[snip]

...respond on failure (ROF). This strategy is based on the premise that all disruptions will have a viable and timely response. I am not a subscriber to this proposition. In fact, there are many activities that must be undertaken to eliminate a need to ROF. In these situations, failure to deploy resources prior to the event could be catastrophic.

[/snip] http://y2ktimebomb.com/GL/CL/gl9902.htm

~C~

-- Critt Jarvis (critt@critt.com), March 07, 1999

Answers

and,

....."In a nutshell, sheltering for these populations is the key to success. Opening shelters, transporting clients, maintaining electricity, and supporting the clients should be the objective of upcoming exercises."

This appears to be exactly what Michigan has been trying to do, leading one consultant to the municipalities to go off screaming, according to the WorldNetDaily articles.

WorldNetDaily

to quote from that article,

"All the mechanisms have been put in place for mass evacuations of people to government shelters, government takeover of utilities and private industries, martial law, and a complete transfer of power from local governments to the federal government, according to Franklin Frith."

Which, although we may not like it, may be the only solution that will prevent extreme loss of life.

-- De (dealton@concentric.net), March 07, 1999.

close italics

-- x (x@x.x), March 07, 1999.

No, I don't think so De.

It's about community preparation, and neighborhoods taking care of their own because outside response may well be delayed ...

... "Establishment and deployment of alternative medical treatment strategies is the goal of these two strategies. CCPs and CERTs should be organized, trained, publicized, and deployed prior to January 1, 2000. Residents must know where they can go if they experience a problem and customary response personnel (i.e., law enforcement, EMS, and Fire) are not available. Following Hurricane Andrew, we used Disaster Medical Assistance Teams (DMATs) to staff our CCPs, providing austere medical care in the disaster environment. Although, not preplanned, the DMATs were quickly established using federal and state resources. For Year 2000 planning, we need to identify a similar response capability that is a local asset as State and Federal assets may not be available.

Community Emergency Response Teams were initiated by a FEMA program and provide local citizen groups the ability to render first aid, light search and rescue, and fire suppression. The program provides an excellent vehicle for the establishment of alternative response capabilities in the community. This capability can be tapped for use whenever the normal responders are unable to respond. They will respond on failure but their response must be preplanned and exercised." ...

Leska and I have discussed this before. Do yourself and your community a favor and at the very least take a Red Cross CPR class, better is the FEMA CERT or NET training.

Be able to become an early emergency responder on your block!

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), March 07, 1999.

You don't think what's so, Diane?

You're objecting-----but to what are you objecting?

I believe that what I stated was that Michigan was doing exactly what Lanza noted would be required. You don't think this to be true?

I also stated that Frith went off screaming because he read conspiracy into this. Do you not believe this to be true -- that he went off screaming, that is?

Do you believe that, in a heavily populated area, with subzero weather, with no power, no food, and contaminated water that sheltering, transporting clients, etc., that the steps Lanza mentioned aren't needed? That these steps don't have to be planned in advance?

To which of these statements are you objecting?

Or, is your way of getting in a plug for community preparation?

-- De (dealton@concentric.net), March 07, 1999.

"...with subzero weather, with no power, no food, and contaminated water..."

The shelters will have to be quite large. How will they be heated?

-- Tom Carey (tomcarey@mindspring.com), March 07, 1999.

It's ludicrous to think they could do anything except set up neighborhood based shelters...even then...if every school in our neighborhood were pressed into service, and each had a generator, water, food, etc. it would be an extremely overcrowded situation.

But the more they try to think through it, the better chances the community will realize individual preparation is the best option. Leaving the shelters for those who cannot prepare.

-- Shelia (shelia@active-stream.com), March 07, 1999.

Just a word on DMAT's. DMAT's, or Disaster Medical Action teams are part of something called NDMS which has two names, depending on the color of teh suit you are wearing when you define it. NDMS is EITHER National DISASTER Medical system, or National DEFENSE Medical System. I have played with these guys for years here in Cleveburg, and harbor an unreasoning desire to join a DMAT but can't find one near here that wants a Paramedic.

Chuck

-- Chuck, night driver (rienzoo@en.com), March 07, 1999.