[HAZARD] - Are you ready?  Part 5 of 5 - The CSZ

Communications in any emergency can mean the difference between life and death.  This truth is demonstrated in every disaster after action report ever written.  Learn the skills of the HAM radio operator and join a local club.  It’s fun, and just like we saw in Moore Oklahoma after the tornados hit, it’s likely to be the only operational communications method for quite some time.  It takes a lot of work and resources to restore Cellular service when the towers are down as in this scenario.

Information is king in a crisis!  Without it you can stumble into truly hazardous conditions or be put in a position to have to use lethal force to defend yourself and your family when a fight could have been avoided if you had but known what was ahead.

Mobility is also vital if you are to regroup with your family, or need to get out of the way of a disaster.  We live in a highly mobile society and we’ve come to depend on a variety of modes of transportation.  It is imperative that planning consider probable locations of family members and develop a strategy for how they could successfully return the previously designated family meeting (rally point) place.  This is where communications and information become vital because you’ve got to assess the situation and possibly adjust the plan you’ve designed to fit the circumstances.  It is important that each family member have a Go Kit that always accompanies them.  Based on the severity of the disaster, the only way to reunite may be walking so you’ll want a Go Kit that is designed not only to have the needed resources but one that can be carried easily and safely.

Security is perhaps the most difficult skill for some to master, or in some cases, come to terms with.  For some, a personal world view has blinded them to the real necessity of assuming responsibility for their personal security.  For others “Normalcy Bias” may distort their perception of the world around them.  Whatever the case, the Supreme Court has ruled that police officers are not responsible for your security, you are. I can’t tell you how many times a Law Enforcement Officer (LEO) has reinforced this truth to me.  

Just remember, we prepare for the worst and hope (or pray) for the best.

In June of 2016 the federal government will orchestrate a multi-state, multi-jurisdiction, international exercise in order to prepare for a CSZ event.  This will be the culmination of a great deal of hard work.