Building Resilience at the Employee Level

Organizations can take the lead by offering encouragement and resources to help all employees get our of debt and live mortgage free as soon as feasible. All employees should be encouraged to develop sufficient financial reserves to stay out of debt.

Offer support for employees who are willing to develop a disaster plan. Encourage them to work in teams and bounce ideas off each other. Create a culture of support.  Expect everyone to play a role within the organization. Those who cannot manage in a physically demanding role, can contribute in vital ways ranging from planning, to participating on an amateur radio team.

Survey employees and provide incentives to those who are willing to serve on a hazard mitigation team. This team could offer volunatary assistance to co-workers who are elderly, handicapped, sick or those with few resources. Here is a sample list of tasks a mitigation team could provide to co-workers. 

• Install smoke or carbon monoxide detectors or replace batteries.
• Provide access to alternate devices to alert those with hearing or visual handicaps.
• Wrap pipes and add faucet covers to prevent broken pipes,
• Proper separation and storage of chemicals, or proper disposal of unwanted chemicals.
• Proper disposal of prescription medications.
• Strapping water heaters or tall shelves to the wall.
• Afixing glass items or pictures to decrease the chance of them falling and causing injuries.
• Strapping computers and televisions to surfaces.
• Assessing and remediating or replacing dangerous light fixtures.
• Cleaning the dryer ducts and bathroom vents.
• Inspecting or providing a fire extinguisher and training in its use.
• Create a defense of space by clearing trees that could fall on employees homes or cars, or put them at risk of wildfire damage.
• Trimming shrubbery or pruning trees for crime prevention reasons.

A reslient workforce requires resilient employees. If employees are vulnerable to the impact of disasters, life crises, rising medical, daycare or eldercare costs they cannot give their best at work. Organizations that encourage and support employees may less likely to experience expensive turnover or other work related incidents.

How to Respond When Mother Nature Throws a Temper Tantrum

The following information was adapted from a recent training.

Tranquil lives are distrupted by natural disasters. For those who lack physical, emotional, spiritual or financial resilience disasters can produce hardships and erode coping. Although we cannot control unwanted intrusions into our lives, we can improve our resilience to them.

Let's take some time to talk about that. How many of you have a disaster kit at home? how many have one in the car? Does anyone have a kit with you right now?

When experts talk about disasters, they talk about the importance of an all-hazards appraoch. What does that mean? Can you give some examples? What are some of the hazards you have in your city?

Once you have identified all the hazards likely to affect your region, the next step is to develop a list of planning assumptions. So let's do that. If you have heavy rain for two weeks, followed by heavy snow fall, what assumptions would you make about the effects? What is the likelihood of trees toppling over during a storm or subsequent flooding? Who will be affected and for how long? How will businesses be affected? How might a school be affected verses a hospital?

One planning assumption is an increase in traffic accidents and house fires. Why house fires? Alternate means of staying warm, cooking or light such as building a fire in the fireplace or use of candles or oil lamps increase the risk of fire. Improper use of a generator may also produce an electric shock, fire or explosion.

Here are two questions?
What do you think the most common disaster in your city is? The most common disaster is a house fire. Disasters don't have to be big, to be devastating. Now what kind of disaster poses the highest risk to Western Oregon? How many of you know what a Cascadia Subduction earthquake is?

Last October and November one of the largest disaster conferences was held in Portland. Though there were many workshops, one statement stood out above the rest. A projection of disruptions to clean drinking water and the waste water system along the coast and in the valley was staggering. The report was punctuated with information about how woefully unprepared we are in Oregon. The message was clear. Prepare now.

These are rhetorical questions.
How many of you have a family member or close friend that has lost their job or their home since 2008?
How many of you have found that due to increasing prices, your paycheck does not go as far as it used to?
How many of you have a family member or close friend that has experiences a catastropic diagnosis?

Whether your approach to disaster planning means having extra water and nonperishable food, or a generator to ensure your loved one has interrupted access to oxygen or refrigeration for life-sustaining diabetic supplies, the first objectives are peasce of mind, staying safe and healthy and a higher level of comfort. If those things are unimportant to you, consider preparing so you can be a resource in the workplace or neighborhood. The goal is being assured that scarce resources will be used efficiently.

The title of this training is credited to a friend Becky I. who has recently faced a catastropic diagnosis. Her courage has been an inspiration. Her husband Gary was a co-presenter at a presentation that was a forerunner to this presentation. The above content is completely original with the exception of the title.



Don't forget the Pet Kit!
Google Images



Bugout trailer. Google Images.

Shelter in Place. Google Images.

Flu Pod Google Images

Go Kit Google Images

If used as a stay kit, add water, food, blankets or battery operated fan depending on
weather conditions,and any medical supplies. Line the bucket and maintain a supply of
carbon material. Keep a second bucket on hand. All kits should be tailored to fit needs.