One of the clear emphases of any governmental body is an effective and easy to understand set of methodical and procedural set of plans and policies in the event of a disaster. Because disasters come often without warning, then a measure of readiness can spell the difference between saved lives or lost lives.
In the last couple of years, disaster upon disaster had rampage the “Blue Planet.” Tsunamis and earthquakes, the magnitude of which could reach unprecedented proportions had marred the history of this century. Thousands upon thousands lost their properties and thousands more lost their loved ones to these tragedies. Looking back, the Haiti earthquake may be one horrible disaster that hit the globe with stellar proportions. Even until now, the people still feel the aftermath of that fateful day.
Recently, I heard over the news that thousands in Haiti are recently suffering from a form of cholera, an infectious disease that affects the gastro-intestinal system and is caused by an infectious agent known as the Vibrio Cholerae. It can start with a simple stomach upset and progress into a fatal form. Diarrhea often accompanies Cholera infection, thus, dehydration can be a fatal complication of this outbreak.
On the outset, there is no such thing as a country that is absolutely free from the havoc of natural calamities, however, an ounce of preparedness and readiness can dampen their catastrophic consequences and limit their fatality. While we cannot stop storms from coming or hurricanes from touching down, what we can do is stay out of the storm in the fastest, quickest and easiest way. I believe this is entirely the gist of readiness. It is just like saying, “Being not there when storm comes and being there when the sun shines.”
There should be a set of government approved and standardized disaster plans and evacuation details should unpreventable events like earthquakes ever happen. The world was stunned how Chile emerged from the recent earthquake that rocked their state. What Chile had was a more powerful jolt than Haiti, and yet the former went through a minor catastrophe in terms of loss and damage than the latter, which, until now, is still trying to wiggle its way out.
Even homes and private entities should device their own simple yet effective way of getting out of every disaster that may unknowingly hit us. Remember, we cannot stop earthquakes, floods, storms and others from coming, but we can choose to be either extremely battered due to unpreparedness or emerge strong and victorious because even before disaster comes, we already know what to do.