How prepared are you . . . really?

Dear Neighbor,

You’re here because something has triggered a sense of concern.  You’re not sure how prepared you really are. Can we help?  Here are the two beliefs that drive this site.

Reality #1.  We face a continuing threat of disaster.

We believe there’s a continuing threat of disaster, natural and man-made.  Worse, we’re seeing new threats every year, and the disasters that hit are more violent and and are lasting longer. Being prepared isn’t a one-time thing. It requires constant awareness.

Reality #2.  In a real emergency, local authorities will be overwhelmed.

You’re making a mistake if you think “Someone will come to save me.” In a widespread disaster, we’ll be counting on ourselves and on our neighbors. Our mantra: “The more we all know, the safer we all will be.”

We don’t ignore the authorities. You’ll see regular information here about working with First Responders and getting training from the American Red Cross. We always encourage people to get CERT training from their local government. It can be used to build teams and make plans that will increase everyone’s chances of getting through.

So Reality #3 is YOUR reality. How prepared are you? Are you taking care of the basics?

If you spend a few minutes on the site, you’ll see that we continually add short reports, dealing with these basics.  We call them ADVISORIES.  There’s a collection of over 500 in the Archives!

As a result of our writing for so many years, you’ll find a variety of topics. On one hand, Advisories may deal with actual experiences we’ve had. Other times they go into detail about new emergency resources we are made aware of.  Occasionally we point to areas where solutions still need to be found.

In addition, we have Advisories aimed at people helping neighbors or groups learn more about preparedness. (This emphasis on groups and group activities seems to be unique in the arena of emergency preparedness.)

You can see the most recent Advisory listed at the top of the sidebar, and the last 20 or so of them at the bottom of the sidebar.

Would a reminder once in a while help you answer the question, “How prepared are you . . really?” Sign up now to receive Advisories.

If you have any questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to contact us directly. We are always tuned in to Emergency Planning!

Finally, a bit more about us

These days, we live in earthquake country. Now, in the past we worked with major corporations on disaster recovery programs, but there’s nothing like having a neighbor like the San Andreas Fault to get your attention. The first year we arrived we took our City’s CERT class, and we have worked with or headed up our local neighborhood disaster preparedness group ever since. Both of us have taken NIMS and ICS programs and participated in follow-on education. In addition, Joe holds a General Class Amateur Radio Operator’s license and is certified by the American Red Cross in Emergency Shelter Management.

We share the research and writing for Emergency Plan Guide. Joe is particularly interested in security issues, Virginia is a writer and educator. At heart, she’s an activist — urging people to get out of their chairs to take action!