10 Things to Consider After a Disaster

Hurricane Dorian may have passed but it has left behind several things for everyone to consider when prepping for a future disaster...

1. A bunch of evacuees from the Bahamas were told to get off a boat taking storm refugees to the US because they didn't have proper credentials to enter the US.  Of course there are a many technicalities involved with this story, but it is always good to have a passport and visas for the countries you are most likely to enter in the event that you would need to leave your own country in a hurry.
2. 17% of Bahamians were left homeless after the hurricane.  What would you do if your home was completely washed away?  Would you be a refugee?  Would you have the means to camp out until you could rebuild?  Would rebuilding even be an option in your area?
3. Getting aid to the Bahamas is a "logistical nightmare."  Would this be the case where you live?
4. Like in many disasters, "chaos" seems to be the state of things in the Bahamas right now.  Things like food, water, medical care, and shelter are in very short supply.  How could you prepare for these necessities now in the event a disaster hits your area?
5. And how would you prepare for an event that wipes your home, and your entire town, off the map?
6. Just a reminder, often after a disaster, organized relief efforts usually don't start immediately.  A week after Dorian hit, relief efforts are barely getting started in the more hard-hit areas of the country.  This is yet another reason to prepare to take care of ALL of your needs for at least a week or two after a disaster.
7. Another planning tool--social media.  Before, during and after a disaster, social media like reddit and YouTube can offer lots of lessons learned, or at least give you an idea of the things people have experienced at the actual ground zero which will give you plenty of ideas to use in your own disaster planning efforts. 
8. And don't forget regular media (like CNN, USA Today, etc) which will often do repeated stories after a disaster pointing out the horrific aftermath.  Yes it is kind of click-baity but on the other hand, this is more planning material for you to work with.  What would you do in the scenarios presented?  How could you prepare in advance for such an event?
9. "We didn't expect it to be this bad."  Those are some famous last words and exactly what you should plan for.  People need to plan for the absolute worst case scenario because anything that happens that isn't as bad as what was planned for will be a piece of cake to deal with, relatively speaking.
10. Finally, no man is an island and it is always good to help out other who are in need because one day you may be on the receiving end of such efforts.

20 Lessons Learned from Puerto Rico (So Far)

It has been ten days since Puerto Rico was nearly destroyed by a series of hurricanes.  What have we learned so far from this situation?

1. ATMs are out of cash.
2. Yet everything being sold on the island is now 'cash only'.
3. There is also no water, no food, and no power.
4. And no gas either.
5. Medical care is in short supply.
6. And there is barely any cell service.
7. Meanwhile politicians are busy arguing among themselves.
8. Goods that could help people are stuck at the port.
9. People were surprised that a very old law was impeding help to Puerto Rico.
10. HAM radio operators are a boon to the island.
11. As are satellite phones/service.
12. Disease outbreak is a serious concern.
13. Trying to leave the island is difficult if not impossible.
14. Airlifts for critical medical care...are dependent on celebrities?!
15. A Navy medical ship will arrive to help out...sometime (the ship hasn't arrived yet 10 days into this situation).
16. Remember the Cajun Navy?  Well the Cajun Airlift is now a thing.
17. Even abandoned dogs are being airlifted from the island.
18. Of course, crime and looting often follows a disaster.
19. On top of the myriad problems that the island had even before the hurricanes struck.
20. Overall, the path to full recovery is agonizingly slow.

From this we learn: you need (a lot) of cash on hand, you also need a goodly supply of food and water as well as alternate power sources. If you have a serious medical issue, evacuating pre-disaster is a good idea.  In fact, even if you are healthy, evacuating pre-disaster is maybe a good idea.  Get a HAM radio, a license, and know how to use it.  Sat phones are an (expensive) alternative for communications.  Preventing disease should be a top priority.  And be able to protect yourself in other ways as well is important.  Finally, relying on the government to save you after a disaster shouldn't be your preparedness plan.