A Call to Action

At the heart of each citizen is a fundamental conviction that calls out for action in the face of injustice. Terrorism and human suffering are the greatest of injustices and affect victims indiscriminately. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, people throughout the country were volunteering, donating, and calling for the government to act. More recently, this action was seen in the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti and subsequent surge of support from citizens and government agencies. For actions to reduce injustices like terrorist attacks and excess suffering from natural disasters, the community, businesses and the government must be involved.

An Informed Community

When individuals are prepared, they are less likely to burden the emergency responders and disaster volunteers with problems that could have been avoided. For example, Citizen Corps volunteers can be trained to know how to shut off gas mains in their neighborhood after an earthquake, saving response personnel time during the crucial first 72 hours of a disaster. However, these same responders may become overburdened by people overwhelming communications lines and crowding the scene of a disaster because they do not know where their loved ones are due to improper pre-disaster planning. Prepared businesses (aided by prepared employees) are also better able to react to reduce the effects of a crisis. Businesses with an up-to-date emergency plan are able to recover more rapidly and contribute to the needs of a community in its recovery efforts (Erickson, 2006). Additionally, a government with a prepared community is better able to deal with a crisis and can help to prevent terrorist attacks in the first place. It was everyday citizens who noticed but did not report the suspicious activities of the 9/11 terrorists during the planning phase of the attack while they lived freely (and sometimes conspicuously) among their local community. It was also everyday citizens who saved even more lives during 9/11 by sacrificing their own on American Airlines Flight 93. They were willing to do this because they were aware of the true threat of those terrorists, unlike one neighbor who did not understand the threat of some foreigners living together who played flight simulator games throughout the day (De Becker, 2002). With the proper knowledge of how to detect suspicious activity and react to a disaster, citizens can serve as the lowest level of a fully integrated homeland security strategy. In addition, since the goal of terrorists is to shock a community and show a government’s weakness to its people, a collective resilience to disasters will make the United States homeland a much less attractive and effective target of terrorism.

The Community Model

Some vital preparedness tools for individuals include emergency plans, communications plans, preparedness kits, and an awareness of their surroundings. Emergency plans help families think through possible situations and agree upon common meeting areas or escape routes when a disaster happens. Communications plans can be as easy as the entire family being aware of an out of area point of contact that each family member can call to verify that everyone is safe. A major post-disaster risk is that people, especially parents at work while children are at school, will be exposed to further harm by leaving a safe haven to locate their loved ones. If people have established out of area emergency contacts for all members of their family, parents could easily verify that their children are safe instead of charging into a disaster area.

Responders typically have difficulty reaching those affected by a disaster because of damaged infrastructure so citizens must be prepared to care for their immediate needs until help arrives. Individual preparedness kits can be catered to local threats so that communities can meet their short-term needs while waiting for help. Citizens also need to have an awareness of their surroundings viewed through both a natural disaster and terrorist threat perspective. Awareness of possible natural threats for an area can help people think through their personal risk for being affected and how they will react. Knowledge about what constitutes suspicious behavior and an understanding of how to report these threats can lead to the prevention of future terrorist attacks. If citizens are aware of the true risks and how to react to chemical, biological, and nuclear threats, initial panic could be reduced if there is suspected use of a device (De Becker, 2002).

The Solution

A resilient community is a place where individual members, businesses, and local agencies are prepared for disasters. Outreach organizations play a strong part in connecting these lower-level actors. However, they need help from the government at all levels to be the most effective. The Department of Homeland Security has taken the step to designate September as “National Preparedness Month.” As it now stands, this is more of an interagency, state, local and federal governmental coordination effort. What is missing is the concentrated effort to integrate citizens at a grassroots level into preparedness.

While National Preparedness Month works well for interagency coordination, what American citizens need is a focused one day event that, like Earth Day, channels their attention to one specific topic for 24 hours. No better day could be planned for this focus than on September 11th. As it stands, Patriot Day rightly serves as a remembrance of the sacrifices made by people on the tragic day almost nine years ago. But augmenting the remembrance with a call to action better serves the memory of the lives lost on that day.

The single day focus serves several purposes. Among businesses, a preparedness one day theme can be the reminder needed to dust off business emergency plans and brief senior management on where the company and its workforce stand regarding preparedness. Another reason is psychological. A major effect on an individual after disaster strikes is a feeling of helplessness. The American Red Cross teaches volunteers working with those affected by disasters to refer to them as clients, not victims. Calling people victims only reinforces their feelings of helplessness. The Red Cross further encourages clients at shelters to participate in everyday chores and assist fellow clients in daily tasks such as tidying up their living spaces and clearing tables after meals. This behavior allows members to begin the process of psychological healing by giving them control and purpose. Similarly, expanding Patriot Day to become a day of memory and preparedness will alter the psychology of the United States from the mentality of victim to the mentality of action. Finally, many local and state agencies have had trouble coordinating preparedness events within their communities. Designating one specific day, especially one with so much meaning, can cut through excuses and delays. While a one month timeline for preparedness is sufficient for interagency actions, businesses and community members would be better served with a concentrated effort on a day that is so meaningful to every US citizen. On that day, every September 11th, each participant has the chance to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice and make good on their pledge that they will do their part to ensure it never happens again.

National Preparedness Day

There are many ways to openly or subtly encourage citizens to participate in a national preparedness day. With creative involvement of all members, the opportunities to gain the participation needed limitless. No matter how activities for this one day event are carried out, the most important approach must be targeted at people having fun. A charity group in the United Kingdom championed this concept when it changed its regular fundraisers from appealing to guilt to appealing to fun. Instead of hosting telethons, this group sold red noses for the equivalent price of two candy bars and hosted an evening of comedy acts performed by famous comedians who donated their services. Because of their approach, they obtained donations from all income levels and all demographics (Moriarty, 2006). Similarly, a national preparedness effort would not need to be based on a theme of need. It could be approached as an opportunity for fun.

For example, schools have strong influence on preparedness. Studies show that of the many resources used to obtain information related to the H1N1 virus, schools were mentioned as a source of flu information by 23% of respondents (Citizen Corps, 2009). During September 11th, teachers could incorporate preparedness activities into their curriculum, especially

elementary schools. These could include coloring contests, essay contests, or visits from characters that are linked to a preparedness theme. Just like Sparky the Fire Dog, the National Fire Protection Association’s character that teaches kids to “stop, drop and roll” when on fire, a character could be created that makes it fun for children to learn about plans for emergencies or suspicious activities. Another option is for children to take a short preparedness quiz, such as how they would leave their house and what number they would call for informing their family that they were safe. Children who answered well would get a star or some small certificate, and children who did not score well will more likely be motivated to go home and ask parents about this information. Furthermore, since these activities are carried out by schools in the community, the threat information can be catered to local risks, so that Florida children are not being quizzed on frostbite and Wisconsin students are not quizzed on hurricane preparedness.

From a “whole community” standpoint, a one-day event allows for a concentrated effort for small towns and cities to host a community event. Small towns could host parades in their streets or fairs in their parks with a disaster preparedness and Patriot Day theme. Parades could host local groups involved with emergency response and planning including firefighters, police, the National Guard, the Red Cross and other community outreach groups. People will have the chance to interact with the groups that are involved in their local emergency response efforts. They also will have the chance to learn more about what the groups can and cannot do. For example, one of the challenges for the Red Cross is that many citizens do not know the entire breadth of services that are offered and do not seek assistance for smaller disasters such as a single house fire or flood. A town fair with a preparedness theme would allow people to learn more about what services are offered. This is especially true if local agencies host demonstrations of their capabilities. For example, local FBI offices or local police involved in terrorism awareness could have demonstrations to show what suspicious behavior to look for. When everyday citizens interact with these police and FBI agents and hear from them how to handle such a situation, they will be less hesitant to act when the real situation occurs, especially if their required action is to call the agents they have already interacted with. Another benefit of a concentrated effort by local groups involved in preparedness is that members of these groups can learn what other resources are available. During a fair or parade, these groups have a chance to interact with each other informally to understand overlap or gaps in preparedness coverage at the local level. It also will help to build the relationships needed to effectively coordinate during a crisis. As one attendee of a preparedness lecture stated, “Ground zero is not the best place to start exchanging business cards.” Fairs and parades, when approached from a preparedness angle, unite a community in a concentrated effort to prevent a future attack like 9/11.

Like Earth Day, a one day event can channel the desires and attention of people who are otherwise deeply involved in busy daily routines. During a one day event, everyday citizens will be able to learn how they can help prevent or lessen the extent of another disaster in the future just by taking some simple preparedness measures. Smart media coverage of the event would lead to an even greater awareness of preparedness activities since the media is currently a major source of disaster information for the general public.

Conclusion

A one day preparedness event provides the means for everyday people to participate in preventing a future attack like that on September 11, 2001. The event need not be a chore or only a somber remembrance of the victims of attack. With a little creativity, the event can honor those who lost their lives on that day by enabling citizens to do their part to prevent a future attack. The one day event will provide a win-win situation for local groups that have struggled to inform people of the services they offer and the actions people need to take to be prepared.

President Obama observed that the nation currently has an “unacceptable gap” in its national security model. This gap is most assuredly the link between the government and its citizens in disaster preparedness. The government must take measures to increase the resilience of its people by making a concentrated effort to involve them in the process. There are several ways to remedy the problem. One simple and low-cost means to involve the community in disaster preparedness is by expanding the purpose of Patriot Day as a National Preparedness Day as well. It is only through involvement at all levels of homeland security preparedness that the nation will prove to be more resilient to the great breadth of threats that the United States faces today.

References 

Bylsma, J. (2010). Unacceptable gaps: Community grassroots involvement in homeland security. Center for Defense and Homeland Security. Retrieved from http://www.chds.us/?essay/overview

Citizen Corps. (2009, August). Personal Preparedness in America: Findings from the 2009 Citizen Corps National Survey. Retrieved from http://www.citizencorps.gov/pdf/2009_Citizen_Corps_National_Survey_Findings.pdf

De Becker, G. (2002). Fear less: Real truth about risk, safety, and security in a time of terrorism. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company.

Erickson, P. (2006). Emergency response planning for corporate and municipal managers [2nd ed]. Boston, MA: Butterworth-Heinemann.

Moriarty, C. (2006, May 29). Red nose day: A very silly idea that changed one charity’s destiny. ABIX. Retrieved from http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-146361521.html