Get the Hint

This combative conversation turned comical as he acknowledged my contributions, all the way down to homemade pizza I brought to our office party. Laughing and satisfied, I told him I would be there in a half hour. After we hung up, I turned back to the television and life, in an instant, permanently changed.

For weeks, every night after work, I volunteered at Ground Zero and fed the first responders who were looking for survivors. The toll of the search and rescue mission on these men was something I had never seen before. There were clergy of all nationalities, psychiatrists, and counselors who tried to help them cope with the graphic carnage. One fireman was so overcome that his skin was beet red and he could barely take a breath. The other firemen tried desperately to remove his heavy gear while he sweat profusely. I watched them administer first-aid until the next one was escorted in.

Two years later came the blackout that affected the northeast portion of the United States. This emergency happened during the workday around 4:15pm. While I was blessed to be at home on 9/11, this time my co-workers and I were in full swing on the job. Everything went dead. Phones, computers, traffic lights, everything. Some of the people in my office, believing this was another terrorist act, immediately panicked. One hysterical person can be managed but a large amount of people in horror at the same time is frightening. The plumbing in our office high-rise was dependent on electricity and the bathroom became a biohazard within ten minutes.

After 9/11, I refused to live outside of Manhattan because after the attacks, the bridges and tunnels were shut down and people were stranded away from their homes for hours. I now lived in Spanish Harlem and knew I could walk the 80 blocks home. I grabbed my survival bag, pulled out my sneakers, took off my high heels, and linked up with three friends who lived in the same area. We immediately got to stepping. Cell phones were down, just as in 9/11, and there was no one to depend on and no way to reach family members and loved ones.

Along the way, I saw firefighters lifting women and babies from manholes in the street. The subway system was shut down and there were tons of people trapped on trains. As we continued, it became obvious that this emergency would be the survival of the fittest. The temperature outside was in the 90’s and after a while, I could feel the heat of the concrete coming through the rubber soles of my sneakers. An elderly man was overwhelmed by the heat and humidity and I gave him my water. Unfortunately, he didn’t find much refreshment because the water was burning hot.

When I got home, my neighbors hadn’t yet arrived and there was still enough hot water in my three-flat for me to bathe. My refrigerator was still cool enough to have ice left and I had enough emergency food stocked to eat for weeks. Starving after my long walk, I ate a full meal complete with fresh fruit. I lived on the same block as a police station and one block away from the fire department. I turned on my battery operated radio to stay informed and once the mobile unit of the NYPD, a massive police department on wheels, set-up in front of my building, I went to sleep enjoying the breeze off of the Hudson.

I felt sorry for the weak and elderly but women who were trying to cover miles of scorching concrete in crazy shoes should’ve got the hint after 9/11. Emergencies require the same thing: Preparedness.

September 11th, the Blackout, Hurricane Katrina, the earthquakes in Haiti and Chile...WE are those people.

Aton Edwards of the International Preparedness Network says, “Your first step toward the creation of a highly effective disaster preparedness & response program must be to accept the fact that YOU are at the center of it. NOT the Police. NOT the Fire Department. NOT F.E.M.A., or any other federal agency but, YOU. The truth is, when disasters strike, you instantly become your own first responder until help arrives. It may come quickly, or, depending on the size and scope of the disaster, it may take days, weeks, or — in the case of events such as nuclear terrorism, weeks or even months before it reaches you, that is … IF it ever does at all! If you want to prevent this from happening to YOU or, YOUR FAMILY, you MUST TAKE CONTROL NOW and make a commitment to take all the necessary steps to develop a comprehensive, disaster preparedness, response and recovery plan.”

Edwards says the second step is to create your plan and that Preparedness begins with the individual. To begin, you must first recognize that:
* Emergencies differ in types and size
* Your physical health is the most important aspect.Without it, you are compromised.
* Know what you are up against! There isn’t any point of preparing a theoretical emergency preparedness, response and recovery plan. You need something for the real world and the only way to accomplish this is to design your program to respond directly to the most frequently encountered disasters in your area. Prepare a list starting with the most active and ending with the least.

Edward’s website, www.readyforanything.org, walks you through the various components of Emergency Preparedness and one would be wise to follow his instruction.

On March 1st, Geophysicist and the Director of the U.S. Geological Survey, Dr. Marcia McNutt, told CBS Morning News that it is not a matter of IF but a matter of WHEN the United States will see an event similar to the earthquakes in Haiti and Chile. Metropolis

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