Letter of the Day | An emergency action plan is our personal responsibility

THE EDITOR, Madam:

As we brace for the impact and aftermath of Hurricane Beryl, we are again reminded of the importance of emergency planning, and that we are each responsible for developing and sharing this plan with our families and loved ones. It is a reminder that we must all develop our own emergency response plan, and be ready to implement it at a moment’s notice.

The plan should be simple enough for everyone to understand and follow as the need arises. It should include basic first aid actions, supplies and access to basic essential resources like water, food, medications, clothing and a place of refuge.

· How to communicate and relay information on our loved ones’ and our immediate environment.

· What are the known and potential hazards that exist or are changing around us?

· How to minimise the hazards as we await assistance if we are unable to get to assistance.

· Can we sustain a ‘shelter in place’ action as resources will be limited for a very long time?

For our homes, for our places of employment, and as we journey across our island nation, we must prepare for disaster of all types. This includes, but is not limited to, hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunami, civil unrest and other national emergencies. We must recognise the impact to our valuable resources, in order to sustain life in a safe and sanitary environment following a disaster.

PROTOCOL FOR ACCOUNTABILITY

Accurate information transfer must follow immediately, as the response action should be channelled to the appropriate platform of authority. This allows for a full assessment and assignment of critical resources, including emergency personnel and equipment needed to address the conditions and appropriate emergency response to the situation.

Each family unit must have a plan that can be executed without dependency on transportation, security, electricity, and other utilities affecting communication and services, regardless of our location.

A ‘shelter in place’ strategy must be considered for our children at school on their way to and from home, and our senior citizens. Individuals in their workplace must be committed to establish a protocol for accountability and stabilisation. This is critical when a warning of approaching conditions such as a hurricane is received, or immediately following any disaster.

We are to be responsible and accountable in letting our family know what our course of action will be following an emergency event. This includes communicating with loved ones and establishing a support system for everyone as you update your status and location. It may be necessary to identify a meeting place or safe space for renion (meet-up point), and then an alternative plan if the initial plan cannot be executed.

We must embrace this as our path to stability and our sustained survival during a crisis of national proportion. This will allow for maintaining order, and assist our emergency planners to allocate resources that will fast become scarce.

PATRICK BROWN

Pembroke Pines, Florida

pbrown_436@yahoo.com