Panelist LaDona Farinacci

Addressing personal preparedness and what you as an individual can do

Thank you very much for being here tonight. It's nice to see a lot of proactive ready citizens come out here to learn about what's going on as where learning as we go. I just want to address a few basics. I want to move fast so we can keep moving. I just wanted to say in short the handout was out at the front and I apologize for the sides that didn't get the handout. But I just want to go over a few points. Emergency preparedness begins with personal preparedness enabling you to be able to respond whether you are at home, work or in transit at the time of an incident. So in short just take care of activity you have personal control over-this is prior to an event. And that will help dissipate the fear we felt in the last few weeks if we just plan, plan, practice and have alternate plans.

In simplistic terms, an emergency disaster preparedness kit would contain physical, psychological, mechanical and medical needs. And I listed on the second page some of those items that I feel would be important. Under physical needs, protection from the elements, security, food, water and sanitation. Mechanical: writing, basic tools, rope, ?, containers, utensils, supplies. Under medical needs: basic supplies, basic first aid certification would be important and a medical guide. And then psychological needs: reassurance, support, information and reading materials. And I believe before the events that these were important. This wasn't the first time I started talking about this. I come from a background where I needed to be prepared. So, I think this is just basic ?? adverse weather conditions, or what the problem is. If we remain prepared and alert we've won half the battle.

The cima.gov, www.cima.gov, American Red Cross, is an excellent site to explore. You can sit there all day and just looking at all the items. You can get creative with your family and your children. It doesn't have to be a negative experience. For children, there's wonderful coloring books and items so that they can share and learn to be self sufficient and prepare themselves. So it can be very positive. And I want to add that in emergency disaster response there's basic eight components, eight activities, and I just want to bring those out and mention those. Under any management of an incident, what happens is based on studies of prior emergency disaster in terrorist incident whether this is in a civilian or military environment. Those activities are isolation, protection, identification, containment, decontamination, evacuation, treatment and recovery. I won't go through each of the items, because we need to keep things moving but I did write a sentence on each one of those. In short I wanted to say that those are based on procedures and methods that are important. I think that the more familiar you are with some these activities, the less anxiety you'll have if you need to do or asked to participate or asked to do certain things as far as decontamination or entered into the hospital or things like that.

This steps exactly into other important issues of preparedness of evacuation plan and recovery plan. Recovery is just as important as preparation after an event is just as important as prior before to an event. I just invite to look at the Web site, call your red cross, sign up for the training classes. I know they have needs in all areas for citizens to go through some of the training classes to help out. I wanted to conclude that our thought and intent should be bolted to courage, resolve and fearless love for life, country and justice. Greater than the intensity of the enemy as we respond to prepare with preparation, planning, alternate plans and practice. Thank you.