EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS, Part 3
I’ve been thinking seriously about the emotional toll of an emergency on all of us. In the last few weeks, I’ve watched a series of interviews about a possible collapse in the next decade of what we know as our economy and financial system, including health insurance, pensions and even our currency. I have loved ones living in other countries, who don’t have the security that I believe I have. They face risks every day that I don’t experience, such as being afraid to speak freely, not trusting anyone new—not to mention dealing with economic difficulties and increased violence.
Actually, I don’t feel as confident now as I did before COVID struck. And that’s a worry, adding to my fear of a possible environmental disaster resulting in a broken power supply, washed out roads or damaged bridges, poor communication lines and/or no access to my money. With all my emergency training, I think I’m not well prepared to handle the fear and stress. My attention on emergency preparedness has focused on my physical environment and basic needs of water, food and shelter.
I need to take it up a notch.
Our community spirit has been severely damaged by the COVID requirements. We have been dealing with different levels of fear, greatly increased by the invisible virus, lurking in our community, if we get too close to each other. Fear and worry have been a paramount concern for public-facing businesses, schools and gathering places. It’s the perfect breeding ground for intense stress—fear of the unknown or misunderstood. Most of us never saw this coming, and weren’t prepared for it.
In terms of emergency preparedness, I don’t know how our citizens can prepare for the sudden and potentially deadly conditions that could come with a collapse of our community. It’s hard to imagine that the value of our dollar could sink, in step with the US dollar, and our community could suffer even more than it already has during COVID. We need to educate ourselves about our finances, our resilience and mental well-being; to work at eating healthy and getting fit; to take time to sit back, assess and discuss how we will live without the things that we now consider essential.
Suggestion: Buy a water filter in the next six months, and a generator in the fall of 2023, and practise using them. Make plans to start a vegetable garden. Reconnect with family and neighbours and create a small, tight circle of people who will be there for each other.
Tip: When the unprepared masses panic, they won’t be able to think straight, and may resort to crime to survive. Teach others what you’ve learned.
It all sounds like doom and gloom, but you won’t panic if you start to prepare yourself and your loved ones, NOW. Give each person a special responsibility: e.g., changing your stored water every 6 months, preparing the family pet’s Grab-&-Go bag, starting a small vegetable garden, keeping in touch with your disabled neighbour or senior citizen, regularly, and visiting NSEM.
Fiona