When It’s Time To Sustain Yourself
Any day now, there’s going to be a really big earthquake in California. There will also be floods in Mississippi, tornadoes in Kansas, tsunamis in Alaska and volcanoes in Hawaii. Any day now there may also be (at least since 2001) explosions in public places, biological and/or chemical threats, and maybe even a nuclear blast.
Are you ready?: “Are You Ready” is the title of a 206 page guide prepared by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Although it is generally published in book form, www.ready.gov contains PDF versions of this particular survival guide and more. The site offers information for just about everyone, including pets. Indeed, the “likelihood that you and your animals will survive an emergency such as a fire or flood, tornado or terrorist attach depends largely on emergency planning done today.“
FEMA wants to prepare not only pets but also families, the elderly and Americans with disabilities. Recommendations on how to stock a basic disaster supply kit includes the obvious (food, water, flashlight), but also a whistle, photocopies of credit and identification cards and matches.
Did you know there are four escalating levels of flooding? (1) flood watch; (2) flash flood watch; (3) flood warning; and (4) flash flood warning. Similarly, there are tornado watches and tornado warnings, the later necessitating shelter. Thunderstorms, too, come in “severe watch” and “severe warning”. Tsunamis can be “advisory”, a “watch” or a “warning”.
If you live near a nuclear power plant, receipt of “notification of unusual event” means there is only a small problem, and you need not take any action. Similarly, an “alert” is also a small problem with no action required. A “site area emergency” can be problematic, but a “general emergency” means radiation could leak outside the plant and into the surrounding community.
And then there’s terrorism, defined by FEMA as “the use of force or violence against persons or property in violation of the criminal laws of the United States for purposes of intimidation, coercion, or ransom.” Of the many guidelines FEMA offers, the one that extends beyond avoiding terrorism is the recommendation to “move or leave if you feel uncomfortable or if something does not seem right.”
FEMA’s “Are You Ready” covers just about everything imaginable, and it has disaster supply checklists toward the end. Citizens can also earn credit after completing the entire guide and scoring at least 75 percent on a final examination. For that you earn a certification of completion.
Compete to Conserve’s community is designed to inspire us all to learn more and support one another while encouraging positive, every-day changes in the way we consume natural resources. The Website hopes to foster a friendly, non-partisan environment for real people to discuss how to make the best practical changes that promote global sustainability.
The principles behind Compete to Conserve are not really inconsistent with any environmental cause, and collectively individuals are starting to make lifestyle changes that focus on less, not more. Personally, I do not know how bad the environment really is, but notwithstanding, people could do a little better in the way they consume. Our website offers a calm, methodical approach that is both practical and accessible to everyone in the interest of creating a culture of less rather than excess.
Returning to FEMA, there’s a good chance California will experience an earthquake in the next few years. And if that earthquake is “the big one” as locals like to call it, all the years of emphasizing global sustainability won’t be much help when you’re trapped for a week in the middle of nowhere without food, water, or anything else on FEMA’s checklist. So while promoting the preservation of natural resources and the conservation of energy, don’t forget to be prepared, and ask yourself, “are you ready”?
October 7th, 2008 at 4:45 pm
My first thought was, what a downer Craig! Although, this is good to hear and I personally needed the reminder. I think the word “sustainable” has been taken over by the “green” world and really living a sustainable life is so much more then being green.
February 7th, 2012 at 7:30 pm
Studying this reminds me of my old space mate. That guy was one of the smartest human beings I know, but he was a little bit odd for my tastes though. Anyways I appreciated studying this, thanks. Will give me anything to go into when I see him.