Re: Emergency Preparation

[Michael Bittle <mbittle@ISTAR.CA>]

Of course Don Gibby is absolutely correct when he says
> There are many levels of preparation: national, state or province, 
> county or parish, community, or family.  

It is a tragedy often marked by fatality that most families have
woefully and inadequately planned for emergency events in their lives. 
This past week in a city near Hamilton, there were several house fires
which claimed 7 young children.  How many more would there have been if
these had been part of a natural disaster and not simply isolated
events?

In Canada, our federal Emergency Preparedness Canada (counterpart to the
US FEMA) has for years produced training information aimed at business
and families to help us survive in times of disaster. 

My earliest recollections in disaster preparedness are from the Cuban
Crisis, when stockpiling goods was considered the norm.  Today, people
seem to live only from paycheque to paycheque, and I would guess that
most families could not go without shopping for longer than a week.

But how many people actually believe that "it" can happen to "them"? 
This would include - I'm afraid to say - most emergency planners as
well.

This was the prime reason why the annual World Conference on Disaster
Management ( http://www.wcdm.org ) was started: to raise the awareness
among those of us who are responsible for raising the awareness of the
rest of the country.  If we are not prepared, who is?

Michael Bittle
Canadian Centre for Emergency Preparedness
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