28 By Franklyn Michael Supplementary Associate CARICAD L iving with the threat of storms and hurricanes and now increasingly powerful hurricanes, is an inescapable part of life in CARICAD/CDEMA member states. There is a lot that CDEMA and national governments have done, are doing and will continue to do to reduce our level of risk. However, no agency can take action at the household level. It is only the individual and the family unit that can take action under that roof. We are therefore encouraging everyone to adopt a simple mantra for the 2023 Hurricane Season. This mantra can even be taught to children. The mantra is this: We are aware We are prepared We are resilient AWARENESS Develop an understanding of your family’s level of risk. Ask you yourself questions such as: • Was our home designed with hurricane resistance in mind? • Is our home maintained well enough to keep it hurricane resistant? • Have we made the best arrangements we can afford for insurance? • Is there a risk that flood waters could cut us off or a storm surge inundate us? • Can we ride out a storm safely in the house? • Do we have babies, aged, sick or special needs people that we must plan for? • Have you reduced hazards in PREPAREDNESS There are many dimensions to being prepared for storms and hurricanes. We are quite correctly encouraged to have a Disaster Preparedness Kit. I am however concerned that a reference to a kit may cause some people to limit their thinking. It might give them the impression that they only need something like a large First Aid Kit. In fact, to be truly prepared we need water, food, tools, supplies, La Vue Hotel in Anguilla – designed and constructed with hurricane resistance in mind. The plan worked. (Photo by Frankie Michael) and around your home? • Will we need to go to a shelter if a storm threatens our country? • How and when will we evacuate if we have to? • What are our specific plans for our special needs relatives and babies? equipment, materials and medicines. Try to secure and keep personal hygiene and sanitation supplies for all ages and genders. I wrote about this aspect of Preparedness in a previous hurricane season edition of this our Horizon newsletter. In this article rather than simply present you with items for preparedness I am encouraging you once again to have and keep a Preparedness Mindset. That means you will plan for your family; you will obtain and maintain both consumables and durables that are required for survival and subsequent safety. Remember that storms and hurricanes cause: • Death • Damage • Destruction • Delay • Disorder • Despair • Continues on next page
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