In Case Of Emergency, Read Blog

I am in Washington, D.C. today and had the opportunity to tape some new “What Should We Tell The Public?” segments. I was very happy to have a chance to speak with Monica Schoch-Spana from the Center for Biosecurity at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Monica is one of the (if not ‘the’) the leading authorities on community preparedness and engagement, particularly in the area of public health, and her work has been hugely helpful to me in my research. 

In her segment, she makes the point that two of the most important — and often overlooked — tools for citizens to help prepare themselves and their community for emergency are a pen and paper.

MONICA SCHOCH-SPANA, UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH CENTER FOR BIOSECURITY

Welcome to listeners of the public radio show “Homeland Security Inside & Out” who are arriving here at this blog for the first time. I hope you’ll stick around.

I did an interview for the show about the blog that appears on this week’s show. 

As I have written before, I am a big fan of “Homeland Security Inside and Out” – which is hosted by Dave McIntyre and Randy Larsen from the studios of KAMU Radio in College Station, Texas — and I subscribe to its weekly iTunes feed. If you want to download the audio from the web site, the interview runs from 15:55 until 19:15 in this week’s show.

There is a fascinating interview by Jeff Stein in CQ Homeland Security with Darrell Darnell, Washington’s emergency management director, headlined “D.C. Homeland Security Chief Predicts Chaos In Event Of Nuclear Attack”. (Thanks to Eric Holderman’s Disaster Zone blog where I originally saw it.). I recommend reading the interview, because it puts into real focus the challenge of readying the public for an incident as serious as a nuclear explosion — and how far we the citizens are from being really prepared for such an event. 

I had two overall - somewhat contradictory - reactions to the Darnell interview. On the one hand the bad news: it underscores something I have been writing about for awhile  – the lack of realistic, fully thought out and widely-disseminated emergency preparedness planning for the public when it comes to catastrophic incidents, such as a nuclear attack. On the other hand the good news: Stein’s questions (and the willingness of Darnell to do the interview as well as his candor even if some of the responses are not all that reassuring) put a stark spotlight on the issue — and maybe it will lead to some new and overdue attention in Washington, D.C. and in other areas of the U.S. which face similar challenges. In fact, while the interview focuses on the nation’s capital, the lack of preparedness, engagement and knowledge among the citizenry — and the need to address it — is transferable to much of the country. 

Below is an excerpt from the part of the interview where Stein asks Darnell whether the District is prepared for a small nuclear bomb explosion. This section and what follows show the low level of public education and preparation. 

Q: So if it happened right now what would you do?

A: If it happened right now, the first thing we would do is notify some federal officials and get some assets that would help us provide immediate assistance, to get as many people away from ground zero, if you will, try to do the best thing we can to coordinate that area so that no one gets into it. We have plume modeling equipment here in our office. So I would ask my plume-modeling folks to as quickly as they can let me know where that plume is going to be, so we can start evacuating people. We would be sending out text alerts, a reverse 911, to anyone in the district who has a listed telephone number, explaining to them what actions to take, which areas to evacuate. We would also immediately pick up our emergency hot line to all the emergency agencies explaining to them what happened, where we are trying to evacuate people to, such as VDOT, so we can start our evacuation routes to West Virginia, Delaware, North Carolina.

Q: Let’s talk about evacuation routes. You know what evacuation is like during rush hour. If I were a terrorist, I’d strike right during rush hour, just like when the June 13 incident happened. Practically speaking, there is no evacuation possibility, is there?

A: Evacuation will be tough. I’m not going to sit here and tell you otherwise. And again, during a scenario like you proposed, there would be a lot of panic, a lot of chaos. I think that when word got out that it was a nuclear device, clearly people would be trying to get as far away from the detonation area as fast as they can. I don’t think there’s any question of that.

Whether you live in Washington, in another urban area or really any part of the nation, think about how much you and your fellow citizens know about what to do if, right as you are reading this post, a small nuclear bomb exploded somewhere in general area — ie. Would you evacuate and where or would it be advisable to ’shelter in place’? What is a plume and how would you deal with it? The fact is, as a recent Senate hearing discussed, there are a number of things you might be able to do in order to mitigate the effects of such an explosion, but you should know them in advance.

Since 9/11, there has been an enormous amount of work in planning, preparing and drilling by emergency services personnel, and by most accounts first responders are more prepared for a major catastrophe like a nuclear bomb. But the point I have tried to make in this blog — and which is borne out by the interview — is that the public is not really more prepared, in large part because we have not been included in the process. Whether there would be civilian “chaos” or not, one way to make that less likely is by integrating civilians in the planning in advance so we’ll know what to do or at least will not be hearing directions for the first time AFTER the explosion.

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After the American Red Cross’ Senior Vice President of Preparedness and Response Joe Becker finished doing a segment for this blog’s new video series “What Should We Tell The Public?”, he said he had another one in him and was kind enough to stick around to tape it. In his second segment, Becker again describes a scenario in which you would have to make an immediate evacuation. His tip is that we should all ask ourselves — right now, not during the emergency – ”What would I take if it was a very real possibility that this house might not be here when I get back?”  JOE BECKER, AMERICAN RED CROSS SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT FOR PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE    

I received an email last week from the Arlington, Virginia Office of Emergency Management alerting subscribers that they were going to start sending fewer email/text emergency alerts.

From: “Arlington Alert”
To: “Arlington Alert Subscribers”
Subject: Policy change concerning Military Flyover Alerts

Routine ArlingtonAlert notifications regarding military flyovers are being discontinued. This change was made due to the almost daily flyovers in the area of Arlington National Cemetary. Alerts regarding flyovers that are not deemed routine or present any threat will continue to be issued upon our receipt of information. 

I mention this because as governmental authorities expand their technological capacity to alert the public the challenge will be to find a balance between informing and overloading us. If people get too many alerts, they will start ignoring them. So, in this case, Arlington made the smart decision to pull back on its routine aircraft “flyover” notifications. Now, that capacity is available to better inform the public about emergencies and other important information in a timely manner, it will be a continuing challenge to find the right balance on how much is too much. 

Btw, those of you who know I live in New York City might be asking why I get email and text alerts from Arlington, Virginia. Most governments allow you to sign up even if you don’t live in the direct area, and I subscribe to a lot of these alert systems from around the U.S. so I can see what states and localities are doing (and try to draw lessons from them like this.). I encourage everyone to see if their governmental authorities (state, county, city, etc.) have these free email/text notification services. I think you will find the alerts interesting and helpful.

Thanks to “The Takeaway”, WNYC Radio’s new morning show, I discovered a fascinating website/project, Hero Reports (Heroreports.org). Brainchild of Massachusetts Institute of Technology doctoral candidate Alyssa Wright, Hero Reports takes its inspiration from the “See Something, Say Something” transit security campaign but adds a very constructive twist by soliciting examples of what the site calls “civic courage” from the public. Here’s how Hero Reports explains its mission:

“September 11th showed us we’re vulnerable. We are not immune to terrorism; we are part of the battleground. But its horror also showed us our strength. That a city scared to death can be courageous. We all can be heroes. To keep us safe, the New York Metropolitan Transit Authority told us to look for signs of danger, and report them. We think we should also look for signs of courage. We call them hero reports.

WHAT WE WILL DO: In the first years of the MTA campaign, 1,944 New Yorkers Saw Something and Said Something. While this civic courage is not public, there are many acts of courage that can be. The sort of heroism that reflects the stakes involved when New York City becomes a target. We’re looking for 1,944 reports of heroism. We will organize and map this heroism. The complement of crime maps, these hero maps not hold the possibility of economy but also the seeds for understanding. At the end of this campaign, we will present these reports to authorities in search of such economy and understanding. September 11th showed us the difference we make to others, and the difference others make to us. Seeing something can be inflected with hope. Saying something can be balanced with trust. Be vigilant. Use this site to make a report. There is strength is this city, there is heroism. Lets start counting. Not because we’re scared, but because we’re inspired.”

Thus far, Hero Reports has solicited 251 254 stories — most are not feats of incredible derring do, but instead small acts of community kindness. Wright — and pardon the pun — is right on in what she’s doing. Highlighting and celebrating these examples of citizen involvement can only encourage others. Hero Reports looks like a creative and constructive use of new media to help spark societal change, one ‘heroic’ story at a time.

Today, I am launching the first “In Case Of Emergency, Read Blog” Contest. It is my belief that we need to make emergency preparedness more engaging and even fun (as well as add some incentives) if we are to get Americans to take notice and start the preparedness process. So, I will be running some contests and other non-traditional preparedness activities on this blog. Of course, most of the readers of this blog do not need preparedness made more engaging or incentive-driven to get them involved. Nevertheless, I hope these contests will not only be enjoyable and an opportunity to win some preparedness-related prizes, but also hopefully a learning experience that gives us an opportunity to share and pick up some new ideas.

‘PREPAREDNESS TIPS’ CONTEST

THE RULES: Please send me a citizen preparedness tip to jsolomon@incaseofemergencyblog.com by August 7th. The submission should be along the lines of the “What Should We Tell The Public?” video series – a tip, recommendation, or an idea on what you think is important that other citizens should know and do in order to increase their own, their community’s and their nation’s readiness. I will collect and post every tip I receive. Then, I will do a random drawing of all the submissions to pick five winners. 

THE PRIZE: Amanda Ripley has kindly given me five new copies of the Random House Audio of her book The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes And Why.

 THE UNTHINKABLE AUDIO BOOK

This unabridged edition, read by Kirsten Potter, has 8 compact discs covering nine-and-a-half-hours. I will send a copy to each of the five randomly selected winners. Thank you Amanda.    

UPDATE:

Reader Scott Miglin from Mount Vernon, Ohio submits this idea:

A twist on an old preparedness tip:  Everyone needs a emergency kit at home. I plan on buying family members pre-made 72-hour emergency kits for Christmas from on of the several websites offering them.  Sure, they may think I’m a lame-o, but their feelings will change after tasting the wholesome goodness of a 3600 calorie food bar ;-)…and I know they will something to build upon for an emergency plan.

Roger Ma from Brooklyn, New York suggests these:

Here’s my tip - ziplock bags for your go-bag items.  While having a
go-bag is essential, packing it properly is also important.  Itemize
your gobag items by type/use, and store all of them in a quart,
gallon, or two gallon size ziplock bag.  I have the ziplocks in my
gobag sorted by several different ‘types’, including food (energy
bars), fire/light (matches, batteries, flashlight, tinder), clothes
(shirt, pants, socks), etc.  Not only does this make your gobag
packing much easier and efficient (just pull out the right ziplock),
but also waterproofs most of the critical items in case your bag gets
soaked in water.

One more related quick tip - don’t just buy something for your gobag
and throw it inside, packaging and all.  Make sure the item is fully
useable (packaging removed, batteries inserted, etc.) when it goes
into your bag so it’s immediately ready for use.

I recently had the opportunity to meet Claire B. Rubin for the first time in Washington. Claire is a long-time emergency management consultant and scholar whose work I have followed in several types of media for awhile, and I wanted to bring them to your attention. She is a co-editor (with John Harrald) of the Journal of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. an electronic web-based publication, which is celebrating his fifth anniversary this year. Each issue has at least one article that I find helpful and directly relevant to my citizen preparedness research. It carries an $225 academic subscription price but individual articles can be accessed with a temporary free registration.

Claire is also the author of Emergency Management: The American Experience 1900-2005, which is a fascinating collection of articles tracing how we got to the disaster policy and attitudes we have now. I recently read the book and found it hugely helpful in providing me with historical perspective on my work. The fact is that we didn’t always deal with disasters in a way we do at present – and history offers us some very constructive context in determing our policy and attitudes as we develop a new approach for the 21st Century. And finally, Rubin also creates graphic time-lines on disasters. It’s amazing both how many disasters there have been and how she manages to get them all displayed so clearly on one big sheet. To me, getting the disaster preparedness information to the public requires as many different formats and approaches as we can come up with — and Claire Rubin is in the multimedia forefront.

This is my 100th post to the blog. When I started it three-and-a-half months ago, I wasn’t sure what to expect (ie. would anyone find the blog let alone read it?). It is still very much a work in progress. However, I have been encouraged by all the (mostly positive) feedback I have received — both from the practioners in the field and citizens throughout the U.S. and in other parts of the world. I have been excited and gratified by the interest and involvement of the readers. 

So, I thought it would be appropriate for the 100th post to incorporate a terrific reader suggestion, which luckily arrived this week. In an email, Bruce Hennes, a crisis communications consultant from Cleveland asked:

“I write with a request:  With the presidential contest going on right now and more competitive House and Senate seats than anytime in the recent decade, it would be very appropriate, I would think, for your readers to pepper candidates for political office with questions about preparedness, especially questions that get the candidates to move beyond the platitudes.  I would like to see your blog address that question, perhaps even providing a complete list of those questions.”

Great idea. One objective of this blog is to help get the issue of citizen preparedness discussed in the presidential campaign and then onto the agenda for the next Administration. Yet, as Bruce points out, it is a topic that has not been really addressed thus far in the political debate.

So, in the days to come I will be contacting the campaigns of both Senator Obama and Senator McCain to get their positions and ideas on citizen preparedness and engagement. And I will post the answers on the blog. (Bruce also recommended I put together a list of questions that readers can ask local candidates to find out their ideas on citizen readiness which I will do as well.)

Thank you Bruce for the suggestions. And thanks to everyone who has been reading and contributing to this blog over the past three-and-a-half months. I hope that together we can have a positive impact on the preparedness of the American public.