Ready for Crisis website

“You can't fake quality any more than you can fake a good meal.” - William S. Burroughs

The Canadian Red Cross has created a new Ready for Crisis website for voluntary organizations that provide important social services.

“We found millions of vulnerable Canadians depend on voluntary sector services for their daily survival, but many of those organizations [40%] have no disaster plans in place to protect their service delivery in times of crisis." says Don Shropshire, National Director of Disaster Management at the Canadian Red Cross. "Our research indicated the voluntary sector is a large part of the solution but
it needs help."

Imagine a senior citizen who is dependent on “Meals on Wheels” for their daily bread. But without warning, for many days, no food will be delivered while the roads are closed due to a blizzard, flood, collapsed bridge, etc. It is wishful thinking to believe the Red Cross will come to their rescue without any notification.

- The Red Cross may not know this person is starving because others in the same neighborhood evacuated or are self-sustaining.

And even if notified, there may be nothing the Red Cross can do.

- Road closures impact the Red Cross also. The Red Cross Emergency Vehicles have strict rules AGAINST entering flooded or hazardous areas.

Hence the Red Cross is asking organizations like Meals on Wheels to draw up advance plans for emergency scenarios. Who will the org call for help? Who can fill the gap? Which clients are at the greatest risk?

Consider the impact of a prolonged power outage.

- Food in refrigerators must be tossed out. Can a food bank, soup kitchen, Meals on Wheels, continue to feed its clients with non-perishable foods?
- Will these meal orgs have a working kitchen without power? Anyone got a manual can opener to open those #10 size cans? Is there back up lighting so the workers can assemble meals?
- The computers are down so no google maps or calling up the client case files. Are there print copies of maps and addresses of where the food must be delivered?

Bottom Line

I hope organizations in all countries take advantage of the Ready for Crisis website to become better prepared. As was seen with Katrina, many community emergency plans forget to account for those who cannot save themselves. It’s easy for a mayor to broadcast TV and radio warnings to evacuate but what if you’re too poor to own a car or too weak and frail to drive one? Who will save these people after their caseworkers, the bus drivers, taxi drivers, and everyone else able-bodied has fled? When a hospital must evaucate, who will move the patients?