National Guard units from three States Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska along with 500 members of other emergency response agencies took part in a a large scale drill last week.
The exercise was called vigilant Guard 2009, and included a simulated train wreak and about 166 Iowans took part in the drill playing injured and dead victims.
A recent survey of over 700 small and mid-sized businesses in the United States and Canada was conducted by Agility Recovery Solutions and Hughes Marketing Group to assess their disaster recovery and business continuity plans.
The survey results indicate that though more small and mid-sized businesses are taking preparedness steps, the plans are not comprehensive enough and many lack planning around basic infrastructure and people needs.
In addition many of these businesses spend little time updating and maintaining their plans. According to the survey:
Of the companies with a plan, 12%
have not updated it at all in the past 12 months. Another
33% have only provided general updates. This means that
45% of companies have a continuity plan in place, but have
not taken the appropriate steps to regularly update or test
its capabilities.
You can view the complete survey below:
2009 Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity Survey
Full Disclosure:
Disaster Preparedness Blog is not affiliated in any way with Agility Recovery Solutions. All information, and survey used with permission. Thanks to Agility Recovery Solutions for allowing us to use and pass along this information.
You never know exactly when a disaster or emergency may strike, especially out here in earthquake country where I am. So, it is important that you have enough supplies in case your car breaks down, you have to wait for someone else to come along or if you have to walk to safety.
In addition to the more common items like jumper cables, or emergency car starter, and work gloves be sure that you carry some of the following items.
You'll especially want the food if you need to walk to safety or to your home. In the case of an earthquake with major infrastructure damage you'll most likely have to walk for several miles to reach home.
If you are stranded in the middle of no where it is best to stay with the car and wait for help. If you need to leave the car for safety reasons, stay on the road at all times, you will be more likely to get help and be spotted by someone.
I constantly hear from other sources, both private, and from the government, that you should prepare to be on your own for 72 hours following a disaster.
However.... What you do not hear too often, is that 72 hours is often the MINIMUM length of time that you should be prepared to go before help arrives.
There are those that feel that you should prepare to the extent that no help ever arrives, though I am not going to go to such an extreme, at least not at this time.
So what is a good length of time to prepare for a disaster? Well, that depends on many factors really, such as are you alone? Will you have other family members with you? What are the needs of the other people in your group? Do some require extra attention? Special diet needs, etc.?
What many people are unaware of is that during a major disaster, infrastructure that we take for granted everyday will be destroyed or rendered useless. Some of these infrastructures rely on one another to keep working.
For instance, without electricity, or power backups water pumping stations are not going to be working. This will lead to sewage treatment and water treatment problems.
In some cases it can be as long as 4-5 months before some of these services become available again. I have heard of reports as long as 6 months before some utilities become fully restored.
While the utilities have plans in place for such operations, you may have to travel to a water station which may also be inaccessible by vehicles and may require you to walk several miles to an aid station to get food, water and other needed supplies.
I would recommend that you have enough supplies for a month at a minimum, but some may need more. Keep in mind that this will be a high-stress situation, you may be sleep deprived which also increases caloric needs.
My main point in all of this is that we are very under prepared, 72 hours is just 6 3 full days. The average preparedness kit contains only enough items for 3 full days.
Most people do not even have a three day emergency supply kit, which in most cases are designed to take with you and provide enough supplies until you reach a point of relative safety.
If you have not yet taken action to prepare, please take the time to do so now.
How about you, do you think 72 hours is enough?
The timing of this week's disaster tip could not be better, since the power went out in my neighborhood last night for about 45 minutes.
Having flashlights or battery powered lanterns near by during a power outage or during a disaster is very good for helping to keep people calm. Being able to see what you are doing is a great help too.
Some people suggest propane lanterns and candles, and being from the North East these were common in my house as a kid and great for when storms knock out the power.
However, during major disasters these are not the best choice, since there is a fire danger. Gas leaks are very common.
If you are going to use a candle, lantern or even before you light a match or lighter, be 100 percent sure it is safe to do so.
So, if you can use battery powered, or even hand cranked powered lights, at least until you know it is safe to use other sources.
I keep several battery powered lanterns with batteries in them at all times. I also have a few other lanterns and lights ready but without batteries in them.
I also have enough batteries for each light source along with back up batteries for each which some may say is a little over kill, but hey, it's about being prepared right?
My name is Keith Erwood, and disasters are my life. Well, not just disasters really, but to help people like you, owners, executives and managers of businesses prepare for disasters and emergencies.
You can connect with me via social media sites at Facebook - LinkedIn - Twitter.
Monday, June 22, 2009 at 4:31PM