Getting smarter about disasters | Community Spirit

Disaster always seems so far away. Washington State's Mount St. Helens is a distant memory.  Indonesia's Mount Sinabung, currently erupting, is a distant place. And, really, can you ever be "prepared" for a disaster? I mean that's why it's a disaster, right?

Let me put disaster planning in a different perspective: when you read in the paper about a child drowning for lack of a life vest or being kidnapped at the mall, do you blow that off, too? Don't you think about your kids a little differently, wonder what you can do to make them safer?

The motivation that makes you think about your child's day-to-day safety is the same motivation that should make you think about his or her longer-term safety.

Just like picking out a life vest or planning a shopping trip, the first step is to find useful background information. It's very easy. If you have an internet connection, you can:

- browse www.ready.gov for government information, resources, and downloadable publications on preparedness.

- browse www.redcross.org, the American Red Cross site.

- email cert@ci.eugene.or.us and ask about CERT training.

If you're of the paper persuasion:

- call the government at 1-800-BE-READY and ask to be sent a paper copy of Are You Ready?: An In-depth Guide to Citizen Preparedness. This is a great reference source to start your preparedness library.

- call the local chapter of the American Red Cross at 1-541- 344-5244 and ask about available classes and publications.

- call the City of Eugene Emergency Management Department at 1-541-682-5665 and ask about CERT training.

While it's true that you can never be completely prepared for a disaster, the opposite is equally true: you can never be prepared enough.