National Disaster Preparedness Month: Who Knew?
Did you know that the Department of Homeland Security, in cooperation with various federal, state and local governmental agencies, has declared September to be National Preparedness Month? This is a time when the government and emergency management agencies are supposed to be promoting public awareness and engagement to ensure that the American people are prepared for anything.
However, can you think of a time in recent history when the public at large was told about this? Where is the media coverage? Where are the brochures and fliers? Why aren’t local governments promoting preparedness efforts across the country? While there may be a million and one different explanations as to why this isn’t something that’s public knowledge, the consequences are blatantly obvious: The vast majority of the population isn’t ready to cope with a crisis.
Mixed Messages
On one hand, it’s kind of refreshing to know that the government has a program in place to help the American people prepare for a wide-range of disasters. In fact, the government has come a long way from the advice we were given following the attacks on 9/11. Emergency agencies have also evolved and improved to a certain degree in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. On the other hand, the fact that the government is telling us the same things that we are telling you indicates that we’re pretty much on our own.
The fact that they are really not broadcasting any of this to the public illustrates how the government doesn’t want us to know how unprepared they really are. There’s a big difference between telling people to stock up on food and water and prepare for an extended period of time without access to basic services and being in a position to offer assistance. Maybe that’s why they’re so quiet about promoting National Preparedness Month.
Huge Disconnect
Another possibility is that the government wants to cover their legal and political backsides so that the public can’t blame them when chaos ensues following a major disaster. There will most definitely be a lot of finger-pointing when delayed and inadequate responses, poor communication and a lack of leadership emerge in the wake of a crisis. All the government has to say is that “we warned you and told you to prepare”. Unfortunately, nobody got the memo, even though they did- Sort of.
There’s also the possibility that the lack of preparedness on behalf of the average citizen is the result of their own apathy and ignorance. On one hand, people have a false sense of security that assistance will be on its way following a disaster. The general impression out there is that our government has spent a lot of time and money to make our country better-equipped to manage disasters. Unfortunately, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Consequently, if and when a big SHTF scenario unfolds, chaos will ensue and people will be up the creek without a paddle.
In any case, the fact that the government has established a program to help the public to prepare should be a warning that we should be doing just that. If they are quietly admitting that we’re on our own, and should be ready to fend for ourselves for a few days to a week following a crisis, then we should double-down on our efforts. Chances are that they are downplaying the risk that we all face.
Give some serious consideration to what kind of natural or man-made disasters can strike in your area. What will you do if and when they occur? How will you cope during the aftermath? How much responsibility are you taking for your own survival? Now is the time to take preparing for disaster seriously. The government has all but admitted that they’re not in a position to help, and that is something that we should all be taking very seriously. Forget National Preparedness Month. Start focusing on what you can do today so that you will be ready tomorrow.
