Personal Emergency and Disaster Preparedness Plan Research Paper

Introduction

It’s often in the tranquillity of our lives that disaster strikes creating havoc and emergencies that rip apart families and communities. During the last few years, the media has been full of various natural disasters ranging from ice storms, hurricanes in the Gulf region, Pacific cyclones, blizzards, ice storms, or heatwave spells. The not-so-natural disasters like California wildfires, power outages, terrorist attacks, hazardous chemical or material spills, road, air, and sea accidents, and the multitude of ramifications of these calamities. It is in midst of these alarming circumstances, family and personal safety are crucial and require a great deal of preparedness to cope with the resulting chaos that engulfs individual families. Taking preparatory measures to get ready for any unexpected emergency and reduce the stress help in reducing stress on the family. Every individual requires a formulation of a personal emergency plan of action in place as a basic necessity.

Main Discussion

The Indiana Memorial Union (IMU) building in Indiana University, Bloomington is the showpiece of the campus catering for student studies, dining, games, entertainment, and shopping mall. The building also has hotels, restaurants, cafes art gallery, and other amenities. In essence, a disaster within IMU would spell a calamity to the soul of the Indiana University campus life. My study on a disaster plan will focus on a plan to avert such a calamity on the monumental building.

Whenever large-scale calamities transpire, the various public safety organizations are called in to cater for the emergencies, including the fire departments, police departments, ambulance, and medical. Similarly, the American Red Cross and other volunteer organizations provide support, sanctuary, and other emergency requirements like restoring electricity, communication lines, and requiem’s utilities. However, these private and public utility organizations may not be able to reach the affected people or families due to the logistics of inaccessibility, hence meaning the affected can be left stranded for long periods sometimes leading to catastrophic endings for the afflicted. This is therefore when the need or availability of a personal emergency plan for disaster preparedness comes in. In Indiana Memorial Union (IMU) building, such an episode can strike in the midst of all the activities that occur there during the day or night time creating havoc and panic amongst the multitude of people there. A tragedy can also occur and confine somebody at the building and the basic necessities like water, gas, and communication are cut off for hours or days leaving the individuals stranded, hungry, and cold. Other tragedies can occur due to weather or terrorist attacks and the building is neglected for long periods as the whole region is engulfed in chaos. In case when a disaster strikes (e.g. tornado) and there is an emergency evacuation, it’s required that a strategic location for shelter. It is therefore imperative for each individual and family to have an emergency plan of action in case disaster strikes (FEMA, 2008).

According to Cornell University Personal Emergency Plan document, a personal disaster plan should include four basic steps: the knowledge of the various risks and how to deal with them; debating the action plan within the family; enacting the action plan; and rehearsing the plan of action (Cornell University, 1999). The knowledge of the potential hazards that may be experienced by the IMU building is essential to enable the formulation of a disaster plan. This will involve preparing for accidental fires, chemical leaks, earthquakes, tropical storms, etc. Similarly, people residing in the building need to formulate emergency measures for individuals who might get stranded in remote parts of the building or stranded at the lift and lobby areas and this might ultimately make a difference in life and death before evacuation is achieved (Cornell University, 1999).

The American Red Cross elucidates the course of a disaster plan more clearly through several emergency steps. A first step should be the circulation or posting of emergency phone numbers for an ambulance or medical services, police department, 911 which will assist students or visitors to reach the public and private disaster assistance crews. These are clearly posted in all designated public buildings at the campus, easily visible areas, and drilled to the students or designated disaster marshals. All disaster marshals should learn First Aid and CPR by training in the methods and practicing the same to ensure proper preparation involving the University. The same emergency measures should also be taught to the other students and staff irrespective of status as a further step to ensuring that all University members both staff and students are conversant with the basic first aid and revival techniques (American Red Cross, 2008).

All the locations of power, hydro, and gas shut-offs shall be clearly marked and drilled to the IMU building residents and campus members including how to operate them. Emergency equipment like flashlights, axes, fire extinguishers, etc., shall be kept in easily accessible areas that are known to all the university members. Workable smoke detectors with clean batteries must be installed on each floor and wing of the building. Experts reaffirm that well-maintained smoke detectors enhance the chance of surviving a fire by 50 percent. All the students and staff should also be taught how to operate the fire extinguishers. Periodic documented safety checks should be done on the fire equipment including drills on the campus members who use the building. The safety checks should encompass the building’s potential hazardous areas like dilapidated machinery and equipment that can spark off electrical faults. The various steps to follow when a disaster strikes will be formulated, this includes; evacuation measures, allocation of duties to deal with various arising issues, First Aid teams, securing sensitive equipment that can cause further damage like chemical spills, loss of vital equipment, among others. All this needs a coordinated and well-drilled stratagem involving the administration and emergency assistance teams.

Just like in homesteads, the IMU building needs to stock a two week supply of essential commodities like non-perishable food, portable radio, flashlight, bottled water, extra batteries, and first aid kit must be kept at hand to deal with situations that might lead to some people being confined and inaccessible within the building. The disaster supply kits are stored in areas that are easily accessible. The Cornell University emergency plan lists some of the essentials as follows: two-week stockades of prescription medicines; two-week stockade of non-perishable and special dietary rations; several sets of flashlights and accompanying batteries; several sets of portable radios and batteries; a First Aid manual and kit which must have bandages, antiseptic lotions, binding tapes, compresses, painkiller anti-diarrhea pills; mosquito repellent lotion or paste, citronella candles and matches; available coolers for either food storage or ice; water sanitization kits i.e. tablets, plain chlorine, and iodine; cleaning kit such as mops, towels, and disinfectants; cameras and batteries; portable lamps; plastic disposable trash bags, toilettes, and towels (Cornell University, 1999).

The disaster plan also calls for an emergency communications fallback. The IMU building occupants and University staff and students should ensure that a family member or friend call or e-mail to confirm their well-being when a tragedy occurs. The contact should be located far enough to ensure from your particular location hence are unlikely to be affected by the same disaster. Every faculty member should have a contacts number such that they can check on each other including family and friends. E-mails can and text messages can be equally effective as telephones are flooded or congested as all people call then. The evacuees who are grouped are in small members with a disaster marshal in charge. They are then encouraged to have an established meeting place as a procedure in the evacuation process. The disaster marshals then confirm the availability of each member of their group hence ensuring nobody is left stranded within the building in case of an emergency evacuation.

The professional disaster assistance crews also advise that when disaster strikes, all the building occupants should remain calm and patient while awaiting the emergency teams from Bloomington, Indiana. They should always follow the advice of local emergency assistance staff; listen to the media, radio, television, and websites for news and directives. A toll-free emergency telephone number is usually established for use in the affected areas by the local authorities. If there are casualties among the occupants of the building, first aid should be administered while the local authorize are made aware of the number of casualties. The team leaders should check for damage using the flashlights rather than lighting matches or candles or even turning on the electricity. The checklist should include fires, fire hazards, chemical or gas leaks, creaking walls, and unsteady pillars and beams. Any damaged equipment or facility should be shut off or cordoned off to the building occupants (FEMA, 2008).

The distressing effects conveyed by disasters are sometimes more traumatic than the monetary strains of damage and loss of personal property on the person. The Indiana University campus and IMU should therefore be psychologically prepared by the experts for such eventualities. All the disaster victims are afflicted to some extent by the catastrophe leading to bouts of sadness, grief, and anger. A disaster plan also requires a post-mortem revaluation of the victims to rehabilitate the victims from extended effects of stress and depression occasioned by the loss of personal property, family members, and first-hand traumatic experience of the disasters. The University should therefore set up an emergency psychological and psychiatric unit that can assist the affected members to deal with the after-effects of the trauma. The grouping can liaise with local faith-based organizations, voluntary groupings, FEMA for counseling these people. All building occupants including students and staff should be trained on ways to recognize the signs of people who require counseling. This includes difficulty in communication, sleeping disorders, drug and alcohol abuse, limited attention span, low work morale and performance, migraines and stomach problems, low concentration, depressions, mood swings, etc. Everybody is however encouraged to assist the distressed people by recommending them to the professionals and being helpful and understanding (Ripley, 2007).

Conclusion

Although tragedies and catastrophes can occur without warning, disaster preparedness is paramount for all individuals especially in those residing in disaster-prone areas. An emergency disaster plan can forestall the number of casualties in the affected areas to within a minimum when a well-formulated plan of action is established and enacted by the occupants. This disaster plan for the Indiana Memorial Union building at Indiana University calls for a coordinated effort from all the occupants of the building and a formal indoctrination in the specific steps to follow whenever an emergency or disaster befalls the building. The cooperation of the various sectors of the administration and student body is essential in minimizing the effects of a disaster. The aftermath of the disaster also calls for assistance for the victims of post-traumatic stress disorders and other forms of assistance.

References

1. Cornell University. (1999). Personal Emergency Preparedness.
2. Cross, The American Red. (2008). Terrorism—Preparing for the Unexpected.
3. DHS. (2008). The Department of Homeland Security. Web.
4. FEMA. (2008). The Disaster Process and Disaster Aid Programs.
5. Indiana University Fact Book (2006-2007). Indiana University (Bloomington, Indiana).
6. Ripley, A. (2007). The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes — and Why.