Being ready for a disaster starts with you. That's one of the lessons from the horrific events in Japan. Community preparedness is vital and can save thousands of lives. But in the first hours - and days - after a disaster, you would likely be responsible for your own safety and well-being. Emergency response providers would face huge problems in even getting to their workplaces. Neighbours will fight fires, rescue survivors and share information.
The good news is that they -we -will do a good job. Much has been written about the Japanese response to the disasters -the co-operation, courtesy and calm demonstrated by survivors under desperate pressures.
But Joseph Scanlon of Carleton University, who has been studying disasters for four decades, says that's the norm. Around the world, people have responded as a community, working together calmly and effectively for the greater good.
Most of us don't face the same risks as the Japanese. But a devastating earthquake is a real danger. Communities like Sooke are at risk of a tsunami. Individual preparation can save thousands of lives and free the emergency responders to deal with the most critical cases.
The risks can seem remote. As a society and as individuals we have to balance the costs and benefits of preparing for a future disaster and dealing with the issues of today.
Many measures, though, cost little. Municipalities, school districts and provincial government agencies have disaster plans in place. But too many of us have not taken the time to review them and learn how they affect us.
If an earthquake strikes during the day, for example, knocking out telephones and cellphone and Internet service and making roads impassable, parents need to understand where their school-age children will be sheltering and how they can be reached. If parents or friends are in care, the same issues must be addressed.
If evacuation is needed, where will families connect? What's the best route to the nearest shelter or high ground? Sorting these issues out doesn't cost money.
The lessons from Japan and Christchurch include the reality that, even in a well-prepared country, people need to be self-supporting for days, perhaps weeks. Stores might be closed, or shelves emptied of goods. Housing might be destroyed or unsafe. Health care workers might only be able to deal with the most serious injuries.
Again, an adequate emergency kit need not be costly. A good first aid kit (useful at any time). A stock of non-perishable food and essential medications. Several gallons of water. Flashlights, bedding, a tarp or tent, a plan to retrieve warm clothes. And, of course, an effort to make sure all family members know where the supplies are stored.
Efforts to make homes and offices safer are also not expensive or difficult. Video from Japan showed the benefits of securing cabinets, bookshelves and heavy structures to walls. Even in extreme shaking, they didn't topple on people. Having flashlights available in each bedroom could make the difference in escaping a damaged building or finding children safely. Knowing how to turn off water and natural gas supplies to your home can prevent much greater damage after a quake.
None of these are complex or difficult measures. But they can save your life. (There is more information on protecting yourself and emergency response in a special report in this section.)
It might, and hopefully will, be that you never need to draw upon any of this preparation. A major earthquake, the scientists say, is overdue. But that doesn't mean it will come in the next few years, or decades.
But take a moment to look at the images from Japan, particularly of people coping days after the earthquake. Imagine you and your family in similar situations, or much worse off because you failed to prepare today.
