Procrastination is the biggest barrier to emergency preparedness

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – The earthquake in Nepal is just the latest reminder of how suddenly “the unexpected” can hit.

It is also a reminder that many of us are simply not prepared for a major emergency in Metro Vancouver.

During Emergency Preparedness Week in BC, St. John Ambulance is pointing out that procrastination is keeping the majority of us from putting together a proper plan to survive “off the grid” for at least 72 hours after a disaster.

“We actually did a survey of 3,000 people in our database — these are people who have taken First Aid and safety courses — and we asked them [why they haven’t taken steps to prepare for a major emergency]. The majority cited procrastination as the biggest barrier to taking action. They’re just not getting their acts together,” says Renee Bernstein with St. John Ambulance in BC and Yukon.

“Emergency social services are going to have reception centres. They will be opening, but not immediately. People have to be prepared, they must have food, water, supplies and medical kits.”

But putting together an emergency preparedness kit and plan can be an overwhelming task for some people, so St. John Ambulance is trying to break it down into manageable chunks.

“We are giving people activities they can do on our 15 Easy Steps to Emergency Preparedness blog for the next 15 days, breaking it into small pieces that they can actually go out and easily do. We also have downloadable lists and action items they can take shopping to get their kits prepared and create their plans with their families,” Bernstein tells News1130.

Besides tips on building a proper preparedness kit, St. John Ambulance is also reminding people to have enough extra medication on hand for anyone in their family who needs it and enough food and supplies for pets.

“Stores are not going to be open. Pharmacies are not going to be open. These are things that people don’t think about. You actually have to plan for all the basic necessities because nothing is going to be open and there is nobody else you can rely on but yourself.”

She says you should also plan to be prepared in case disaster hits while you are on the road or at work.

“You may be in a vehicle, so you need a kit for on the road or at work. You may have high-heeled shoes on at work — how are you going to walk? You may not get home for many days,” says Bernstein, who adds that first aid training can also be invaluable.

“Hospitals are only going to be seeing triage patients during those first few days and possibly weeks [of a major emergency]. If you have people who are injured from flying debris or walking barefoot on broken glass, you need to be able to treat your own family or community. We really emphasize the need for taking a general first aid course so they can be self-sufficient.”

St. John Ambulance does sell emergency preparedness kits and, until May 20, will be giving 10 per cent of all proceeds from its sales to the Nepal Region Earthquake Fund.

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