The problem is...?

I ran a meeting today for the Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan committee today (3 people showed, one of them after the meeting was finished!). It was just a briefing to get them up to speed on what has occured so far in revising the county plan. But there is a BIG meeting coming up. The next time we meet (and hopefully everyone is there!) we will come up with projects for the next several years to reduce exposure to natural disasters in the county.

Sometimes you just have a good idea, but what we're going to do first is look for problems. What are we trying to solve or improve? So I ended the meeting with several ways in which to look at a disaster situation. Its called tipping the problem on its side... and then flipping it over... holding it up an shaking it... and turning it to every angle you can! Its a fun game and works for any situation. Heres what I came up with for a start.

* Hazard characteristic: What is the challange of that event? Tornados are the only one we face that is likely to destroy your home and possibly kill you.

* Impact feature: A blizzard may make travel impossible, both for you (no getting to work, getting paid) and for trucks (empty store shelves).

* Types of mitigation action: Straight out of FEMA, prevent the hazard , protect people, protect property, public or targetted education, natural resource protection.

* 4 vulnerabilities:
1. Communication (can you get warnings? can you pass them on?)
2. Population (mobility impaired, children, anyone else with specific needs or challenges)
3. Location (near a creek or river, aging building, old utility lines, swampy roads),
4. and needs availibility (do you require water, food, electricity, medicine, oxygen? where do you get them and how long can you go without?)

* 4 resources:
1. Equip (stored supplies so you are not dependent on external supply)
2. Plan (when the smoke detector goes off you already know what to do)
3. Information (You know the storms typicaly travel west to east so if there are storm watches to the west then...)
4. Knowledge and Skills (If you are not equiped you know alternatives or can use items at hand for the same need, making a splint from newspapers for example)