[HCARC] FW: Volunteer at Disaster

[ALoneStarYank at aol.com]

An Article From W2IK:
 
 
 
So, you've joined some  emergency support group, taken some training and 
even done a few drills. That's  great! Your equipment is ready. You're ready. 
But,  "Murphy" has other ideas. Whether you're a member of ARES, RACES, 
SATERN, REACT,  CERT or any other group, you need to do  more homework than what 
they've suggested. What good is all your equipment,  training and 
confidence if you can't get to a  deployment site? Unfortunately, I've never seen any 
group adequately cover one  of the most important steps in emergency 
communications:  Getting volunteers to their final destinations as quickly and as 
safely as  possible. Although this is especially true during  natural 
disasters such as winter storms, hurricanes or intense periods of rain  which 
produce almost catastrophic flooding, it can also  encompass volunteers who 
attempt to deploy during other events such as wildfire  emergencies. Can you 
imagine deploying to a wildfire  disaster and almost getting trapped by the 
flames because no one told you the  extent or the range of the fire? Well, it 
happened to me when  I, with others, attempted to deploy during the Long 
Island wildfires a number of  years ago. We were armed with everything we  
thought we needed.... except up-to-date information. No maps or directions were  
given so there we were "driving by the seat of our  pants" in the dead of 
the night into what almost was a catastrophe for us all.  Luckily, we back 
tracked and took the long way around  finally reaching our deployment points.
 
Everyone was to blame for this screw-up. We, as seasoned  veterans of 
dozens of emergencies, were at fault because in our zeal to respond, we never 
thought to  ask for additional information concerning the safest route or the 
extent of the  wildfire. Our EC was also at fault for not  automatically 
supplying us with any information other than the locations at  which to deploy. 
This has always been a bone of contention with me. When  deploying, it is 
the responsibility of every radio officer or EC to supply  enough information 
(including at times MAPS labeled with  deployment and "fall back" points) 
and possible "pitfalls" whenever we are asked  to go near "harm's way". 
Notice, I also listed "fall  back" points or locations? In emergency mode you have 
backup repeaters and  simplex frequencies which are known to your group.You 
 better also have backup locations which are known because, as an example, 
during  that same wildfire event we had to evacuate from the  deployed 
shelter due to shifting winds which caused the fire to endanger that  location. 
Without the proper information, I had to make a  very strong suggestion to 
the shelter manager with an alternate shelter option.  (Another school within 
that same district which had an  MOU with Red Cross) I shouldn't have needed 
to do this, but the needs at the  time, plus the lack of experience on the 
part of  the shelter manager, made it vital that another location be quickly 
found. As we  drove off to the alternate location, looking through my  rear 
view mirror, I never saw flames as high as during this event.
 
 
Hopefully, you've read my  series: _"Emergency Communications In  The Post 
WTC 9/11 Era"_ 
(http://web.archive.org/web/20061128173303/http://hometown.aol.com/alonestaryank/post911.html)  (click on title to read the  7 part 
series) so you won't make the same  dumb, and dangerous, mistakes we did. Being 
ready, equipped, trained,  experienced and eager is not enough. You also need 
to be  ARMED with as much information as possible. This information can 
either be given  to you OR you need to do your homework and arm  yourself. If 
you aren't given what you feel is adequate  information...ASK!
 
 
Let's leave the wildfire  event and talk about another emergency which is 
more likely to happen in almost  any place in the country. That is, any 
disaster which  might have the element of severe flooding. This might occur 
during a hurricane,  a stalled front which drops heavy rain over a prolonged  
period of time or even quick spring snow thaws. You might be lucky enough to  
have a home which is situated high above any  possible flood plain. But what 
if you want to provide communications or some  other form of help to either 
your local community or region?  You still have to get there.


According to "Mr.  Murphy", the shortest route will almost always be the 
most hazardous. To  circumvent this, you'll need to do some investigation of 
the terrain  between your home and any/all possible deployment locations. As 
a start, in  Texas, as in many other states, you'll find marked  "flood 
gauges" on low areas of highways that are subject to flooding situations.  This 
is all well and good, IF, they are all properly marked  AND the sticks are 
in place to begin with. So what do you do with this very  basic information? 
You need to get a detailed map of  your county and perhaps the surrounding 
counties. (If you are limited in your  deployment ability range, you may wish 
to use a smaller  coverage map. In any event, make sure any map you use is 
as detailed as  possible.) This will become your own personal "Master  
Deployment Map". First, mark all important locations... those where you might  
deploy to, hospitals, etc. Also on this map, you should mark  all those 
possible road flooding points (using a different color marker). By  doing this, 
you are already better prepared to deploy  than 99% of EmComm ops. This is a 
much better start, but not a finish. Next,  you'll need to investigate 
fragile points by using  several options. One is to visit your local fire 
departments and talk to the  veterans about any "high water rescues" and see where 
they  were. If these locations were flooded before, chances are that they 
will be  flooded again. Mark these locations on that map (use  different 
colored markers so you can distinguish the difference). 


Hooray for the Internet!  This is a valuable tool in finishing off that 
map. Do a "Google" image search  for pictures of flooded areas near your 
location and points  between all possible shelters or locations you might be 
assigned to. Usually  these images are also marked with locations, so mark  these 
on your map.(again, another color) Again on the Internet, look up the  
terms "storm surge", "inundation" and "flooding" to see how  they relate to 
locations within your area and mark on your map any additional  points such as 
flood plains, dams, etc. as needed. You  might also wish to check at your 
local library for old issues of local papers  regarding past major flooding. If 
you see any locations  where you've placed more than one color mark, than 
you know this is a very  fragile location and it would be best if you avoided 
it.  ALSO... mark on that map all the main evacuation routes either out of 
your area  or, if you are located inland, into your area. Theses are  also 
areas that you may wish to avoid because they might be jammed with  evacuees. 
Ok, now I've overlooked one very important resource  when it comes to 
flooding. That resource are you neighbors. The ones who've been  living in your 
neighborhood for years. They  can be a vital source of information. Ask them 
about any flooding over the  years. Heed their advice. Make more marks on 
that map.  If you live in a state or area prone to mudslides, mark those 
hazards  too.
 
 
So, now what are you left  with? A map that's worth it's weight in gold. A 
map that could make your  deployment much easier. You'll be armed with 
information so  you can decide which might be the best route (and alternate) to 
any deployment  location and what areas to avoid due to flooding or  
congested evacuation routes. This map becomes doubly valuable in case you need  to 
redeploy or evacuate from your current shelter or  deployment area to another 
location. When you do deploy, do so with extreme  caution. Don't attempt to 
cross streets which appear  flooded, if you can't see the pavement lines or 
if water is flowing. You don't  wish to add to the problem by becoming a 
flooding  victim.
 You might, if asked by  net control, relay spots to avoid when your fellow 
volunteers are deploying by  using your detailed map as a guide.  Now that 
you've  done this with a local area map (covering your county and 
surrounding areas),  you should do the same with a regional map (covering most  of 
your state or region). Time to do something else.... Make a copy of each map.  
It's always good to have a backup and maps are  a cheap, yet vital, 
investment.


You may wish to talk  to either your service group or EC to do this as a 
project with all the members  in your group. Creating these maps is a great 
training  project. This way, everyone will have their own map and in doing so 
it will also  aquaint everyone with the terrain they might be  traversing. 
DO NOT leave it to a committee as they never get anything done.  Remember, 
it's your butt out  there, so GET IT DONE even  if you have to do it yourself! 


After posting this webpage,  I received an email from an EmComm volunteer 
in South Central Texas who was told  by their ARES AEC that they should "pick 
up a  map from a store on the way to their deployment location". WHAT??? 
You've got to be  kidding! I had to read  that email twice to believe it. 
This, from an AEC??!! That person should be  fired! How dangerously lazy and 
stupid a concept! Sure... It's not  their butt out there, it's yours. Still 
another email outlined a serious problem  when, in California, a large CERT 
group was asked to deploy during a  large scale event and map supplies at every 
store were depleted. How, even if  you could get your hands on maps, would 
they be as  useful, being void of all hazard locations, as that map you 
should have  which outlines flood plains, low areas, possible shelters,  etc? 
Don't wait until you're on your way to a site or at the end of "hurricane  
season". DO IT NOW!. 
 
 
By the way.... You might  also need to consult your map to get back home as 
the route you chose to get to  an area may become impassable later due to  
continued rains or flooding. And for all you techies... GPS may tell you 
where  you are, but not where all the flooded routes are. To  shorten a quote 
from another emailer: "A map with a hole through it is still a  map, a GPS 
with a hole through it is a piece of  junk!"