The last top-ten list I made was about cool disaster gadgets and it was a big hit. Below I’ve compiled ten awesome life-saving products. I’m not vouching for them, but they appear to be pretty neat…

BULLETPROOF BACKPACK
Although it’s expensive ($399), this normal-looking backpack will stop most handgun bullets. The website even has instructions for use: Hold pack between yourself and the shooter using the shoulder straps as handles. Use as a shield to provide cover for upper torso and head whenever possible. While taking shelter, use pack to protect yourself in the direction of the threat.

CHEMICAL SPILL ESCAPE MASK
You never know when you’re going to be a little too close to a chemical spill. Just in case, this escape mask can help! This mask is a personal emergency device for short-term respiratory protection during escape from an area of a chemical spill. Offers protection against organic gases and vapors with a boiling point higher than 65°C, certain inorganic gases and vapors, sulfur dioxide and other acidic gases and vapors, ammonia and ammonia derivatives. Large visor, made of flame-retardant transparent film, allows a wide field of view. One size fits all and it folds up to fit in your pocket!

ESCAPE LADDER
Sometimes the only way to get out of dodge is to go out the window. This escape ladder is pretty nifty. Not only does the ladder collapse into a small little kit, but it has a sturdy clamp for windowsills. A really nice feature of this ladder are the external pegs that brace the ladder against the exterior of the wall. As your foot moves to the next rung, the pegs provide a counter-balance against the wall (so that you can get a strong foothold on each rung instead of having the ladder slack against the wall). Also, it’s important to note that this ladder is metal rather than nylon (which will melt in a fire).

ESCAPE CHUTE
In case your window is higher than the escape ladder will reach, you can install the escape chute (can’t miss this video, yikes!). There are several models, but they all involve you bailing out into a really, really long tube (you may or may not be able to see the bottom from the top of this thrill ride). Some of the tubes require anchors while others allow you to extrude out the bottom of the chute unassisted. While it might save your life, there doesn’t appear to be a graceful or non-terrifying way to drop ten stories from the outside of a building.

FIREFIGHTING BOMB
The Russian company Bazalt might be on to something. This bomb-looking device is meant to be dropped by an airplane and is marketed to put out up to 1,000 square yards of flame. They call it an “aerial firefighting explosive device”. If you click on the title of this paragraph, you’ll see a pretty incredible video of this bomb at work.

INFLATABLE PERSONAL FLOTATION DEVICE
This PFD is pretty neat. When it’s worn but not inflated, the vest is pretty small and doesn’t get in the way. When submersed in water, a cartridge of CO2 is used to inflate the vest. The vest can also be deployed manually by pulling on the yellow tab (let’s say you anticipate landing in the drink and want the comfort of activating your vest before you’re chin-deep).

AVALANCHE AIRBAGS
It works like this: if a skier finds herself trapped under heavy snow, the system will inflate to give pinned athletes 150 liters more body volume, equalizing some of the extreme density and helping to bring the body towards the surface as the snow gains speed. Compared to airbags in your car, this body-worn variety utilizes nitrogen canisters rather than CO2, a gas that’s safe to travel with as long as TSA gives you the go-ahead.

AVALUNG REBREATHER
Another lifesaving device for use during avalanches is the Avalung. This device works by taking the air you exhale and as your carbon dioxide-saturated breath exits through the bottom end of the rig,  your body acts as a barrier separating the “good” unused air from the “bad” exhalation. Otherwise, CO2 would build up in front of your face, causing snow to refreeze around your face and lead to suffocation.
BOTTLE SCREENER
Afraid that your water bottle or 20 ounce soda might contain a liquid explosive? This tabletop beverage inspection system is designed to quickly screen liquids in bottles where the threat may be present. The MS100P is for use at checkpoints, prisons, events and wherever liquids in bottles are security concern.

Bottles are automatically evaluated in less than 3 seconds. A green light indicates that the bottled beverages are safe, a red light signals an operator to take action (which I assume is a fancy way of saying: “RUN!”)

PERSONAL LIFE RAFT
Sometimes you just need the added peace of mind knowing you have your own life raft at your disposal.  For people like you, the Offshore Commander comes with the following items: inflatable floor, canopy light & reflective tape, rugged, oversized double tubes, automatic inflatable canopy, boarding ladder, righting strap and safety lifelines. The raft comes vacuum-packed for easy storage.

Today marks the debut of my monthly disaster preparedness column for my local online newspaper, the Chevy Chase Patch.

My dramatically titled article is “3 Easy Steps Could Save Your Life”

Enjoy!

For those of us in emergency management, we often talk about disasters, incidents, events, emergencies, catastrophes, and disruptions. When I teach FEMA courses, sometimes the exact definition of disaster comes up–but few people are prepared to answer “What is a disaster?” I often ask “Is a category 5 hurricane a disaster”? A lot of people usually nod in agreement. Then I ask “what if the hurricane stays over the ocean and doesn’t affect any humans?” Not a disaster, right? More heads nod.

I alway like to start by discussing the etymology of “disaster” (mostly because I’m an EM geek). The word “disaster” was formed from “dis” (which means apart/away) and “astro” (which means “star, planet”). In other words: “ill-starred” or against the stars, such as an astrological explanation for “a calamity blamed on an unfavorable position of the planet.” While it’s interesting to understand how “disaster” got its groove in the 1560’s, how we use the term today is important–especially as it pertains to disaster declarations and how we define when a situation transforms from a simple emergency to a disaster.

In fact, FEMA routinely sidesteps defining “disaster”. FEMA’s glossary of terms doesn’t have a definition for disaster, neither does the National Response Framework glossary nor the ICS Resource Center Glossary.

Instead, FEMA relies on the Stafford Act definition of a “major disaster”: which is “any natural catastrophe (including any hurricane, tornado, storm, high water, winddriven water, tidal wave, tsunami, earthquake, volcanic eruption, landslide, mudslide, snowstorm, or drought), or, regardless of cause, any fire, flood, or explosion, in any part of the United States, which in the determination of the President causes damage of sufficient severity and magnitude to warrant major disaster assistance under this Act to supplement the efforts and available resources of States, local governments, and disaster relief organizations in alleviating the damage, loss, hardship, or suffering caused thereby.” In other words, the definition of a major disaster is almost any situation in which the President decides to declare it a disaster.

Dr. Wayne Blanchard authored the Guide to Emergency Management and Related Terms, Definitions, Concepts, Acronyms, Organizations, Programs, Guidance, Executive Orders & Legislation in 2008. It’s an extraordinary resource for definitions and an annotated history of emergency management terms. Dr. Blanchard wasn’t able to narrow down a single definition either. In fact, the definitions for “disaster” start on page 275 and continue to page 285.

Definitions include the typical definition used in emergency management textbooks: “An event that requires resources beyond the capability of a community and requires a multiple agency response.”

The Merriam-Webster definition: “a sudden calamitous event bringing great damage, loss, or destruction; broadly : a sudden or great misfortune or failure”

Then there are several interesting definitions, including:

• the economic definition: “an incident causing at least USD $5 million in damages”
• a sociological definition: “a type of collective stress situation in which ‘many members of a social system fail to receive expected conditions of life from the system”
• the cynical, sociological boomerang definition: “disasters become the basis for rebuilding social inequalities and perhaps deepening them, thus setting the stage for the next disaster”
• the subjective perspective: “Disasters are subjective phenomena. They arise from the behavior of complex systems, are perceived and take place in a specific socio-economic, historical, cultural and chronological context.”
• the capacity-based definition: “A disaster is a non-routine event that exceeds the capacity of the affected area to respond to it in such a way as to save lives; to preserve property; and to maintain the social, ecological, economic, and political stability of the affected region.”

I usually prefer the last definition. For my purposes as an emergency manager, that definition successfully balances the impact of the hazard on unassisted response/recovery, includes the life-threatening consequences in response to the hazard, and makes mention of the various lines of operation affected by disaster (sociological, environmental/ecological, economical, and political).

Leave a comment with your preferred definition!

Onward with the Disaster Myth Buster Series! Myth #2 is: “Disaster response and recovery is solely a governmental responsibility”

Valerie Lucus-McEwen recently quoted FEMA Deputy Administrator, Richard Serino, in her blog, saying that upon visiting Joplin, Missouri, the media asked Mr. Serino “‘Can FEMA handle this disaster?’  His response:  ‘If we were doing this alone – no, we couldn’t.'”

“Whole Community” Approach Includes Volunteer Organizations
Mr. Serino wasn’t being modest. Simply, the Federal government is not designed, nor able, to perform comprehensive response and recovery operations in a vacuum. FEMA’s “Whole Community” approach is the codification of the reality that the government is a partner in, not the sole proprietor of, disaster response and recovery. As David Kaufman, director of FEMA’s Office of Policy and Program Analysis, recently wrote in FEMA’s blog, “Woven throughout the [Whole Community approach] and supported by several examples are three key Whole Community principles that emerged through the national dialogue: [1]understand and meet the actual needs of the whole community; [2] engage and empower all parts of the community to define their needs and [3] provide ways to meet them; and strengthen what already works well in communities on a daily basis to improve resiliency and emergency management outcomes.”

For the longest time, FEMA’s role was binary: disaster relief funding and technical assistance. Meaning, following a disaster declaration, FEMA would implement its program for funding relief (primarily through Public Assistance and Individual Assistance). As needed, FEMA could also call on partner Federal agencies to provide technical assistance, such as engineers from the US Army Corps of Engineers or livestock specialists from the USDA. With programs like Project Impact and Whole Community, FEMA is providing more than just a checkbook or a phonebook. FEMA is acknowledging a deeper role as a facilitator, coordinator, and partner to states, tribes, communities, and the private sector. By “winning hearts and minds” at the local level, FEMA benefits from a “force multiplier” effect.

Volunteer Organizations Active in Disasters
While many people recognize the American Red Cross, there are dozens of other hardworking volunteer organizations present in the disaster response and recovery arena. In fact, together these organizations are referred to as “Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster” or VOAD. VOAD are so important to FEMA that Mr. Fugate spoke at the National VOAD conference in May 2010, explaining that “It’s the faith-based and non-profit groups that know their communities best, and by strengthening the partnerships between us, we can help keep the people we serve safe.”

Ben Curran, the voluntary agency coordinator at FEMA (and having served FEMA since 1989), released a list of reasons why VOAD are so important and uniquely helpful as a complement to Federal disaster response/recovery. Here are several selected bullet points:

• VOAD is a “go-to” institution at the national and State levels where new organizations learn how to get involved in emergency management.
• VOAD can be innovative, creative, flexible, and pro-active when government often cannot be.
• VOAD organizations are trusted in the community they serve, providing for year-round social needs, and as a result may be able to address problems more thoroughly than government can.
• VOAD diversity sets an example for FEMA, compelling FEMA’s work with  all faiths and secular groups — large, small, urban, and rural.
• VOAD serves as a voice to FEMA for the country’s very diverse NGO community.
• VOAD members serve undocumented households during disasters and all communities in non-Presidentially declared disasters – two major gaps not addressed by government
• State VOAD representatives in State Emergency Operations Centers can play key partnering roles for government through extensive networks and collective influence.
• State VOADs greatly assist the FEMA VAL in the early stages of a disaster operation with State introductions, contacts, networks, and historical experience.
• National VOAD provides key input into strategic planning development for FEMA.  For example, the National Disaster Housing Strategy.

Last month I kicked off my “Disaster Mythology” series. The first disaster myth I listed was: Disasters bring out the worst in society (also addressing “mass panic”).

Myth defined: After a large disaster, society breaks down causing chaos and anarchistic conditions. Examples: John Gibson from Fox News during Hurricane Katrina explained that there were “All kinds of reports of looting, fires and violence. Thugs shooting at rescue crews…” On MSNBC, Tucker Carlson stated “People are being raped…People are being murdered. People are being shot. Police officers being shot.” Even the Chief of Police for NOPD went on the Oprah show and claimed that babies were being raped. In reality, there were very few official reports of rapes or murders. Chief Compass explained later that “We don’t have any substantiated rapes. We will investigate if they come forward.”

In fact, it doesn’t need to be an actual disaster for people to consider the worst. In preparation for Y2K, Japan put 96,000 soldiers on heightened alert and the entire world felt a sense of impending doom. There were many predictions in the media of mass chaos and widespread panic.

In essence, the myth revolves around the notion that after a large disaster, there will be societal collapse due to decentralization of power/protection and resulting in anarchy.

In response to that myth, here are some facts that form a rebuttal:

Mass panic? Turns out mass panic is pretty rare. An example provided by Erik Auf der Heide:

Hurricane Carla, Galveston, Texas, 1961. Carla was a category-5 hurricane, the highest level on the Saffir-Simpson scale. It was the worst hurricane to hit the Texas coast in 40 years, having sustained winds of over 150 miles per hour as it positioned itself to strike the mainland. Headlines in several newspapers reported, “More than 100,000 persons flee in near panic.” Actually, 70–80% of those on Galveston Island remained during Carla, even though most knew they would be cut off from the mainland. Islanders boasted of having had beach parties during the hurricane.

In fact, hurricane parties are fairly common (see hurricane parties for Hurricane Ike, Hurricane Camille, and Hurricane Andrew).

Sociologists have long identified substantial disconnects between public perceptions of post-disaster human behavior and the empirical assessments of that behavior. After many disasters, researchers, reporters, and public officials have been unable to corroborate the majority of harsh reports regarding rapes, murders, and chaos. In fact, there is often a sense of community that develops before, during, and after a disaster. As Ms. Sun points out: “Indeed, community residents who survive the initial hazard event are the true “first responders,” performing many critical lifesaving tasks, including searching for, rescuing, and caring for other survivors. The research also suggested that true panic—characterized by irrational flight behavior—is not a typical disaster response”.

Looting is more common during riots but is actually rare during disasters. As the Suburban Emergency Management Project points out, looting is more often a fear than an actuality during disasters. In a poll taken in 1990 by the Project, they found a majority of emergency managers agreed with the statement that “looting rarely occurs before or after a disaster.”

Anarchy? Not so much… After Hurricane Katrina, a report by the New Orleans newspaper, the Times-Picayune, stated: “Four weeks after the storm, few of the widely reported atrocities have been backed with evidence. The piles of bodies never materialized, and soldiers, police officers and rescue personnel on the front lines say that although anarchy reigned at times and people suffered unimaginable indignities, most of the worst crimes re- ported at the time never happened.” This article won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. Some think that the anarchy motif is a way for more resources to be devoted to a disaster–especially in the form of military might. Others say it’s just media sensationalism and the current equivalent to yellow journalism.

—————————————————————————————————-

Some good articles disproving this myth: