Hawaii's emergency notification system false alarm

Recently we heard about the emergency notification sent out in Hawaii, warning the residents of an impending missile attack. This notification turned out to be a false alarm, sent by accident to the cellphones of those in Hawaii. This turned out to be an unfortunate accident, due to human error. 

Understandably, this caused a great amount of worry among those who received the message. There were reports of people running red lights, taking shelter in tunnels and a certain level of general panic. 

While this was an accident due to human error, we should still understand the need for emergency alert systems such as this. Whether it's the Wireless Emergency Notification System (WENS) or the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) these systems are here for our safety.

One thing that we can take away from this unfortunate accident is the need to plan for major disasters. In the case of an impending nuclear strike, it may seem like a hopeless situation, but that may not be the case. Take time to make a plan for what to do if there is a large scale disaster that may require immediate action. The type of threat that the notification in Hawaii was focused on is not the only type of major disaster that may impact your area. Earthquakes, Hazardous Materials (Hazmat) incidents, wildfires and even flash floods are all events that may require quick, decisive action on your part. Discussing what you would do and making a plan will make your response to any of these less stressful. Our thoughts go out to all of those impacted by the false alarm and any trauma they may have because of it. 

Shelter In Place

This boardroom can double as a shelter room!

To Shelter In Place (SIP) means to separate yourself from a hostile external/outside environment.  This could be for a number of reasons such as gas leaks, Hazardous Material incidents, criminal activity (active shooter or bank robberies in the area) and severe inclement weather.  

Schools and governmental bodies have been making and exercising shelter in place plans for many years, and now many other types of organizations are seeing the need to develop these plans.  After assessing the best methods for sheltering in place, communication and training of staff on these plans is of great importance.  Considerations such as necessary supplies need to be made along with the plan development, as well as any additional steps needed to make the SIP area safer.  

World Aware can help with SIP plan development and training, as well as SIP supplies and equipment.  If you decide you need additional safety, we have extensive experience in dual use Shelter In Place/Safe rooms using security concepts that are nearly undetectable and can be applied to any existing office, conference room or other space. This dual use approach negates the need for a "stand alone" SIP/Safe Room, allowing your work or living space to double as a place of safety for your staff or family. Contact World Aware to discuss how Shelter In Place planning can help you.  

COOP plan importance.

What is a COOP plan? A Continuity of Operations plan (COOP) plan is a collection of resources, actions, procedures, and information that is developed, tested, and held in readiness for use in the event of a major disruption of operations.  Many different organizations have the need for and would benefit from a COOP plan.  Major disasters will disrupt the operations of most businesses, and the cost of maintaining operations without  some sort of plan or system for response and recovery is incalculable.  Non-profit organizations, governmental bodies, private industry, even private practices and small businesses are just examples of the many organizations that have made COOP plans an  intergral part of thier business model.  

Identification of assets and critical functions is an important part of COOP plan development.  Vulnerability assessments and informational interviews help to prioritize which functions are most important to keep the organization running.  

Having a COOP plan allows for a smooth recovery after any disruption in services.  Many organizations, such as medicaid  providers (of any size) are  required to have a COOP and emergency plan.  The potential for during and post disaster cost savings is incredible. Having a plan laid out for recovery of essential business functions allows for a more organized response after a disaster or disruption, decreasing the amount of funds needed to keep operations running.

World Aware can help your organization develop a customized Continuity of Operations Plan that will serve as a guide for your organization's healthy response and recovery to disaters. 

Weather Spotter Training

One great skill that you can add to your skill-set is getting a weather spotter training.  This is offered by the National Weather Service (NWS) for free, in all areas of the U.S.  The NWS has a volunteer SKYWARN program comprised of between 350,000 and 400,000 trained severe weather spotters.  The spotter training consists of 

• Basics of thunderstorm development
• Fundamentals of storm structure
• Identifying potential severe weather features
• Information to report
• How to report information
• Basic severe weather safety

The severe weather safety guidelines can be extremely helpful when observing storm formations, or even when developing your emergency plans.  Identification of supercells, funnel clouds, hail size and patterns and other storm formations is very important for your own situational awareness, as well as for the good of the community.  You are trained to report the weather conditions to the NWS and help them get a clear picture of the weather. Go to the SKYWARN site, http://www.nws.noaa.gov/skywarn/ for more information.  

This is a great way to help your community and increase your self awareness at the same time!

Developing emergency plans & keeping them up to date.

Whether you are an individual, family or organization having an emergency plan could mean the difference between manageable disruptions and huge losses. Many people and organizations may not have the resources to have a full time emergency planner on hand at all times. That's where emergency plan consulting and long term maintainance touch ups come into play. 

For organizations, Continuity of Operations  Plans (COOP) & Emergency Operations Plans (EOP) are indispensable in making sure that your business can keep providing services and maintain profitability in the face of short or long term disruptions in operations. 

For individuals or families an Emergency Response Plan (ERP) or personal preparedness plan will be the tools that keep you and your loved ones safe and make sure your needs are met during any disaster or disruption of services.    

World Aware can help provide you with the tools that will empower you and your family or organization thrive during emergencies or disruptions in services.  We all know that needs change and new hazards develop and evolve. Along with developing a plan with you, World Aware can work with you to draft a long term maintainance plan to ensure your plan is up to date and functional as your needs change and as you grow!  Contact us for more info on how we can help meet your planning needs! 

Stay safe, stay aware, Be World Aware

beworldaware

September is National Preparedness Month!

September 08 2014

With September being National Preparedness Month we should take some time to consider our own personal preparedness goals and steps we have taken to reach those goals.  Events like the recent earthquake in California serve as reminders of how vulnerable our communities and infrastructure are to various threats, including natural disasters.  Look at preparedness month as a jumpstart to your personal preparedness.  Start by formulating a emergency/disaster group contact list.  This should be comprised of a network of family and friends that could mutually assist each other in the event of an emergency.  The wonderful thing about having a network of people you can call on in an emergency is that it lessens the amount of material and equipment that one person or family has to keep on hand because it spreads the investment across a group.  When making a contact list be sure to include out of town contacts.  In the event of an emergency the phone systems in the effected area may be tied up and the out of town contact can serve as a way for everyone in the group to communicate on a system that isn't tied up and possibly leave messages for each other.  The next step is to begin to gather equipment and materials that would be beneficial to you during an emergency.  Each person in your group can focus on one aspect of preparedness in particular( like extended first aid or robust water purification, depending on their skill set and comfortability) but every member should have all the necessary items to function independently if needed.  World Aware's multi person emergency kits are perfect for families or groups of people who need all their bases covered.  These first few steps are a great way to get started and a great way to participate in National Preparedness Month.  Be Aware, Be World Aware.

Thanks, 

The World Aware Team