On Being Prepared for a Disaster

Originally submitted by: jadelay

The question "Are You Prepared for a Disaster?" connects to one of the discussions we have been having in this forum from the Angels event last week on our collective responsibilities in an epidemic. At the end of it all, it does seem as if we have to rely on either strangers or angels to help us out. And at the end of the "Angels in America" staged reading, I knew I didn't want to act like the character in the play, Louis, and leave my family and friends without any help. And that I would try to think about ways to help out when the experts and the health care system are overburdened and help is scarce. So... a preparedness plan is offered. It is about as prepared as I plan to get. I think it takes into account some responsibilities to strangers. 1. Find my family and my pets first to make sure they are safe and have available to them what they need to prevent them from getting sick. I may have to let go of my pets, if I have to go to a shelter. Unless there are pet places for drop off. (Leads to other dilemmas: are there pet drop offs in epidemic situations? Do pets, other than chickens, e.g., avian flu, get the disease?) 2. Ask myself whether there are neighbors who live alone and thus may need some help. I am familiar with some of the situations of my neighbors already. For example, some of my older neighbors have children in the area. I am assuming their children will take care of them. I am not so sure about other neighbors' family situations. (Leads to another dilemma: should I ask neighbors whose family situations I don't know about who would help them in a natural disaster? How can I bring this up in everyday conversation?) 3. Ask whether some of the people at the assisted living facility might want my help. My parents were helped in this facility, so I know a few of the residents there who do not have family. (Another dilemma: will these residents recognize me if I have not been to the assisted living facility since my parents died?) 4. Ask whether the organizations I belong to--from work to sport and other interest clubs, church groups etc.--are able to quickly mobilize by becoming places of refuge or communications links. Most of my friends are in the organizations I belong to, so I am assuming this will allow me to think about their well-being in such situations. (Another dilemma: can I use my organization to become a pet drop off?) OK. Then it occurred to me that all of this planning would depend on what type of disaster we're in. I can't very well assume that bringing people together is helpful in an epidemic, especially when it is contagious. This may hold for a disaster, such as a tornado or a flood. But in an epidemic? (Another dilemma: Does being in an epidemic mean that we will all have to be isolated? Doesn't this defeat the purpose of all the community responsibility I have been planning for?) Finally, it also occurred to me that all of this planning is contingent on the fact that I am a survivor. I may well be the first to die. I need some help here. W(hat) W(ould) Y(ou) D(o)?