Hello everyone. I wanted to briefly share something that I thought might catch your attention. This graph which was produced by the United Nations Environment Program tells the whole story. Natural Disasters are on the rise--and growing exponentially. The funny thing about it is, there is nowhere upon the face of this whole earth where you are sheltered from such disasters (though sometimes we might feel like it). Even places like Hawaii which are known for their exotic beauty are not immune to such things as earthquakes, volcanos, tropical storms, etc.
Within the United States, it is a matter of record (and more so now than ever) that such disasters happen at least weekly, regardless of the season. In the winter we are bound to hear about snow storms in the northeast, ice storms in the midwest, and an occasional earthquake in places where earthquakes "don't happen"--that is to say where the people least expect it ( "least expect it" is a euphemism for not prepared). Just a few weeks ago, Wells, Nevada experienced a magnitude 6.0 earthquake. For those of you who have never been in an earthquake, its not a pleasant experience (for those of you who thought it was, you haven't been in a REAL EARTHQUAKE).
As one who at the age of 11 lived through the 1994 6.7 Northridge Earthquake where 57 people lost their lives and some 12,000 were injured, I know what it is like to "not expect it" (i.e. not be prepared). Millions of people awoke early that Monday morning to the violence of the earth's unrest. Being just 10 miles from the epicenter (San Fernando), my whole family felt every movement in what felt like an eternity. When the earth finally settled, we had no 72-hour kit to speak of. In fact, the only thing we had was a flashlight I had purchased THE DAY BEFORE at a flea market. It was that same flashlight we used to find my brother who had lost consciousness during the earthquake. Once my family made it safely outside, we waited in the pre-dawn cold until we were sure that the worst was past.
(This apartment building in a matter of seconds went from being a 3 story complex, to a 2 story complex. My sister's middle school teacher was trapped on the first floor and eventually made it out safely)
As the sun rose, we saw the terrible destruction that was left of our home. For the first day my dad ventured into our home to get what food he could find (as it was still unsafe for us to go in), and brought it out to the other six of us. As darkness came, an unsettling feeling came over all of us. The power and water were out, and it would remain that way for quite some time. The next day, we went to the grocery store--only to find chaos and madness. There were hundreds of people in the store. There were broken bottles and jars strewn across the isles. The shelves were bare, as many people had purchased or simply taken what they needed for their families. The small family owned stores that did have groceries to sell, raised their prices 500%.
That was over 14 years ago--and the lessons that I learned in those difficult weeks that followed have remained with me ever since. Now, as your Emergency Preparedness Coordinator, it is my responsibility to help you and your family fulfill theirs. And to me, it is personal. I do not want your family to have to go through what my family went through, simply because you "didn't expect it". At least my family had somewhat of an excuse. They were not members, and knew very little of what "emergency preparedness" was (not to mention that Emergency Preparedness Man never visited our home or even emailed us like he does to you). You on the other hand, as the scriptures say are "left without excuse". Get your family prepared, or be prepared to suffer the consequences of not being prepared. Choose wisely, your very lives could depend on it.
-Jose A. Hernandez
