make any temporary repairs that will prevent further damage to your home, and keep the receipts. Now is not the time for permanent repairs, you just want to keep further damage from taking place. You need to wait for your insurance to weigh in on what's covered and what's not before permanent repairs can begin.

Which brings me to the most important step: Breathe. This is not going to be a quick process, be prepared to spend a lot of time on the phone and revert to step 1. The more you know about your policy, the better you can be at advocating on your behalf...knowledge is power.

Optional Step

If you feel like you didn't get a fair shake by your insurance company, you have the option of hiring a public adjuster, but beware they come with fees and whole set of issues that may impact just how much money you have to repair / rebuild when all is said and done. If you're interested in learning more, this provides a good overview. 

So the dust has finally settled and you have your check in hand, Let the permanent repairs begin! Can you see that glimmer? That's light my friend...but before you go hiring the first contractor that offers you their services, remember fraud sucks (while not a step, it's important to reinforce that). Follow these tips for finding a reputable contractor and make sure you sign a contract that works for you and not just your contractor.

So there you go...a little primer on insurance and disasters. Please do not use this as an authoritative guide to the steps you should follow...this is designed to get you thinking about the subject and I encourage you to read up on what policy works best for you. 

National Preparedness Month

September is National Preparedness month, a time to make sure that you have everything you need should an event impact your community; a time to go over the checklist of what to do, where to go, when to meet, emergency contacts, etc…It’s also an opportunity to create a kit and learn about what to do if this is something that you've put off.

During September I'm going to make an effort to focus content on preparedness, highlight resources, articles, and information to help grow your awareness of the potential threats in your area, as well as how to cope should an event strike.

But before sharing resources related to preparedness, I think it's important to share how success is being defined at a National level:

"A secure and resilient Nation with the capabilities required across the whole community to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to, and recover from the threats and hazards that pose the greatest risk." (National Preparedness Goal, Pg. 1)

For more on the overarching plan and details surrounding each aspect of preparedness: Prevention, Protection, Mitigation, Response, and Recovery, see the full report below: 

http://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/20130726-1828-25045-9470/national_preparedness_goal_2011.pdf

Let's get Ready...to get ready.

Social media and Calgary Flooding

The hashtag #SMEM (social media emergency management) is flourishing on twitter. I've mentioned VOSTs (virtual operation support teams) that have formed in response to the need for remote support in communities overwhelmed due to infrastructure and personnel limitations. I've talked about the proliferation of technologies that organizations are utilizing and the questionable impacts they're having on nonprofit response, but I haven't talked about Canada. Canada got sucker punched earlier this year by unforeseen flooding, a north-of-the-boarder Sandy if you will. Well just as everyone went agog over the social media stats for Sandy here is the first consolidated dataset on social media use during the flooding in Calgary.

Social media and its ability to empower an organized voluntary response is no longer debatable...it's time we re-wrote some volunteer management annexes and figured out how to truly integrate local response (grassroots efforts) into the broader context of emergency management.

Thanks to Inbound Interactive for putting this together...