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Preparing for disaster
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Posted on Sep 24 1999
This is an open letter to the people of the CNMI. The objective of this letter is to raise awareness of our vulnerable geographical location and the steps we must take to ensure the safety of all our people. We live in a very vulnerable place on this earth. We are subject to many natural disasters just waiting to happen.
I would like to pose a few questions to our Emergency Management Office as well as the community at large. Do you have an evacuation plan in case of a major event such as a tsunami? Are the schools prepared to evacuate your precious ones to a safe place where we can all eventually meet? When and where does the next tsunami hit?
I know the last question seems a bit “off-key” and it is for a reason. There is no definite answer to it. Therefore we must address these questions soon and start training our community in a comprehensive and well laid out plan for evacuation.
Close your eyes for a moment and imagine what would happen if a tsunami alert is issued at 1:00 pm tomorrow. Where will you meet your children who are in school? Does the school have a plan to bring your children safely to higher ground? Who is responsible for checking your house for anyone who is there? Is your office located on higher ground and if so do you drive down the hill to your house to check on things? Does the head of the household have a plan for the family to follow in case of such a warning? Scary, isn’t it?
If we do not act soon we may be witnesses to the most chaotic event in our lives, but we may never have the opportunity to learn from it.
I call on all the government agencies and private sector to begin a dialogue for a plan. Lets work together and initiate a draft and then lets practice it over and over until we get it right. I call on the Governor and the Emergency Management Office to spearhead this program. You may be saving thousands of lives by doing so, one of whom might be that who is dearest to you.
Steve Sablan
