As a pilot, pictures like this really get my attention. This aircraft was upended at Governor's Harbour Airport on Eleuthera Island in the Bahamas when Hurricane Irene paid a visit. Thanks to Eagles Wings Foundation (EWF) for the photo – be sure to read our September feature on their work.
The term “tiedown” just means making sure that the aircraft is securely tied to the ground. The plane was tied down, but to sandbags, and the high winds carried airplane and sandbags over the ramp, through the fence, and onto the road. Ouch.
The question one hears a lot this year, a question we all ask, is: what can I do? As people around the world remembered the 9/11/2001 attacks in New York City, we should have been asking ourselves this question.
So what can we do? We can give a gift to people we care about: our family, our neighbors, our colleagues. We can make sure they are prepared. Call it doing the “tiedown” right.
How? Well, do a search on “American Red Cross Preparedness” and you’ll find links to excellent sites like http://www.prepare.org/home/, sponsored by the San Francisco Bay area Red Cross. They know something about earthquakes, and more.
In the Northwest U.S. and elsewhere, the “Map Your Neighborhood” program is gaining traction, as in my neighborhood. Just search on it and you’ll find good informational resources like this one.
We are all citizens of our nation and community, and citizenship implies a responsibility to take care of ourselves, our families, and others when a threat looms. We see many examples of determined and heroic action in every emergency response, whether 9/11 or floods or wildfires. Will your community be just as ready?
I asked Karl Pfister and Cameron Kirkpatrick of EWF what is key to success in their preparedness and responses. They made several excellent points:
1. Learn from your own experience, and the experiences of others. Through their daily on-scene “hot wash” debriefings and post-action lessons learned, their whole organization climbs the learning curve.
2. Pay attention to communications, “across the board” – among team members, with the host government, with partner organizations.
3. Give serious thought to a post-disaster reality, and manage expectations accordingly. “Strip things down to their essentials,” say Karl and Cameron. We not only will be unable to order pizza after a disaster, we won’t be able to “order” anything else – water, food, shelter. The EWF teams plan to be self-sustainable for 72 hours – this is something we all should be prepared to do, at home or work.
4. Remember your neighbors. You may need them, and they may need you. Plan to make a lot of sacrifices.
One way we can honor the victims of tragedies like 9/11, the devastation in Japan, Hurricanes Irene and Katrina, and other crises is to take the prudent measures that will help your loved ones and neighbors in a future emergency.
Tiedown is everyone’s job.
Gregg Swanson
Executive Director |
