Government Sanctioned Prepping? June 20, 2010

This week I came across two documents, both originating with the Virginia Department of Emergency Management.  Both also gave the impression that the government (or at least Virginia) is growing in its commitment to developing the preparedness mentality among citizens.

The first item is a report from the University of Virginia entitled Population Behaviors in Dirty Bomb Attack Scenarios: A Survey of the National Capital Region.  The 64-page report details the findings from interviews with nearly 2,700 residents of Northern Virginia, Southern Maryland and Washington, D.C.  The survey asked respondents about their preparations, plans and expected behaviors in the event of one of several dirty bomb scenarios in that area. There are a lot of interesting findings from the report.  One that validates what many of us probably feel about our family and friends who are failing to prep is that "denial and 'not wanting to deal with it' were most likely to keep people from preparing."  I know many that fall into the "ignorance is bliss" line of thought.

A disturbing finding is that about 80% would shelter in place if directed to do so, but fewer than a third have an emergency kit prepared, and only 13% have a kit, a family meeting location and a written plan for an emergency.  I wonder how all those unprepared people plan to survive and thrive.  Waiting on FEMA I would assume...

This was a very interesting report, and I suggest that everyone interested in prepping read it to get an idea of what your friends and neighbors are planning to do in an emergency.  To me it is that much more reason to ensure that my family is not a burden on the system.  It is also further motivation to keep this blog going to spread information and help get more folks prepared to not be burdens.

The second VDEM item I got was the 2010 Emergency Preparedness Survey that they have released to gauge the readiness of the Commonwealth's citizens. I don't know that the results will be statistically valid, because there is no random sampling, it is just anyone who takes the time to complete the survey.  I would think that those who already have an interest in preparedness would be more likely to take the survey, thus skewing the results to reflect a higher than true rate of preparedness.

Among other questions, the survey asks what situations you feel might hit your community, what steps you've taken to prepare, and some demographic data.  If a person was able to answer "yes" to all of the preparations questions, he would be better prepared than 87% of the people in the Washington region survey, but it is only a bare minimum start.  The minimum suggestions from the government are little more than feel-good measures that might be of use in a small scale problem like a brief winter storm or during a heavy rainfall.  The main intent is to keep alive until the government arrives to increase our dependence on them.  I believe that a person should be self-sufficient and dependent on no one but one's self during times of trouble.  Doing so will make each of us stronger and more resilient, as well as better off during the good times.