Dorothy, the main character in the classic movie, “The Wizard of Oz,” experienced a deadly tornado that struck the farm she lived on in Kansas. Lucky for Dorothy, she had an incredible dream that took her from the black and white reality of Kansas, to the colorful Land of Oz. Unfortunately, this is not the reality for those who fall victim to today’s natural and man-made disasters. For most, tornadoes, earthquakes and hurricanes end up to be living nightmares, and not a trip down the fabled yellow brick road.

I am currently training a company in Disaster Preparedness and Environmental Health and Safety. As I have witnessed in many other companies, this particular client is not even close to being able to respond to an emergency situation. In fact, studies have shown that only about 5% of us are prepared for when disaster strikes. The common reply by the other 95% of companies and employees is “I will dial 911”. However, did 911 help the people of New Orleans in 2005? Did 911 help the people in Haiti earlier this year?

I live in California. The most likely catastrophic natural disaster event is an earthquake. We all remember watching New Orleans devastated by Hurricane Katrina in August, 2005. Are you ready to respond in a logically planned manner, should the Big One hit?

You could be at home, or at work. Have you discussed with your family what you will do in the event that a catastrophic disaster strikes, and you are not together in the same place? The most important thing to remember is that the local Red Cross, Police and Fire will most likely not respond for a minimum of three days. Keep in mind that if you will need three days of supplies at your home, car and workplace. These include water, food, sanitary supplies, medicines, radio (solar), to name a few.

I recommend visiting The Red Cross and educate yourself, your family and your colleagues. You never know when disaster will strike, and your best defense is to be prepared.

Make a Plan, Build a Kit, and Get Trained.