Many threats face me and my community. In my area of residence, for example, there are three main areas of concern:
- Personal security;
- Xenophobic attacks and
- Poisoning hazard from a nearby electricity generating company
My community is threatened by personal security for several reasons. First, there is very little street lighting in my neighborhood. This has led to incidences where people are attacked and robbed of their valuables under the cover of darkness. The number of patrolling policemen is very small and in most cases, they take too long to respond to any distress calls.
In my community, there is also the risk of xenophobic attacks. There has been some tension in the community following the xenophobic attacks that took place a month ago. It has therefore become unsafe to walk alone along poorly lit alleys.
My community borders an electricity generating company. The company uses geothermal steam in the production of power. Some gas comes out of the geothermal wells that can be poisonous. The gas has a distinct smell and can be recognized by people in my community. It poses a hazard because the gas is only dangerous when it can’t be smelled.
The information above was obtained through observation, sensitization by the local authorities, and personal reading about my neighborhood.
My response while at home to these hazards would depend on which of the three hazards threaten my community. In the case of personal security, I avoid walking alone at night along with the notorious crime areas. If I hear someone being robbed while at home, I would respond by calling the police and raising an alarm that will most likely scare away the robbers.
For the xenophobic attacks, I would react by calling out to my family members to get into the houses, lock the doors. I would then use my emergency contact list to call the police and the embassy for help and have my emergency kit in readiness for evacuation if necessary.
The local, authorities warn of an impending disaster by use of public announcements. For example, if the meteorological department wants to warn of a flood or hurricane, this is done by television media and the use of public address systems if the time is too short.
Information before a disaster is usually relayed by the use of television and radio media. During the disaster, landline telephones, mobile phones, text messages, and the internet can also be employed. Social media networks can be a useful tool in getting the latest updates on developments. All these are used in addition to the traditional radio and television announcements. I used online emergency preparedness guides in obtaining this information. I also knew some of the means of response from personal experience in the past. I have used social media before to avoid a disaster area because I read the updates on social media.
My family communication plan is pre-planned to be used in the event of an emergency. The communication plan is kept together in the emergency kit and other safe areas in the house and is accessible to all members of the family. Some of the information that would be in the plan would include Neighborhood meeting place, out of neighborhood meeting place, name of each family member, their dates of birth, social security numbers, and any important medical information. It would also include information on the areas where each of the family members spends most of their time, the addresses to these places, and a telephone contact if available. The communication plan should also have site-specific emergency plans for these areas.
Each family member should also have an emergency card so that they know who to call in case of an emergency and where to assemble in case of a disaster or emergency. The cards should contain the emergency contacts and their telephone numbers. It should also have an out-of-town contact and their telephone number, the neighborhood meeting place, and any other important information.
In the communication plan, it would be important to have an out town contact like a cousin, friend, or another relative so that in case we need to leave our town, then they can accommodate us. They could also be a contact near a police station or Red Cross office and can help in getting help.
In case of a disaster, I would try calling first to get help. In case the calls do not go through, I would then use text messages. The reason for this would be because calls go through faster and I would be able to get the message across more comprehensively. However, if calls do not go through because of congestion or some other reason, then I would use text messages because they do not need a continuous network connection; even a small connection could be able to have the messages sent across in a congested network.