Planning for a Disaster (or just some not so great times)
On Wednesday, my older brother called me.
Houston, we have a problem - wait can we say that line when Houston does actually have a problem itself?
“Uh, so we never set-up or tested the generator we got Mom and Dad.”
Shoot.
This was the day before the possible ice/snow storm heading our way. This was after the stories of disaster started coming out from Texas. I think he was having flashbacks to Snowmageddon 10 years (or so) ago, when my parents lost power and the house got down to 40 degrees and he had to dig them out and bring them to my house (where I had electricity). It was a good reminder to review our family “disaster” strategy.
What you should know - if you don’t - are the following two things:
I have an obsession with disaster movies.
I like to be prepared
I think what attracts me to disaster movies is not the terrible things that happen, but the drive for survival and the self-reliance paired with the hero aspects and sometimes the organizational/logistics that help (or hinder) the situation - and frequently the scientist(s) that predicted it but weren’t listened too.
As far as being prepared, I think its probably a way for me to manage the anxiety of the unknown or the uncontrollable - and the uncomfortable. A way to avoid regret for not being prepared. And frankly a way to avoid being a burden to someone else or to “the system”.
Perhaps it also comes from experience too - I’ve lost power multiple times for a week plus at a time. Its not completely out of the realm of possibility despite being in one of the wealthier counties in the country (not sure where we fall these days) and despite working for the government myself. I have a realistic expectation of what it takes to mount a response. There is no instantaneous response. We should all expect to rely on ourselves, neighbors and family before there will be a government response. It takes some time to get the gears in motion.
This lesson was driven home when the house across the street blew-up. Because every person in a multiple mile radius heard it - and called into the emergency line and clogged it up - I couldn’t get through. It took over 20 minutes for the first emergency vehicle to show up, when the fire station is less than 5 miles from my house because those of us who were “on scene” and knew the address couldn’t get through. This was just one house explosion at 11pm at night. Now imagine a larger scope disaster, and 911 will not be the immediate help you might want or need.
In CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) training and in first aid training its driven home that WE - you and I - are the first responders or to not confuse the language - immediate responders. If there is an accident, or someone has a heart attack and you are there, you are a responder. When I wrecked my bike and smacked my bike helmet on the ground with two bounces I was glad the pedestrian I had just passed had her phone out and was prepared to call me an ambulance. I didn’t need one but she was ready. She was an “immediate” responder.
A resilient community is one that can respond as effectively as possible to a disaster. We can’t sit back and wait for others to make our communities more resilient - that resilience comes from us. It comes from having strengths and skills - and many different skills contribute. Its also a mindset. Neighbor looking after neighbor. Stopping to help instead of rushing pass. Checking in and holding accountable our local governments for preparedness.
But its hard to help if your own house isn’t in order (and trust me, I don’t mean neat). You do have to put your own oxygen mask on first.
Of course there are times where all the preparedness in the world doesn’t amount to a hill of beans if your home washes away. Although, even then, some preparedness can help with recovery - like copies of documents stored in another location or online. (Note to self . . )
I find the best motivation for reviewing preparedness plans is when its front of mind from a current disaster somewhere else (see Texas for those not in Texas), right before (if there is a heads up warning) a looming weather event, or right after one (especially a more minor one where recovery is minimal, otherwise most energy will be spent on recovery). Perhaps some people would be motivated by putting it on the calendar as a yearly or twice yearly thing they check. Like replacing the filter for the furnace or turning off the water for the outdoor faucet (oops, be right back . . .).
What does this have to do with climate or the environment anyways? Good question. First, this is my blog and I’ll write about what I damn well please. HA! Got a little salty there for a minute. But seriously - I do see a relationship here on at least two levels, maybe three. Lets see what my brain spits out -
1) Much of what we can prepare or are advised to prepare for are “natural” disasters - hurricanes, derechos, tornadoes, fires, earthquakes, floods, heat waves, snow or ice storms. What we are really preparing for is the failure of systems that we rely on for our modern lives. Electricity, heating and cooling, water, food and mobility (via transportation). And lets not forget communications.
These are all systems that we need to think about and plan for how we’d cope if they were unavailable. Do we plan for a back-up? to manage without? for how long should we plan? are our plans different if its a few hours, versus a day or two, versus a week, or even longer? a month? months?
These natural disaster types are largely expected to be affected or are already being affected by the changing climate. Warming ocean waters, droughts, high temperatures, etc., are already contributing to increased intensity of these types of events. Meaning we might need to deepen our preparedness for these events. On a personal, individual, and family level as well as at the community, local and state level. The Federal budget for disaster recovery will likely only increase - or need to increase.
2) The same systems that fail during a natural disaster are the same systems that we need to review, revise, improve, innovate, harden and revolutionize to meet the needs for a net-zero society.
The electric grid is a hodgepodge which seems to be stuck together with chewing gum and duct tape. Moving towards the concept of “electrify everything” and supporting that electricity with renewables requires serious action, coordination, incentives - and yes regulation - to function as efficiently and resiliently as possible.
The natural gas system leaks. As a side project as a “citizen scientist” I’m considering counting how many I smell just walking through my neighborhood, considering that not just one (mentioned earlier) house but two houses have blown up in my neighborhood I find this concerning. Granted neither was spontaneous and involved human error or cause.
However the gas company only has to fix leaks that reach a certain level. From a “things might blow up” perspective this might be fine. From a climate and pollution perspective this absolutely matters. Pollution with known health and climate impacts is just seeping out openly without consequence. Check out the episode (Season 1, Episode 5 I think) of Years of Living Dangerously where they drive around and measure all the leaks in DC (remember the exploding man holes?) (I digress).
Water, which seems like a basic in a modern society is dependent on electricity for pumping and purifying. Flooding can overrun water facilities, impacting the quality of water. Even without flooding, I can’t go down to the creek and get some water as the water quality isn’t an acceptable level for consumption - or for swimming in to cool off on a hot day. Not to mention old lead based infrastructure causing its own public health issue.
Communications - During 9/11 it was impossible to get through on cell phones. The last few days something has been going on with “the network” and calls aren’t connecting reliably for me. Between load, electricity and towers or cables being impacted, its good to have a plan in case communications are interrupted. Extreme temperatures can affect the battery life of your phone.
3) The same populations that are vulnerable to the worst outcomes or affects from natural disasters are also likely to be the worse affected by climate change. Those struggling for food right now are not able to follow the preparation advice of 3 (has that been increased to 5 yet?) days of food and water. If you are struggling to have enough food for your family in a regular month, how are you going to set aside food for an emergency? Hey kids, I know your hungry but that box is for if we get a hurricane. Or an ice/snow storm in normally not frozen Texas. Unrealistic. Not just food vulnerability. Housing struggles also put people at risk. Maybe you can’t afford a space heater, a generator, a power brick for your phone, or wool socks. Maybe you live in an apartment building where you can’t escape the heat in the summer because heat rises. or run your own generator for back-up (if you could afford one).
4) The same mindset that goes towards taking the time to prepare for a potential disaster, the mindset of self-reliance, the mindset for planning, is the same or similar mindset for preparing for climate change. There are two tracks to be thinking about for preparing for climate change.
4a) What can I plan to do to reduce my carbon foot print to help reduce the future effects. Every carbon (and to be clear for the smarty pants in the room, by carbon I’m short cutting carbon equivalent to “carbon”) saved is a carbon less contributing to the problem. What can I plan to change today, tomorrow, in 5 years?
4b) How might I adapt as the climate changes? What can I do to build resilience and adaptability into my life? What changes might I want to consider in my home, transportation, lifestyle - many of these will also contribute to reducing carbon footprint - like, do I need more insulation in my home?
This is why I think its imperative that if you can prepare you should. Being prepared can free you up to help the community with your skills, to help the more vulnerable. And lets the “system” focus on helping the truly vulnerable.
Next Steps
1) Review preparedness plans and checklists. There are plenty of sites out there that covering the essentials for preparedness. I’d recommend reviewing some of these sites for more details on what to have on hand. Check out: https://www.ready.gov/
And then look at what you have. And do you know how to use it? I say this as I have a generator sitting in a box in my basement. And a water filter I bought for back packing that I’ve never used.
2) Sign-up for a first aid class. I can’t emphasize this enough. Start with basic and CPR. Go all the way to advanced.
Check out: https://www.redcross.org/take-a-class/first-aid/first-aid-training
3) Review your existing systems use and plan for back-ups. Reviewing the systems you rely on and making a plan for redundancy or back-up will level-up your preparedness. How will you charge your phone? What will you store water in? How will you stay warm or cool? How will you reach family members? What food can you eat without cooking or preparing? If you camp you might already have a camp stove, water purifier, and a sleeping bag. Win win if your solutions serve more than one purpose or goal!
I will fully admit that I watched “Contagion” when it became apparent to me that COVID-19 was going to be a problem. I’m considering re-watching Day After Tomorrow (I’ve always liked Dennis Quaid) tonight while the weather hits the coldest temperature since Feb. 2019. Side note: last year was weirdly warm and I planted my peas, carrots and radishes right around this time last year, a full month early.
Stay warm.
