It's Time to Toss the Three-Day Preparedness Message

By: Eric Holdeman on June 17, 2011

Most Popular

Most Commented

Internship Programs Develop the Next Generation of Emergency Managers

"As an Emergency Management Intern, I can say that working hands on has not only given me experience "
The Power of One: The Cascading Effect of Social Media

"Dan- You are correct. That was a mistake on my part. I appreciate your feedback and honesty."
911 Systems Upgrade to Accept Text Messages and Video

"Message continued... The APCO/NENA groups across the country have been wrestling with the concepts a"
The Public's Curiosity About CMAS/WEA

"It will be offered through the national cellular networks, available to local public safety organiza"
Alerting Devices Showcased for People with Access and Functional Needs

"Hi we need this information in spanish for hispanic people. In Puerto Rico. TKS!"

New Orleans residents lined up to enter the Superdome, which was opened as a shelter in advance of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Photo courtesy of Marty Bahamonde/FEMA

I’ve always been a strong supporter of disaster public education. My first exposure to it was in 1992 when I worked at the Washington state Emergency Management Division and was responsible for starting the state’s first public education program.

When I moved to the county level as a local director, I made sure we had an active disaster education program. After 9/11, the homeland security grants that followed provided an opportunity to fund a much more robust regional public education program. We formed a regional group to select a campaign slogan, 3 Days, 3 Ways, and then promoted it using a variety of mass media that included TV, radio, billboards and bus signs. We even partnered with the Seattle Mariners for stadium signage. Then Hurricane Katrina hit and it was clear that telling people to be prepared for just three days was not enough. The challenge was that the national message coming from FEMA and the American Red Cross had always been three days of preparedness. I called people I knew at the national offices of both organizations to see if they were considering changing their message. They said no.

To maintain a message consistent with national standards, we modified our materials to warn people to prepare for a minimum of three days.

Now we have another catastrophe in Japan, an industrialized and modern nation with the world’s third largest economy. Japan is touted as the most prepared country in the world. When you observe the damages there and think about the types of mega-disasters that are possible in the U.S., it’s easy to see why it’s time to toss the three-day message and level with our communities. People need to be prepared to be self-sufficient for at least a week.

There are several reasons to make this switch.

We need to be honest with people and manage their expectations. If we tell them three days, we should be prepared to respond to their needs at the end of that time. For catastrophes, it is not a good planning assumption that we will be able to respond to individuals within three days.

The military’s planning figure is to be on the ground by 100 hours after the event. If you look at previous responses, it takes a long time to get personnel and equipment in place and to the point where they can make a significant difference.

Disaster response is all about logistics and moving supplies and equipment. This is not a simple task, especially when transportation systems have been impacted. As one speaker so eloquently stated, “Logistics — if it were easy it would be called taxes.”

I don’t expect that the aforementioned national programs will change their disaster preparedness messaging. That does not compel us to make the same mistake. It’s time to come clean and be real with our constituents. One of my mantras is, “Don’t promise what you can’t deliver.” When it comes to disaster preparedness, slogans might best be stated as: You’re on your own for a week, baby!

While I really liked the 3 Days, 3 Ways message, the problem is that it’s not realistic and just plain not true.

Eric Holdeman is the former director of the King County, Wash., Office of Emergency Management. His blog is located at www.disaster-zone.com.

You may use or reference this story with attribution and a link to
http://www.emergencymgmt.com/disaster/Toss-Three-Day-Preparedness-Message-061711.html

Comments

Add Your Comment

You are solely responsible for the content of your comments. We reserve the right to remove comments that are considered profane, vulgar, obscene, factually inaccurate, off-topic, or considered a personal attack.