How to Survive A Disaster

By AMANDA RIPLEY

The recent earthquake in China and the cyclone in Burma, not to mention the battery of tornadoes and wildfires ripping through the U.S. this season, remind us that disasters are part of the human condition. We are more or less vulnerable to them, depending where we live.

But survival is not just a product of luck. We can do far more than we think to improve our odds of preventing and surviving even the most horrendous of catastrophes. It’s a matter of preparation–bolting down your water heater before an earthquake or actually reading the in-flight safety card before takeoff–but also of mental conditioning. Each of us has what I call a “disaster personality,” a state of being that takes over in a crisis. It is at the core of who we are. The fact is, we can refine that personality and teach our brains to work more quickly, maybe even more wisely.

We could, for example, become far better at judging threats before catastrophe strikes. We have technological advantages that our ancestors lacked, and we know where disasters are likely to occur. And yet we flirt shamelessly with risk. We construct city skylines in hurricane alleys and neighborhoods on top of fault lines–as if nature will be cowed by our audacity and leave us be. And we rely on a sprawling network of faraway suppliers for necessities like warmth and food. If the power cuts off, many of us still don’t know where the stairs are in our skyscrapers, and we would have trouble surviving for a week without Wal-Mart. Hurricane season starts June 1, and forecasters predict a worse-than-average summer. But for many of us, preparation means little more than crossing our fingers and hoping to live. MUCH MORE

CNN is also chiming in on disaster preparedness, and when our MSM, which often ignores issues that could frighten the public that aren’t terrorism related, gets involved, people should take note and understand that a catastrophe is in the making, although no one knows (maybe) when and where such a catastrophic disaster could strike! We do know it’s coming, and to survive such a disaster, preparedness is the only answer except for those who will be standing on ground-zero:

Commentary: Task as Americans is to be ready for disasters

By Retired Lt. Gen. Russel L. Honoré

(CNN) — The recent series of disasters in the United States and around the world have resulted in the forced evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people from their homes and have again demonstrated with startling clarity that we are living in a new normal.

In this new normal, international interdependencies and instantaneous communications combine to constantly remind us of disaster and terrorism, and disasters that once were considered exceptional now occur more frequently. The recent earthquakes in China and the Myanmar cyclone are but two reminders of such disasters.

The reminders are beamed into our homes and workplaces as if to demonstrate that tragedy that can result if we fail to prepare. What people once viewed as the exception they now see on a routine basis, yet we still don’t take the steps to be prepared for this new normal. MUCH MORE

Disasters can come in many flavors, but the ones that pose the worst case scenarios are earthquakes and volcanic events, something that the United States is overdue for - and could impact us as soon as tomorrow, or maybe not for another hundred years. But, there is evidence that earthquakes and volcanic activity are on the rise, and the USGS recently released a long-overdue report on the hazards facing those who live in the western United States  - and their predictions state quite clearly that a China-style disaster could be lurking for those on the West Coast!
This report was released on May22, 2008:

News Release

Disaster Earthquake Scenario Unveiled for Southern California

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