Disaster Planning: Immediately After

Disasters happen on a scale. That scale may be personal, location-specific such as a neighborhood, school or grocery store. It may also be city-wide, regional, national or international. The bottom line is we are directly impacted, perferally impacted or outside the impact zone and able to help others. After evacuating or shethering in place, it's time to do a safety check. Assess immediate safety of the current location. This is called situational awareness. Are there any structural weaknesses or vulnerablities that might affect the location. If so, what are some safer options? Make sure everyone is out of harms way if it is safe to do so. Choose an incident commander if possible. Is there anyone with a safety background. If not, is there an engineer, home builder or administrator that can fill the role? Organize teams but do not put yourself or others at risk. Perform light search and rescue, firstaid, CPR, psychological firstaid, offer to care for children or the elderly only if these functions are within the scope of your training. For those who are not specifically trained, there is still much to do. Here are five things you can do immediately after a disaster. Collect information. Does anyone have a missing family member, friend, neighbor or pet? Do they have a picture or can they give a decription or other pertinent information that would help search and rescue locate them? What resources are available to meet immediate needs? What knowledge, skills, abilities, equipment or facilities do people have or have access to?