Sunday, January 17, 2010

The 21st Century Air Raid Shelter is a Neighborhood Park!

Haiti and before it Katrina, Pakistan, Italy, Indonesia and other locations of natural disasters provide disaster relief organizations with the same lesson: Have the populace know IN ADVANCE, WHERE help will be available in their neighborhood in the event of ANY disaster. This should be the priority of disaster preparedness teams in every country of the world regardless of how rich or poor a country is, the stability and political will of its government, the frequency and scope of its emergency preparedness drills or the food, water and medicine that individuals have stockpiled in their homes.

I live in a suburb of Los Angeles and am keenly aware of the San Andreas Fault and its real possibility of causing Haiti’s level of devastation to infrastructure and lives. Yes, I take solace in the fact that my rich and resourceful country would be able to provide help quickly, like or better than that in Italy. And, just in case, I have stockpiled food and water for a few weeks. But, what if the devastation is of the level of that in Haiti and I cannot get to my supplies? How can I be fed and housed in my back yard? How can each of the injured get medical treatment where they fall? How can relief supplies get to the many when the many clog the streets?

Today’s equivalent of the Air Raid shelter is an open space possibly the neighborhood park. Food supplies can be air-dropped here, people may build emergency shelter in pre-designated areas here, a field medical hospital can also be set-up in such a space.

Simply speaking, the public needs to know, in advance, where help will be found, in every city and country of the world. National and global response everywhere to a disaster event can be more widespread, efficient and effective, if the impacted people are in a smaller number of locations.

The priority activity for global and national government is to designate these “21st Century Shelters” and make every citizen of the world aware of their existence. The average person can be counted upon to find a way to get to the 21st Century Shelter but only if she/he knows where to go, much before disaster strikes.

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