Writer says NYC is not ready. How about us?

Read this article about New York City, and its lack of adequate preparation for disasters, and then ask yourself some questions.

"Earthquake Proves New York City is Not Prepared for Natural Disasters"

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/08/24/earthquake-proves-nyc-is-not-prepared-for-natural-disasters/

"A single tremor was enough to cause mass confusion, building evacuations and cell phone service outages across the city."

"Consider: This region, more than any other, relies on electrical power. From high rise apartment buildings, to business computers, to the subway system, a massive power outage caused by a hurricane will have a significant impact on people’s lives.

Imagine if you were sick or paralyzed, and stuck on a building’s 35th floor without elevator service for days. Or, simply picture the isolation caused by television and cell phone outages.

 Ask yourself, where are your flashlights? Your radio? How will you keep up to date with important emergency information if the storm knocks out electrical services?

In order to prepare for this hurricane, ultimately we have to think not of the earthquake, which caused no lasting damage, but rather everything that went wrong during this past winter’s big snowstorm.

People were unable to leave their apartments, and emergency vehicles were essentially unable to move around on the streets. We were woefully under-prepared, and most city workers had to play catch up to fix the significant problems that resulted from the storm."

Read more: http://www.askdrmanny.com/dr-manny-says-the-earthquakes-over-now-its-time-to-prepare-for-hurricanes/#ixzz1W2rpwSLL

Questions to ask yourself:

Are you any more prepared than the NYC residents he speaks of?

Do you have flashlights, or a battery powered radio?

What will you do if emergency vehicles can't get to you?  Do you have first aid supplies and medical knowledge?

These are all important things to think about BEFORE a disaster occurs.