Inquisitive Minds Want To Know...

What are the basics of emergency preparedness

in a retirement apartment building?

Here's a poster that boils it all down:

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In some 'independent living' retirement apartments, 

many residents lack ready access to the following:

Information

1) Important facts regarding likely local disaster scenarios 

2) Easily understandable instructions ("infographics") regarding what is expected of them as individuals in a building-wide emergency

3) Who of their neighbors will be most able to help as well as who will need the most assistance on a floor-by-floor basis

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A Plan

1) What plans already exist in the broader neighborhood and community?

2) What minimum emergency response team structure* is appropriate for our building?

3) What is the most expeditious way to recruit and train those interested in participating on each floor?

A Grab-n-Go-Kit

Priority one: 

Put together a 72-hour kit in case there is a need to evacuate the building.

Priority two: 

Lay in personal supplies in the delightful event that we actually get to "shelter in place".

Priority three:

Coordinate with neighbors on our floor regarding pooled resources ('stone soup').

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*A sampling of campus housing and student evacuation plans:

Floor Captain Safety Liaison (UT, SanAntonio, TX)

Floor Evacuation Coordinator (CSU, Chico, CA) 

Emergency Preparedness (OSU, Corvallis, OR)

Emergency Procedures (UO, Eugene, OR)

Plus:
A nifty little PowerPoint presentation called Emergency Evacuation by the State of North Dakota...

Oh yes,

and they all lived happily ever after...

A shift in perspective

As the weeks go by ~ and still no 'Really Big One' Hallelujah!!! ~ the light of thankfulness shines in my heart. We all need 'wake up' calls from time to time, yes? I truly appreciated The New Yorker article's author, Kathryn Schulz, following up 8 days later with: 'How to Stay Safe When the Big One Comes'. Ms. Schulz mentions navigating "between the twin obstacles of panic (which makes you do all the wrong things) and fatalism (which makes you do nothing)."

It is interesting to me that, following a tenant's newsletter piece about emergency preparedness, there was -- at last report -- very little initial response from the residents of this retirement apartment complex (2 out of 250). Huh. Perhaps aging lends itself well to fatalism?? A very unscientific sampling of opinions netted responses from, "I'm not interested in apocalyptic thinking", to "We'll lock the doors to our hallway to keep everyone else out". Again, huh.

 

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A trolling of the web for preparedness information nets many 'hoarding' recommendations. I suppose that is worldly-wise in many instances, given the massive scale of destruction possible on this planet coupled with the need to protect and provide for oneself and one's family. The spirit of hoarding doesn't set well with me, however.

A 'share and share alike' model is far more practical and practicable in this place of very close neighbors. If organized by floor, the sheer number of people and things is far more manageable to consider. We can assess who we are, what skills we can contribute, what supplies we are willing to share, and what challenges we may face without being overwhelmed by the enormity of what we are undertaking.

In theory, at least! Onward and upward!!

Connecting with the neighbors in a retirement community

Reflecting on how to connect with my neighbors, it became clear that there would be widely varying responses to my initiating a dialog regarding disaster preparedness. Thus, doing significant research and planning would be warranted prior to any public presentation.

In the event of a disaster scenario affecting the whole neighborhood,  

three types of individual preparation would be important to consider.

Mental preparation likely encompasses:
- Considering realistic scenarios (updated, current information)
- Identifying areas of provision needed (“everyday carry”, journey/”Go” bag, shelter-in-place supplies)
- Prioritizing what time, energy and financial resources you are willing to invest in preparedness

Physical preparation can mean:
- Taking time for building your bodily strength, flexibility and endurance
- Making a shopping/procurement list for items needed
- Designating containers and storage space, and gathering and organizing supplies

Spiritual readiness is very personal and may include:
- Working on honest self-assessment
- Staying connected with those you trust
- Taking care of ‘unfinished business’ (ref. medical) Dr. Ira Byock - http://irabyock.org/

(To whom would you say,
“Please forgive me.”
“I forgive you.”
“Thank you.”
“I love you.”?)

An introductory meeting with one neighbor proved delightful, as we sensitively and respectfully explored what we as members of this retirement community were likely facing, given the recent alerts regarding the Cascadia Subduction Zone. We tossed around ideas/possible scenarios regarding  how and when to connect with others of like mind in the 250-person complex. It seemed good to us to think about floor-by-floor preparedness with a view to sharing resources among floor residents in the event that we were stranded with no outside help available for any length of time.

Closing in on a strategy...

Have been refining and re-working this blog. It was too cluttered with peripherals, and not simple enough. There are many, many more preparedness websites, companies and resources than there were a couple of years ago when my blogging effort began. There is no need for me to reproduce what's already out there.

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I want to try a trial run with the Abraham Backpack "simple starter kit" first before making a comprehensive 'Bug Out Bag' (72-hour refugee kit) and certainly before tackling the 'Shelter-in-Place' supplies or a 'survival kit' for camping in the wild.

Would you like to play this weekend?