Are you in Disaster Denial?

Just because you don’t want to think about it, doesn’t mean it won’t happen… According to Eric Holdeman, Disaster Zone blogger in addition to many other distinguished titles, there are four stages of Emergency Preparedness Denial. “One is, it won’t happen. Two is, if it does happen, it won’t happen to me. Three: if it does happen to me, it won’t be that bad. And four: if it happens to me and it’s bad, there’s nothing I can do to stop it anyway.” Sound familiar? Don’t despair, your head is not the only one buried in the proverbial sand.

In a September 2007 poll conducted by TIME magazine, it becomes readily apparent that the majority of the American population is grossly underprepared to deal with a disaster of any sort. Half of those surveyed indicated that they had personally experienced a natural disaster or public emergency. Only 16% however, felt that they were well prepared for the next one. Of the rest, over half justified their lack of preparedness by saying that they do not reside in a high risk area.

In fact, 91% of Americans live in places at a moderate-to-high risk of earthquakes, volcanoes, tornadoes, wildfires, hurricanes, flooding, high-wind damage or terrorism, according to an estimate by the Hazards and Vulnerability Research Institute at the University of South Carolina. Society is skating a fine line between optimism and foolishness.

As responsible citizens we can’t sit back and expect government agencies to provide for our every need, when we are capable of taking a few small steps to care for ourselves. A quote from Dr. Seuss comes to mind, “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. You are the guy who'll decide where to go.”

So, what does it all mean? The short answer is preparedness. The resounding tenet of emergency management is to be prepared to take care of yourself and your family for 72-hours. The Department of Emergency Management website, www.co.cowlitz.wa.us/dem, is a great resource for tips and ideas about being better prepared. To quote Kathleen Tierney, head of the Natural Hazards Center, “We as human societies have yet to understand that nature doesn’t care. And for that reason, WE must care.”