When Everything Fails: Surviving Any Disaster

Welcome to your journey of preparedness! Begin your series with a self-assessment. Explore the different types of disasters and reflect on your baseline. Do you know the hazards around you on a regular basis? Do you have plans for shelter or evacuation? What about communication?

After reviewing a few basic concepts (such as the difference between an emergency, a disaster, and a catastrophe), Professor Owen walks you through the fundamentals of a good preparedness plan. From identifying risks around you to building physical and digital “go kits,” you are on your way.

Prevent, protect, mitigate, respond, recover: This simple framework is a way of thinking, designed around FEMA’s National Preparedness Goal, a recipe for identifying and preparing for potential hazards. From here, the next step is to equip yourself and establish a few practices that will serve you if (or when) disaster strikes.

Decision-making is a critical component of surviving a disaster. In an emergency situation, your mind won’t operate like it does in day-to-day life, which is why preparation and planning are so critical. Here, learn to size up emergency situations, guard against “normalcy bias,” and act appropriately under stressful circumstances.

Knowing the basics of CPR, first aid, fire extinguishers, and more might one day save a life (even yours). Take a look at some of the practical skills you would be wise to develop, from operating an AED to shutting off utilities. See where you should look for more comprehensive hands-on training.

A fire is one of the most common disasters you might encounter, and one for which you can readily prepare. Learn the basics of fire safety, from developing a home fire safety plan to specific things you can do to reduce your risk of fire in the home. This episode also shows you the fundamentals of how fires work, including flashovers and backdrafts.

Depending on where you live, earthquakes may pose a serious threat to your life or property, and what makes them so frightening is they can strike without warning. Learn how best to stay safe during and after an earthquake. Then consider two other geologic hazards: volcanoes and sinkholes.

Take a crash course in some of the more common weather hazards, from hurricanes and tornadoes to floods and blizzards. We will all experience extreme weather at some point, and this episode arms you with information about the dynamics of weather systems as well as precautionary measures you can and should take.

We might associate the word “disaster” with accidents or environmental hazards, but it can also include human-created activity, particularly violence. Active shooter situations are all too common, so preparation is crucial. Here, you will learn about situational awareness and the “run, fight, hide” response.

Shift your attention from specific types of disasters to the way communities respond. As you will find out in this episode, one “emergent behavior” following a disaster is a sense of community bonding and altruism. Examine a few of the ways you can help after a disaster, from volunteering to donations.

In this first of three episodes on community infrastructure, review some of the public safety issues typical to many places, as well as how first responders operate within the community. Popular media often mischaracterize the roles of police, firefighters, and emergency medical services, so take a real-world look at what these organizations do in urgent situations.

Police and firefighters may be on the visible front lines of a disaster scene, but communities require numerous individuals and agencies in order to respond effectively and recover. From scientists researching risks to public works departments or public health officials coordinating recovery, uncover society’s hidden responders.

Delve into the fascinating world of incident command. In the wake of 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina, federal government officials saw the need for coordination among many players in an emergency. The Incident Command System (ICS) is a set of common languages and procedures that can help us all do our best during and after a disaster.

When disasters strike, urgency pervades as individuals, emergency personnel, and local governments work to respond. But what happens after the crisis has passed? In this final episode, consider the short- and long-term effects a disaster may have for individuals and communities.