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Unit Five

The Citizen’s Role in

Disaster Preparedness

E
very day, millions of people
wake up, go to work, drop In this unit, you will learn about:
their children off at school,
and enjoy leisure time with X Preparedness activities that can help you
family and friends, following daily and your family survive a disaster and
routines and schedules. However, when reduce financial loss.
the unexpected does happen, routines
change drastically, and people are X Ways to participate in, and help improve,
suddenly aware of how fragile their lives community preparedness.
can be. Our flood scenario demonstrated
the sudden and devastating effect a X Sources of information that can help you
disaster can have on individuals, families, learn more about disaster preparedness.
and the communities in which they live.

What people do before a disaster can make a dramatic difference in their

ability to cope with and recover from a disaster, as well as their ability to
protect other household members and family possessions from avoidable
losses.

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This unit will provide information on how individuals and families can prepare for
potential disasters. Households that are prepared can reduce the fear, anxiety, and losses
that surround a disaster. They can be ready to evacuate their homes, survive a period of
confinement to the home, make their stays in public shelters more comfortable, and take
care of their basic medical needs. They can even save each others’ lives.

FINDING OUT WHAT COULD HAPPEN

The first step in preparing for any disaster is to find out which hazards could strike the
community. Is the community susceptible to winter storms? Tornadoes? Earthquakes? By
contacting the local emergency management office or local Red Cross office, interested
individuals can find out what types of disasters are
considered most likely to occur in a specific
community. It is important to consider the dangers
that natural hazards present when choosing a new
home as well. If possible, home buyers should avoid
buying in areas that are prone to floods and
hurricanes.

PROTECTING AGAINST
FINANCIAL LOSS

As a protection against financial loss, homeowners

should purchase insurance on their home and its
contents. At a minimum, coverage should provide
full replacement or replacement cost coverage.
Families should be prepared to
Homeowners should also investigate buying a
survive emergencies likely to guaranteed replacement cost policy, where available;
occur in their areas. such policies pay to rebuild a home at today’s prices.
Homes should be appraised periodically so that the
policy reflects the real replacement cost.

Coverage should include special hazard-specific insurance (such as flood or earthquake

insurance) appropriate for the area. Unfortunately, many homeowners learn too late that
flood and earthquake loss are not covered under normal homeowners’ insurance policies.
Flood insurance is available in communities participating in the National Flood Insurance
Program (NFIP).

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Those who live in flood-prone areas in a community that is not an NFIP participant
may wish to contact local officials and encourage the community to adopt the program.

Renters should purchase

renter’s and/or flood
insurance to protect against
loss for damaged or
destroyed property. Be aware
that the landlord’s insurance
will not cover damage to, or
loss of, tenant’s possessions.

Those concerned about their

level of protection should
make an appointment with
their insurance agent to
review current insurance
coverage. It is important to Insurance claims are expedited by inventories of possessions
get coverage early since there supplemented by photographs or videotape.
is usually a 30-day waiting
period before it takes effect.

Any insurance claim filed will be expedited if the applicant has made an inventory of
household furnishings and other possessions, supplemented with photographs or
videotape. This information can be used to document property destroyed or damaged in
a disaster. Computer software programs are available that can make this task less
daunting. The documentation should be stored in a safe deposit box or some other safe
place away from the premises. Originals of all important financial and family documents
should be stored in a safe place, with copies elsewhere.

Homeowners also can take measures to protect themselves, their homes, and personal
property from damage in the event of a flood, earthquake, hurricane, or other hazardous
event. In flood-prone areas, homeowners can move utilities and expensive appliances such
as washers and dryers to the first floor or above expected flood levels. Homeowners in
California have learned to avoid placing heavy pictures above beds and to secure heavy and
breakable items on shelves. Homeowners on the coast can install hurricane shutters on
windows or hurricane clips to secure the roof. Protective measures can range from simple

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do-it-yourself activities to more expensive installations that require professional help. It is

important to know the potential for a disaster event occurring near your home when
deciding what types of preventative measures to undertake. The FEMA Hazard Mitigation
Division offers a series of “How-to” documents that describe how to protect yourself and
your property from a variety of hazards. They can be found on the FEMA website.

KNOWING THE WARNING SYSTEM

To warn their citizens in time of an emergency, some communities use sirens or loud-
speakers; others rely on officials going door-to-door or on messages delivered by local TV
or radio stations. The local emergency management office can provide information on what
warning signals are being used in the community. It is important to know what alarms
sound like, what they mean, and what action should be taken when they are heard.

NOAA Weather Radio (NWR) is a nationwide network of radio stations broadcasting

continuous weather information direct from a nearby National Weather Service office.
NWR broadcasts National Weather Service warnings, watches, forecasts and other hazard
information 24 hours a day. Working with the Federal Communication Commission’s
(FCC) Emergency Alert System, NWR is an “all hazards” radio network, making it a single
source for comprehensive weather and emergency information. Known as the “Voice of the
National Weather Service,” it is provided as a public service by the National Oceanic &
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), part of the Department of Commerce. NWR
includes more than 800 transmitters, covering all 50 states, adjacent coastal waters, Puerto
Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the U.S. Pacific Territories. It requires a special radio
receiver or scanner capable of picking up the signal. Broadcasts are found in the public
service band.

PREPARING TO EVACUATE OR STAYING AT HOME

Evacuations occur commonly throughout the United States. Hundreds of times each year,
transportation or industrial accidents release harmful substances, forcing thousands of
people to leave their homes and go to a safer area. More frequent causes of evacuations are
fires, floods, and hurricanes. Almost every year, people in cities and communities along the
Gulf and Atlantic coast evacuate in the face of approaching hurricanes. The largest
peacetime evacuation occurred during Hurricane Floyd in 1999, when an estimated two
million people evacuated eastern coastal areas.

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The amount of time available to evacuate a home or community depends on the hazard.
Sometimes, there are days to prepare: for example, hurricanes can generally be detected
early. However, in sudden emergencies, such as hazardous materials spills, there may be
only moments to leave the area. This means families must prepare now, because when it
is time to leave home, it may be too late to collect even the most basic necessities. It also
helps to consider in advance where you would go when advised to evacuate⎯to a
designated public shelter or to relatives or friends outside the disaster area. The supplies
you need should be readily available, along with a checklist to ensure that you have
everything.

Evacuation periods can last for hours,

several days, or even longer after a
major disaster. For part, or all, of this
time, citizens may be responsible for
their own food, clothing, and other
emergency supplies.

For some emergencies—such as winter

storms or a hazardous material spill—
residents may need to take shelter in
their homes. Regardless of whether a
safe response means evacuating or
seeking shelter at home, residents
should be prepared to take care of their
household’s needs without outside help
for a minimum of 3 days. Because of the
severity of damage caused by Hurricane Disaster supply kits should be packed in advance to
Andrew in 1992, many families were facilitate rapid evacuation.
not reached by outside help for days
after the storm.

Once a disaster is in progress, there will be no time to shop or search for supplies. But if
people have gathered supplies in advance, families can endure an evacuation or home
confinement. Disaster supply kits should contain the supplies listed below. The supplies
should be stored in an easy-to-carry container such as a duffel bag, backpack, or covered
container.

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X One gallon of water per person per day, food that will not spoil, and a nonelectric can
opener.
X One change of clothing and footwear, blankets, or sleeping bags.
X A first aid kit that includes the family’s prescription medications.
X A battery-powered radio, a flashlight, and extra batteries.
X An extra set of car keys.
X Sanitation supplies.
X Special items for infant, elderly, or disabled family members.
X Cash and credit card.
X An extra pair of glasses.
X Matches in a waterproof container.
X Signal flare.

The kit should be kept in a convenient place near an exit door at a location known to all
household members. Important family documents such as insurance policies, Social Security
cards, family records, and important telephone numbers should be kept in a waterproof
container in or with the disaster supplies kit. A smaller version of the kit should be kept in the
trunk of the car.

It is important to maintain the supplies in the kit. The stored water supply should be changed
every 3 months so it stays fresh. Food supplies should be replaced every 6 months and
batteries replaced yearly. Physicians or pharmacists can provide information about storage
times for prescription medications.

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REUNITING AFTER A DISASTER

It is essential for household members to develop a plan for reuniting after a disaster. To
prepare for a fire in the home, the family should identify a neighborhood rendezvous
point located a safe distance from the house. If household members meet at the same
spot, firefighters do not unnecessarily risk their lives trying to rescue someone who is
already safe. This place
must be designated in
advance. All family
members must be directed
to evacuate to this
designated location in the
event of a fire and not to
go back into a burning
building.

For an emergency that

occurs when family
members are not at the
Determining in advance where to reunite in the event of a
disaster can help prevent unnecessary injury to family
same location, an out-of-
members or emergency workers. state friend or relative
should be asked
to be the “family contact.” Even when local telephone service is disrupted, long distance
service often works. After a disaster, separated family members should call the family
contact to let him or her know where they are. It is important to make sure everyone
knows the contact’s phone number.

It is also wise to know what disaster plans have been made by the children’s school or
day care center and where children will be sent if they are in school when an evacuation
is announced. Family members should also be aware of disaster plans for places where
family members work. Knowing these plans can help them find each other more easily.
In case parents should become separated from their children during a disaster, they may
wish to consult the doctor in advance and file a Medical Release Form to ensure that any
injuries sustained by the children in a disaster would be treated promptly.

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CONDUCTING PREPAREDNESS ACTIVITIES

A number of basic preparedness activities can make a dramatic difference in a family’s

readiness to survive and cope with a disaster.

1. Responsible household members should

know where, when, and how to shut off
electricity, gas, and water at main switches
and valves and have the tools required to do
this (usually a pipe and crescent or
adjustable wrench). Taking this step can
prevent dangerous leaks, explosions, and
other unnecessary damage to the home.
Local utility companies can provide
necessary instructions. Once gas is turned
off, a service representative will be required
to turn it back on safely.

2. Each family member should know how to use

an ABC-type fire extinguisher. The local fire
department can demonstrate the proper use of
extinguishers. All household residents should
be shown where the extinguisher is kept. It
should be tested regularly according to the Responsible family members should know
how to use ABC-type fire extinguishers.
manufacturer’s instructions.

3. Smoke alarms should be installed on each level of the home, especially near
bedrooms. Each household should test the detector once a month and change
batteries at least once or twice a year. A good time to do this is in the spring and
fall when clocks are reset.

4. Even in some cases in which smoke alarms sounded, people have sometimes
headed in the wrong direction in the smoke or mistakenly taken people elsewhere
in the home rather than outside. It is important to plan and practice alternate escape
routes. For example, is there a balcony or window in each room that could be
equipped with a nearby ladder? There will not be enough time for you to give
children directions if a fire occurs; it may not be possible to reach them. Therefore,

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children need to know what to do on their own. Baby-sitters should also be given
instructions as to alternate escape routes they and the children should use. It is
important to ensure that small children can reach alternate exits. Achieving this may
require a sturdy piece of furniture to be placed by the exit (usually a window) so that
the child can stand on it to reach the window. Periodic fire and emergency evacuation
drills are needed to practice the use of alternate exits as well as of the neighborhood
rendezvous point.

5. A “home hazard hunt” should be

conducted to identify objects that could
Credit: Fairfax County, Virginia Fire and Rescue
block escape or cause injury if they
become dislodged in an emergency.
Those who live in earthquake-prone
areas should remember to secure heavy
objects; for example, heavy bookcases
should be fastened to the wall and
heavy objects must not be hung over
the bed.

6. Everyone should be encouraged to take

a course on first aid and
cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
from the American Red Cross or other
qualified sources. Knowing how to
provide first aid and CPR can help save Knowing CPR or first aid can help save
lives in an emergency.
lives when immediate action is critical.
Think about how frequently you are at
some distance from
medical help, or how difficult it would be to get treatment promptly in
the first few hours or days after a major disaster.

7. Families should also consider FEMA’s Community Emergency Response Team

(CERT) program. It helps train people to be better prepared to respond to emergency
situations in their communities. When emergencies happen, CERT members can give
critical support to first responders, provide immediate assistance to victims, and
organize spontaneous volunteers at a disaster site. CERT members can also help with
non-emergency projects that help improve the safety of the community. The CERT
course is taught in the community by a trained team of first responders who have
completed a CERT Train-the-Trainer course conducted by their state training office for
emergency management, or FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute (EMI), located
in Emmitsburg, Maryland. CERT training included disaster preparedness, disaster fire
suppression, basic disaster medical operations, and light search and rescue operations.

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8. Each member of the household—

even children—should know how
to summon help if an emergency
occurs. Emergency telephone
numbers should be posted by the
phone (fire, emergency medical
services, police, ambulance, poison
control, etc.). In some areas, there
is a 9-1-1 system. Everyone in the
family should be prepared to
provide essential information on
the location and nature of the In a disaster, volunteers come together to help
emergency. their neighbors.

9. Just as a home may have hazardous areas, it will also have safe areas in which to
seek shelter. The local emergency management office or the local American Red
Cross chapter can provide information on safe places to seek shelter in the home.
These sources will also have other materials that can help people become better
prepared if disaster should strike. The Resources section of this course includes a list
of emergency preparedness publications that you may obtain from FEMA and your
local American Red Cross chapter.

HELPING YOUR COMMUNITY

Some of the most helpful ways people can get involved and help a community to prepare
for a disaster and to respond and recover from a disaster are for them to affiliate
themselves with an experienced voluntary agency through volunteering or supporting the
voluntary agency with cash donations. There are many volunteer opportunities to assist in
a variety of ways. See Appendix B for a summary of services provided by voluntary
agencies and how to contact them.

During his 2002 State of the Union address, President George W. Bush called upon every
American to get involved in strengthening our communities and sharing our compassion
around the world. He called on each American to dedicate at least two years over the
course of their lives to the service of others, and created the USA Freedom Corps to help
answer the call. It is a coordinating council housed at the White House that is designed to
help individuals find service opportunities that match their interests and talents in their

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hometowns, across the country or around the world. Information about Freedom Corps;
its service programs under Peace Corps; Citizen Corps; Americorps; Senior Corps; and
volunteer opportunities is located at http://www.usafreedomcorps.gov/.

Supporting voluntary agencies through either monetary donations or through volunteer

support is in many ways the most effective way for people to get involved. The voluntary
agency can provide training, guidance, and can help the volunteer find meaningful work
whether it is in the disaster mitigation period or disaster preparedness, response or
recovery. Cash donations to voluntary agencies help those agencies provide cash vouchers
to people in need who can purchase more precisely what they need. Cash donations spent
in the disaster area help contribute to bringing the local economy back to life. Cash
donations also avoid the highly labor intensive tasks that most material donations require.

The collection of donated goods to support a disaster relief operation should be done only
if it is in coordination with an organization that has identified a need for the goods and the
donor and recipient organization are prepared to handle the shipping, receiving and
distribution of the goods. Many donated goods end up being wasted because they are not
the appropriate goods in the first place and little attention was paid to the logistics
requirements. Even worse, donated goods coming into a disaster area often disrupt and
interfere the flow of critical emergency response services.

SUMMARY

Each individual should be prepared to take appropriate protective action if a disaster

should occur. This means knowing what type of disasters have the greatest chance of
occurring in the local area. Understanding how the community would be warned, how to
prepare the home, what supplies to stock, and how to check on family members following
an emergency are all important aspects of preparedness.

There are many sources of information about emergencies and family preparedness,
including the local emergency management office, FEMA, and the local American Red
Cross chapter. It is important to collect information on what disasters are most likely to
occur in the area and what actions should be taken in advance of or during those disasters
to protect oneself.

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Being prepared will decrease the chance of injury to family members and the financial
loss that often results from disasters. Disaster relief can supplement individual
preparedness measures—but it can never make up for a lack of planning to protect
oneself and one’s family. X

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Check Your Memory

(Answers on page K-2)

1. Which of the following is the best source of information on what disasters are most
likely in your area?

a. The local police department.

b. Your local American Red Cross chapter and emergency
management office.
c. Your Congressional representative.
d. Your representative in your state’s legislative assembly.

2. If a fire should occur in your home, all residents should plan to meet each other at what
location?

a. A specific location in the neighborhood a safe distance from

your home.
b. The fire department.
c. The home of a friend or relative in another community.
d. The basement of the house.

3. Which of the following requires periodic maintenance?

a. Your smoke detector.

b. Your fire extinguisher.
c. The prescription medication in your disaster supplies kit.
d. All of the above.

4. Which of the following is a true statement about sheltering in your home?

a. You should prepare for in-house sheltering as well as for the

possibility of evacuation.
b. It is never used. You would always evacuate to ensure your
safety.
c. No particular preparation is required for in-house sheltering.
d. In-house sheltering is always preferable to and less risky than
evaluation.

5. Smoke detector batteries should be checked how often?

a. Once a month.
b. Once or twice a year.
c. Every 2 years.
d. Whenever you think about it.

UNIT FIVE: THE CITIZEN’S ROLE IN DISASTER PREPAREDNESS