Recent disasters
prompt Red Cross reminder about Cache Valley preparedness
By Reba Stringham
November 7, 2005 | On
August 29 the question of who was to blame for the lack
of immediate response to the hurricane disasters was
on the minds of millions of Americans. Two weeks later
President
Bush took some of the blame for the slow responses
to the devastation, proving to states they can't rely
on the government when disasters strike, but must rely
on their own resources.
Bill Walsh from the Seattle
Times reported that officials from Louisiana, Mississippi
and Alabama for years have been warning about how vulnerable
their states are to storms and now questions are being
asked about their lack of preparation. Each state is
encouraged to have a disaster plan laid out for each
community within their state. These plans help citizens
know what to do in case of a disaster. According to
Andrew Lakeoff, the failed
response to Hurricane Katrina created a nation-wide
awareness to implement disaster plans within each state.
He said there will be scrutiny of the relationship between
Federal, local and state responsibility for dealing
with various aspects disaster preparedness.
Many disasters strike without warning.
Cache County experiences disasters each year. They range
from floods to fires. The last major earthquake that
occurred in Cache County was the 1962 earthquake.
The earthquake was a 5.7 magnitude on the rector scale
causing damage to homes and church and office buildings.
King encourages people in the Cache
County community to prepare today for disasters. She
said preparing for disasters should be the first on
everyone's list of priorities.
"Our community is in a valley where
we could be isolated for hours or days before anyone
would come and rescue us," said Roxana King, executive
director of the Cache
County American Red Cross. That organization aims
to ensure county-wide disaster planning, preparedness,
community disaster education, mitigation and response
that will provide the Cache County community with quality
services in a uniform, consistent and responsive manner.
Rebeca Johnson, an office manager
at the local Red Cross said when these potential disasters
do strike, "it would be easy for our community to blame
someone for not responding as quickly as they could
have, but what if, beforehand, everyone owned a 72-hour
kit, had an evacuation and emergency communication plan
and were all trained in First Aid and CPR? For the American
Red Cross, that would be a dream come true."
The Cache County American Red Cross
serves a community of more than 100,000 residents. "It
is our goal to prepare these people before disasters
strike," said King. "We encourage all to attend the
disaster classes we offer here at the American Red Cross."
The Cache County chapter offers courses
and presentations for disaster training, CPR and First
Aid. The office is equipped with first aid and 72-hour
kits, disaster preparation pamphlets and booklets available
for anyone to purchase. "These classes and items we
offer are for our community. They are to assist and
educate people here in Cache County for disasters,"
King said.
According to the presentation outline,
Together We Prepare, the Red Cross encourages
at least one member in each family to be trained in
CPR and First Aid. It is also recommended that each
home has a 72-hour kit for each individual family member.
"If people in our community
would just take advantage of these items, have them
in an accessible location where they could get to them
in case of a fire, flood, or an earthquake, that would
save a lot of time and effort to ensure that people
in our community are safe and have the necessary resources
they need for disasters," said Mark Fishburn, emergency
response manager for Cache County American Red Cross
.
"Our community can learn a
great deal from the hurricane disasters," said Fishburn.
"We, as individuals, are responsible for what happens
to us, not the government."
For more information, call 752-1125
or send an e-mail to cache_redcross@yahoo.com.
NW
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