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Seven Lessons In Disaster Preparedness

What One New Yorker Learned the Hard Way

By Jennifer Warner WebMD Medical News

Reviewed By Michael Smith, MD on Monday, August 18, 2003

Aug. 18, 2003 -- Want to be the most popular person on the street during a blackout? Have a radio, flashlight, and bottle opener on hand at all times.

That's just one of the lessons I learned as a New Yorker during the blackout of 2003.

As a reporter at WebMD, I've written countless stories on disaster preparedness. But it's living at the epicenter of two very different disasters (9/11 and the blackout of 2003) that has taught me some of the most valuable lessons (even a few new ones that the experts sometimes forget to mention).

Here are seven lessons in disaster preparedness and survival that I've picked up along the way:

Lesson #1 -- Stay calm. Panic is contagious, but so is calmness and goodwill. You help create the atmosphere around you. Make a positive contribution.

Lesson #2 -- Have a plan. If it's not safe where you are, have more than one alternate location in mind, like a friend or colleague's home, where you can go for shelter and know more than one way to get there (by car, public transport, bicycle, or on foot). Discuss this plan with friends and relatives, so they'll know where to find you.

Lesson #3 -- One disaster kit is not enough. Disaster doesn't always strike when you're at home. In fact, it often strikes during business hours. That's why you should have more than one disaster preparedness kit on hand.

The American Red Cross recommends that families keep a disaster kit at home that consists of a basic first aid kit along with tools and emergency supplies (see list below) you might need in case of an emergency.

But they also recommend that you also keep an abbreviated disaster kit at the office, in the car, and even in your purse. For example:

At the office:

• Comfortable walking shoes -- You never know how long your walk home might turn out to be. It'll be a lot longer in high heels or wingtips.
• A change of clothes (see above). Suits also make very uncomfortable sleepwear.
• A flashlight -- Stairways rarely have windows, and it's a long way down from most offices.
• Battery-operated radio -- You can't check the Internet or TV for news when the power's out.

In the car:

• Keep the tank at least half full at all times. Gas pumps rely on electricity to pump gas.
• Local maps, in case your normal route home becomes blocked.
• A list of local emergency shelters and addresses of local relatives or friends.
• Blankets and a small supply of food and water.

On hand (in your purse or nearby):

• A small flashlight. Try to find one you can keep on your key chain so you can always find your way home.
• Cell phone.
• Cash and small change. ATMs and credit card processing devices don't work without electricity, but cash does. "Having cash available will help you get what you need immediately," says Rocky Lopes, PhD, disaster preparedness expert at the American Red Cross. "So having some good old American cash on hand is good idea in case you need to buy batteries for your flashlight or bottled water."
• State-issued identification that includes your current local address. It sounds obvious, but you'll need this to get home if officials restrict access to your neighborhood due to disaster. You'll run into problems if your driver's license has an old address.

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