Are you prepared? Disaster preparation in Nebraska and beyond

By Rick Sheehy

It seems almost daily we hear, read or intently watch natural, accidental or intentional events, which adversely affect the lives and property of individuals. We have all been touched, either physically or emotionally, by these events or disasters. Think back to the coverage of September 11, 2001, and other terrorist attacks around the world. Recall the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and other floods, tornadoes, fires, shootings, infrastructure failures and structural collapses. Let’s not forget the ongoing discussion of the potential for an outbreak of pandemic flu. These natural, accidental or intentional events, whether we realize it or not, have changed the way we live our lives. Our lives are time stamped and measured by these events. Dinner table and coffee shop conversations across the country take place asking, “Where were you during this event?” Each of these events has also created significant public discussion of whether or how well your government will respond to these events in your community or state. The measure of public expectations has been significantly elevated.

Let me assure you, in the state of Nebraska, officials from local, state and federal agencies are working diligently to meet these new expectations. Every day dedicated professionals from these agencies work in partnership to prevent, prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters. These professionals plan, train and exercise to prepare themselves to respond to all types of hazards.

Being prepared is nothing new. Homeland Security is not new. Homeland Security is the 21st century’s means of coordinating the agencies responsible for the public health and safety of our citizens. I frequently have the opportunity to meet with and give remarks about our Homeland Security programs to professionals, as well as everyday citizens, all around our state. The message is not exciting, and is not sugar coated, but I believe it instills in the minds of people where we are today in our lives and represents the real threats, vulnerabilities and consequences we face as a state and nation.

The importance of your involvement

The message I deliver goes as follows. As Nebraskans and Americans, we have learned many lessons since September 11. Chief among these is the lesson that any catastrophe, whether a natural event or a terrorist attack, is not confined to any single infrastructure or community. We are all collectively affected, and we must all collectively work together to, if possible, prevent these catastrophes. And in those cases where prevention fails, we must work together to collectively respond to protect our communities, our state and nation. Take the time to discuss the challenges you face with one another and listen to the challenges that face each of your neighbors. If you do this, we will all have a better understanding of how we are stronger together than when we are divided. That is the first and most important step to meeting the challenges we face.

Nebraska’s comprehensive plan

Nebraska has been recognized for its efforts in anti-terrorism and Homeland Security initiatives. This has been accomplished by the can-do attitude of Nebraskans. All of the agencies, state and local, have taken a cooperative approach to the issue of Homeland Security. This has allowed Nebraska to have a comprehensive, integrated plan that allows us to deal with many issues that other states and the federal government are attempting to resolve. Another reason Nebraska has been so effective is due to our oversight structure for Homeland Security. Nebraska was the first state in the country to have the lieutenant governor serve as its homeland security director. Other states are beginning to follow the Nebraska model. Nebraska’s executive branch understands it is the governor who is ultimately responsible for the health and well being of its citizens. This structure permits the governor’s office to be intimately involved with the guidance and direction of the Nebraska Homeland Security Senior Policy Group and its programs.
Nebraska is proud to also have been recognized for its efforts in the creation and utilization of telehealth and the Health Alert Network. The Biocontainment Unit located at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and the establishment of public health agencies statewide are in place. Nebraska is a national leader in its discussions of pandemic influenza. Through the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, a response system has been developed to respond to agricultural or livestock emergencies through the Nebraska Livestock Emergency Disease Response System. All of these successes have been accomplished due to strong cooperation among the many individuals and organizations involved. The strong foundation we have in place will allow us to meet the challenges of what lies ahead.

The ‘new normal’

We know that the question is not if there will be another act of terrorism but rather when. The potential for a bioterrorist attack is as real as a conventional weapons attack. Many sectors will play a vital role in responding to this long-term threat. We must continue to be vigilant in our Homeland Security efforts.

The current situation in which we live has been called the “new normal,” a permanent condition. We know this isn’t just a short-term proposition we are facing. We are living in a new reality, and that reality is the potential for terrorism, including terrorist attacks using weapons of mass destruction, for the foreseeable future. We can’t let today’s work fade away. New realities call for new approaches. The world is not going to go back to the 20th century; we need to continue moving forward in the 21st century. This means forging meaningful, substantive partnerships for the long term.

The enemies we face spent, literally, years planning the attacks of September 11. We need to have partnerships that understand this fact and that work together in a committed way. The threats are not going away, and each of us must remain vigilant. It needs to become standard practice for government to assist our infrastructure providers in a variety of meaningful ways, from information sharing about threats to increasing awareness of and visibility on critical systems. Over the last couple of years I have had the opportunity to cohost, with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Nebraska Infrastructure Security Forum. This forum provides an educational opportunity as well as information sharing between government and public and private providers of many sectors to discuss the various issues dealing with Homeland Security. The formation of an executive council allows for a higher level conversation with key state and private business leaders from across Nebraska. Develop­ment of these relationships is essential in noncrisis situations. It is too late to develop relationships or to get ready when a catastrophe strikes. We must be ready to respond now and in the future. If we can do this, we will be prepared to face the future in a quickly changing world.

More work to be done

Although there has been much accomplished, there is still work to be completed. Recall that Home­land Security’s primary function is to prevent and prepare for an incident derived from the nexus of terrorism. The work completed in the State of Nebraska in preparation for an event has had a positive effect on how our professionals respond to everyday events. Your community, state and national government can only do so much. That is why it is necessary for all citizens to prepare, plan and conduct exercises at your home, work and school. We need the cooperation of each and every person to prepare for all types of disasters, just as our first responders plan, train and exercise. It is still apparent across our country that everyday citizens are not adequately prepared to take care of themselves in times of emergency or disaster.

The threats we face today are real. We live each and every day with the real threat of disaster, whether it is a natural or accidental disaster or an intentional act of terrorism. We have become accustomed to having everything at our fingertips. In other words, we live in the here and now. A recent survey conducted by the Opinion Research Corporation found that only 49 percent of respondents have purchased emergency supplies. Only 46 percent of those believe they have enough supplies to help them through an extended emergency. The 51 percent of respondents who had not yet purchased supplies for an emergency cited procrastination as the key cause and did not think they would be affected by an emergency. Those who had not purchased supplies or who had yet to put a plan together said they would be motivated to do so if they were warned of an impending crisis by their local, state or federal government. A large majority would also be more likely to prepare for an emergency had they already lived through one.

Should you consider yourself as being part of the large majority waiting for someone to tell you to get prepared? Get prepared! As individuals, we need to return to the time of self-reliance and self-sufficiency. We all have the responsibility to be prepared. Imagine what would happen if all businesses were closed and you were without any type of emergency services. What would you do until help arrived?

Expect the unexpected

Nebraskans over the last several years have experienced destruction from tornadoes in the southeast, fires in the northwest and ice storms in the central region of the state. Communities come together in times of need to assist their neighbors. That is what makes Nebraska such a great place to live, work and raise our families. As Nebraskans we must remain vigilant and ready for the unexpected. We must stay alert and aware of our surroundings.

Pay attention to information distributed by your local emergency management officials. Preparedness is a continual effort. September is National Preparedness Month and that provides a great opportunity to make people aware of Nebraska’s disaster-preparedness activities and to encourage more families and businesses to plan for disasters, as part of a national campaign to increase our disaster readiness.

There are many opportunities for you to learn more about how you can be prepared for a disaster or serve your community and state. For information on how you can learn more about disaster preparedness for yourself or business, search the site www.ready.gov or contact your local emergency manager, public health district office or the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency. The Nebraska Volunteer Com­mission also has information available on how you can be prepared and how to assist your community, state and nation in a variety of ways.

I ask you the question: Are you prepared?

Bookmark/Search this post with:

Delicious  •   Digg  •   StumbleUpon  •   Propeller  •   Reddit  •   Magnoliacom  •   Newsvine  •   Furl  •   Facebook  •   Google  •   Yahoo  •   Technorati  •   Icerocket