Using Social Media for when Disaster Strikes

When Disaster Strikes

Consider that feeling in your gut as you try to instant message, text or call your children to know if they are okay, or to notify them that you are okay...but none of your social media platforms work.

Is there a worse  feeling than being in a disaster and not being able to contact your loved ones?
As minutes pass and you cannot reach them, ideas that you would have never entertained just moments before start to enter your subconscious and rise to your conscious mind.

This is the case in a catastrophic disaster, such as an F5 tornado, when every necessity and comfort you normally enjoy is gone.

No food. No water. No electricity. No shelter. No transportation.

With power down, you cannot even use your cell phone to find out if your family or friends are safe or to notify them that you are safe.

The new reality is that everything you took for granted just hours before no longer exists. And it is anyone’s guess as to when everything will return to normal.

The purpose of this piece is to offer you strategies and tools to avoid being in that situation and to cope with it if it does happen to you and your loved ones.

I know because I have been there.

Let’s examine a brief history of this technology and capability.

Historical Evidence of Social Media Helping Cope with a Disaster

For all that is wrong with social media, the flip side is that it can be a life-saver and a comfort when you can use it to stay in touch with family members before and after a disaster.

One of the best examples of social media reconnecting families was after an E5 tornado struck  Joplin, Missouri on May 11, 2011. (For a complete discussion of this event, see https://poetslife.blogspot.com/2012/05/social-media-lessons-from-joplin.html.)

The F5 tornado spanned more than a mile wide tore through Joplin, MO, and killed over 120 people and leveled the the city. The mother and daughter team of Rebecca and Genevieve Williams immediately created a Facebook page to provide accurate information during the response to the disaster.
Using social media, they squelched rumors, answered questions, and directed people to help, including water, food, shelter, and tetanus shots. (See: https://www.facebook.com/joplintornadoinfo

As in the Joplin event, knowing how to post on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to contact family members and friends is now essential. Answers to please like this, “...lookin for scott morris, chris miller, stormy miller, and chris elseworth. anyone that knows them from my joplin friends needs to help me find them“ were posted by thousands.
The answers to those pleas can be life savers.

Whereas in the past we relied on the authorities to update us on conditions, what to do, or the fate of survivors, now we can conduct Social media is particularly good at rapidly sending such pleas for help and locating family and friends via a wide audience.

Remember, to access social media in a disaster, out of area contacts are critical. When family members are unable to contact each other who are geographically close to each other they can often contact relatives far away. These relatives, because they have power, can oftentimes contact other family members.

The following warning from a Joplin tornado survivor applies to the aftermath of all disasters. “After recently going through ths, please be careful where you donate money. Unfortunately, there are many who are not honest and will take advantage of this tragedy.“

WARNING: Grifters, criminals, and quick buck artists know that social media donation solicitations are unregulated. Vet and be certain of anyone or organization that is raising money after any disaster before donating.

In contrast, multiple legitimate organizations will solicit over social media to raise relief funds and to organize volunteers. Here is one such example from Joplin. “You can sign up as a volunteer on United Way.”

Avoid the grifters and support the honest recovery caregivers on social media.

Connecting with Family after a Disaster

Let’s examine ways to connect with your family using social media during and after a disaster strikes.

Each individual and family is unique and so is their social media use. For disaster response and management, what is most important is not the social media platform you and your family choose, but that everyone know how to use it when they need to use it. Act now to ensure you have the social media platforms downloaded, used, tested and ready for the next disaster.

Instant messaging (Facebook Messenger, Google Hangouts, the one included with your cell phone) is particularly useful for immediate responses during and immediately after a disaster. Skype enables a group chat.At first LinkedIn may not appear to be that useful, but it is for unique disaster needs. 

For example, in many disasters mobility is at a stand still until trees, debris and objects are removed from the roadway. How does that? Skilled construction workers and tree removal experts. Where do you find them when you need them?Yes, you can use search engines, but LinkedIn may be the better choice to find one who is not overwhelmed, busy, or not the right one for you. LinkedIn will provide details on such critical service contacts.

When my house burned down, we had great difficulty finding a builder to do the job. And we were only one job. After a disaster, it is often hard to find contractors as they have already committed to other jobs. So using another nontraditional search engine such as LinkedIn can help identify and hire skilled professionals.

Always include a few contacts who are out of your area or state. In a disaster environment, your local lines my be jammed or not working, but you can often reach someone out of your area. Also, due to the strength of how they are built, cell towers for 911 will often work when all other lines do not.

Best Social Media Platforms for Disaster Communications

The best social media and apps for you to use during and after a disaster are the ones you currently use with your family. You know them well, and in the heightened stress of a disaster you do not need another thing to worry about.

Below are additional social media and Internet platforms options.

Apps: You may want to research other Apps that may be better for your needs. The best way is to enter a search term,  Emergency apps, preparedness, disasters“ in a Google Play or the App Store. You can then identify, download and test apps that may be best suited to you.

Browsers: Download and use less used browsers like Brave and Firefox. Like most people, you use Google, Bing, or Chrome but there are numerous social media platforms you can use for disaster communications. By downloading and using multiple social media platforms, you ensure you have more choices available during and after a disaster.

Blogs: Many blogs have excellent tips, procedures, and useful disaster advice. Blogger (Blogger Help )  and WordPress (https://wordpress.org/) are two of the better known platforms you can use. 

Do not overlook corporate (https://blog.constellation.com/disaster-preparedness/) or government blogs (https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2018/04/10/when-disasters-hit-help-close-your-usda-service-center).

As weather impacts EVERYTHING and especially disasters, follow meteorologist Mike Smith’s science-based weather blog: http://www.mikesmithenterprisesblog.com/.

Search Engines: DuckDuckGo, DogPile, Gibiru, Search Encrypt, StartPage and other less known search engines do not invade your privacy like Google. They do not keeps logs, sell data, track you with cookies, and do not bring up similar ads to what you search to buy. Try them. I know you will enjoy all they offer...such as privacy.

Social Media Search Engines: Remember that social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn are also search engines. They can be used to identify people, products and services just like traditional search engines. Since Captain Scully landed his plane on the Hudson River and it was on Twitter an hour before the New York media, Twitter has provided real-time information on disasters in advance of traditional media every time.

Podcasts: You can listen to podcasts while driving your car or doing yard work. Search for relevant podcasts by going to Stitcher (https://www.stitcher.com/) or Podcasts (https://tunein.com/podcasts/) to find disaster podcasts. Here are a few natural disaster podcasts: https://civildefenseradio.com/category/podcast/episode/

https://player.fm/series/natural-disasters-2538998

https://player.fm/series/disaster-podcast

Securing Social Media to Maintain Privacy and Security

To use your social media when you need it, you must set them up and maintain them to protect your privacy and security. Be aware that hackers and other criminals are always probing your social media devices (cell phones, computers, tablets) to corrupt, steal and sell your data.

You must also have a multi-layered strategy to protect your data and privacy. This is a big topic, but here are three simple rules to follow to maintain your privacy and security.

·            Use difficult passwords

·            Keep software, apps, accounts updated

·            Set privacy settings to limit access to your accounts to family and friends

When Disaster Strikes — Implementing Your Social Media Connections

The key to implementing your social media connections when a disaster strikes is to create, test, and use them BEFORE a disaster strikes.

That sounds more simple than it is.

In this day of remarkable cell phones when you download an app for every need, the ability to use both your cell phone and it’s apps when disaster strikes is assumed.

But everything changes in a disaster.

I know this because I have been through disasters. And no disaster is worse than one that hits you and your family.

I have known the humiliation of standing in front of my now destroyed house as my burned wife was taken by a medical helicopter to a burn unit.

I only realized that I was doing so in my underwear when a neighbor said, "Do you want a pair of my pants.“

When I asked why he replied, ‶Look down.“

Only then did I realize I didn’t even have a pair of pants on after I fled our house fire after I got my wife and sons out. 
(For more information see https://tacda.org/journal/journal-of-civil-defense-2014-vol-47-no-2-treating-infection-without-a-doctor/)

When you are in a disaster, please don’t be like me standing there with no clothes on wondering if you wife will recover and where your kids will eat and sleep next.

Take these simple and easy measures now to ensure that such a fate is not in your future. Here are a few steps that may help.

Simple and Easy Social Media Steps to Take

Most people by now are familiar with how to use social media. 

However, they do not understand how dramatically social media access and use can change during and after a disaster.

 As with any area in life, forewarned is forearmed.

In a disaster, everything changes. Events unfold at a pace you cannot imagine. 

Hyper stress hits and decisions that were easy a few minutes ago are very difficult to make. 

Where just an hour ago you knew what to do, now you may not have any of the information you need to help you decide what to do.

During and after a disaster people reach out to friends and family to find help securing food, water, shelter, medical care and transportation. 

 Social media tools enable people to share this information immediately and effectively.

Social media is now vital to recovery efforts after disasters, when infrastructure must be rebuilt and stress management is critical.

The extensive reach of social networks allows people who are recovering from disasters to rapidly connect with needed resources. This enables survivors to connect, talk, and share recovery resources.

Especially in large-scale disasters, when thousands are displaced from their homes and many have fled the disaster zone, people use social media to contact family and friends, post photos, share stories, and to give and get help.

Social media, through the internet, search engines, apps, instant messaging, social networking and photo sharing websites, provide readily available and efficient ways for family members to keep in touch and impart critical disaster related information.

Remember you only need one communication app (your phone instant message app) and one essential search engine (StartPage for example) and one backup (DogPile). 

Master it.

In the stress of a disaster, it is best to stick to the basic apps and social media platforms you know and use.

NOTE: All cell phones, apps, networks, servers, computers, tablets, etc. depend on ELECTRICITY. Natural disaster often disrupt the supply of electricity and therefore the ability to use this technology.

So, purchase external portable battery charging devices NOW. Include a solar version so you can use the sun to recharge them if power is out. Car battery jump starter devices now include three USB ports to charge phones, tablets and computers. Example: NEW Stanley J5c09 Jumpit Jump Starter.

Accessing Social Media Sites During and After a Disaster

First, do you have electric power? 
Do you have sufficient power to transmit your message, data, photos and other communication? Every device you have will power down quickly when not recharged. Therefore, you must have the ability to charge your devices outside of the electrical system you take for granted.

Ideally, you always have an Internet connection. Unfortunately, that is not the reality in during of after a disaster.

There are other places where you can get a connection when you don’t have a connection at home. There are many locations where you can access an Internet connection, especially now that so much of that connection has shifted to cell phones and tablets.

If due to a disaster you do not have power and access to the Internet, there are other places where you can get that access to use social media. Here are a places where you can access the Internet via a WiFi connection:

·            Your car

·            Coffee Shop

·            Hotel Lobby

·            Library

·            Church

·            Work

·            Gyms

·            Stores

·            Shopping Centers

·            Community Centers

·            Government Buildings

Conclusion

Social media has made our world easier but it creates it’s own set of issues. 

For example, in any disaster, rumors run rampant. 

And yet you have to act based on little or no data or facts but you may only have rumors.

To help you and your family to prepare to handle the disruptions disasters cause, take care to have your social media platforms, apps, and devices in place, up to date (latest patches, software, operating system), tested and ready. 
The suggestions above are a start.

Social media awareness may save your dignity, your life, your possessions and of your loved ones during and after a disaster.

Start now to make that possible.

Vail Vets Program: Vets Helping Vets

Pete Thompson, a Vietnam-era Green Beret, served two tours.
I first met him at the Solar Energy Research Institute in Golden, Colorado as a grad school intern in 1979 when I was attending the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).
His professor manager was demanding he fill out lots of paper work.
He answered as I walked by his office to hear Pete tell him,  "Charles, I don't fill out paperwork all day like you do. I do productive things. I get American companies to buy solar panels so we can get off our dependence on Mid-Eastern oil. Got it?!"
I liked this guy right away.
Remember, this was 1979.
Back then, he did not talk about Vietnam.
I got to spend time talking to him that summer and always found him bright, informed, widely read, and knowledgeable with remarkable energy.
Only once in 1981 did I hear him talk about how Vietnam affected him, briefly.
In an elevator at the Department of Energy for some reason some bureaucrats were prattling on and on about Vietnam. 

Pete raised his suit pant leg, showed them his leg wound scars and said, "That is Vietnam. Is that anything you know about?"
They turned away.
You  can hear some of Pete's story and the 10th Mountain Division here.
And on the Vail Veteran's Program here and here and here.
For a longer interview with Pete, see here.
I have seen his strength, bravery, grace and beauty at the funeral of a close family member, a Navy SEAL, who was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
Pete comforted and kidded with the SEAL's three surviving children and wife.
It was a beautiful thing to observe.
After he returned from Vietnam he helped thousands of veterans over the years at his water skiing school in McQueeny Texas and his snow skiing school in Vail, Colorado.
He is part of a long chain of American vets helping other American vets to recover.
I am honored to have known him for 40 years.
Below is a brief insight to his noble post-Vietnam service.

Honoring the Vail Veterans Program

It started 15 years ago, when one of our Vail neighbors met a combat injured Army captain in a hospital far, far away. I wish I could have heard that conversation, but they made a pact that changed the world (something like: “You organize, I’ll get the troops”.). 

That pact created the Vail Veterans Program (VVP). 

This year that program is being honored for hosting over 3000 seriously wounded American veterans and their families to the magic of Vail, to the magic of skiing and horseback riding, to the magic of high mountains and long life vistas.

To commemorate this 15^th anniversary, the Vail Symposium hosted an evening presentation entitled “The Journey Home: Celebrating the Resilience of the Human Spirit”.

Three of the Vail Veterans Program’s Purple Heart recipients participated in a live interview:

---Colonel Greg Gadson is a West Point graduate with 2 Super Bowl rings who lost both legs in an IED explosion.

---Captain Dawn Halfaker, also a West Point graduate, was a Military Police commander when her vehicle was hit by RPG rockets.

---Lt. Jason Redman is a 20-year Navy SEAL whose team was chasing an Al Qaeda target when the machine guns started firing.

When you enter the room, you see old injuries --- missing limbs and angry scars.

When you listen, you hear tales of war, combat, injury and recovery.

When you leave, you remember the wisdom and grace of gaining another life.

These Purple Heart warriors answered questions posed by one of our local veterans, Captain Pete Thompson. 

Pete asked a couple of easy questions concerning their entry into the military, but then asked the difficult and probing questions about their combat injuries : “Tell us about the moment you were wounded and what you remember; tell us about your life being saved and the medical healing; tell us about the psychological scars and your recovery.” Lt. Redman described walking

into a night ambush and being hit at close range by rounds from an al-Qaeda machine gun: “three bullets slammed into my chest, and two bullets hit my left elbow. Another bullet hit the left side of my head and exited through my nose, dislocating my left eye.” 

Captain Halfaker literally had her right arm blown off when an RPG rocket hit her vehicle, yet she described driving, in the damaged and bloody Humvee, back to base and medical treatment. 

Colonel Gadson whose lower body was mutilated by an IED explosion that threw him 10 meters out of his command car remembered his men, to include his commander, with mournful expressions, rallying to retrieve and stabilize him.

All three expressed sincere appreciation that the American military provided them with the best equipment and the most rapid responses. Lt. Redman said that the armor vest that shielded his chest was absolutely life-saving. 

Captain Halfaker remembered that although her Humvee had been hit twice by RPG rockets and gunfire, it drove them away from the ambush. 

And Colonel Gadson remembered the sound of the Medivac helicopter which took him to the field hospital where he received 129 blood transfusions. All three said that because of the military’s focus on the “Golden Hour”, the hour following a traumatic injury, they survived.

Then, Captain Thompson asked them what the Vail Veterans Program meant to them. 

This is the question that always takes their breath away. This is the question that they always answer with their rejuvenated spirit. Unanimously, they said that this small, privately funded program, that brought them to the gorgeous mountains and the living activities of skiing and snowboarding was transformative. “It saved my life”. 

They each emphasized the many different aspects of the VVP: family, friends, activity, involvement, humor, learning, learning that the only disability in life is a bad attitude.  

Col. Gadson described sharing a life experience with his family on the back of a horse less than 5 months after his legs were amputated. In describing that moment away from the hospital, but securely with his family, he had a tear in his voice.

To close, Captain Thompson reiterated why the Symposium was honoring this noble program: “Please understand that combat injuries are something that we should all know about, because they are happening to our children, to our American soldiers, somewhere in the world, …..every day. 

And the Vail Veterans Program is a transformative experience to rebuild confidence, rebuild friendships, and rebuild lives, …..every day”.

Pete Thompson is a part-time instructor for Colorado Mountain College and Vail Resorts, and  is a member of the local veterans’ organization.

Here is an updated version of the article I prepare for the Vail Daily for 

"Veterans Day". Please let me know your comments and feelings.

Pete

WE ARE THE VETERANS

Of today’s 327 million Americans, 18 million of us are veterans. We are the men and women, who years ago, in the prime of our young American life, put on a uniform and served on active duty in the armed forces of the United States……the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, or the Coast Guard.

    497,000 remain of the 16 million who served in World War II              (1941-1945)

  1,530,000 of the 5.7 million who served during the Korean Conflict        (1950-1953)

  6,251,000 of the 9 million who served during the Vietnam Era                             (1964-1975)

  2,300,000 of the 2.5 million who served Desert Shield- Desert Storm       (1990-1991)

  4,800,000 served or are serving in the war on terror Iraq/Afghanistan       (2001- today)

  2,400,000 served in peacetime between conflicts.

17,778,000 Americans are veterans = 5.4% of U.S. population

First, we went to Basic and Advanced Individual Training, where we learned to drill and march, to shoot and clean a rifle, and we learned how to low-crawl under barbed wire. But then we went to Occupational Training, occupational training that we had chosen. We trained as infantrymen, firefighters, nurses, auditors, dog handlers, mechanics, or even as cybersecurity analysts. And we got paid. 

That’s right, we got paid to learn computer skills, underwater salvage, geospatial imagining, surveying, and all sorts of medical skills. We built roads, bridges, schools, hospitals and runways. Some of us were trained and paid to be pilots, and others were sent back to college to study law, medicine, financial planning, and engineering. The military has 150 different occupations, and 800 different job titles.

I’m a veteran. I joined the military when I was a 19 year old school kid. I remember getting on a Greyhound bus with 50 other young men and driving through the night to Fort Ord, all the while eating candy bars and smoking cigarettes in the back of the bus. The next morning, I was awakened by a man dressed in a Smokey-the-Bear hat, who ordered me and my companions to get off the bus and “line up”, whatever that means. That’s when it began. That’s when they began changing me.

Within three days, my blue jeans, my candy bars, and all of my hair were gone. They gave me 3 ugly fatigue uniforms, 2 sheets, a smelly blanket, a bunk and a mop. It was hectic and confusing, but I could feel a focus on their part. They were trying to take us young fools to some “high ground”. 

The Smokey Bear sergeants spoke loud and clear. They made us get up every morning at 5 dark-thirty, make our bed, clean our minds, and then “double-time” to training classes. They were going to make something noble out of our aimless youth.

Within a year, I was a corporal. 

I’d been from Ft. Ord to Ft. Lewis to Ft. Sill. I’d learned a new language: “line-up, double-time, mess hall, grunt, roger, Zulu time”. 

I’d learned the acronyms: NCO, CIB, FDC, M1, XO. I’d fired a bazooka, smelled tear-gas, crawled under live fire, spit-shined boots, peeled potatoes, but I had also learned to stand-up straight. 

Within that first year, I’d been trained, qualified, and paid as a first responder, a surveyor, a heavy equipment operator, a firefighter, and …..

And the journey was just beginning. I served six years in the U. S. Army, to include one year as a “live-fire” artillery NCO, one year as a combat advisor to the Republic of South Vietnam, two years as a squad and platoon leader, and six months at Aberdeen Proving Ground testing new and exotic weapons. 

I wasn’t a kid eating candy bars on the back of a bus any more. The Army had promoted me into real life experiences, with training, exercises, responsibilities, and teamwork. I had passed the tests and become a member of one of the greatest teams in the world: Army Strong.

I’m now 74 years old and I still feel like I’m a member of the team. But now it’s “the veteran team”, not the “active-duty” team. We’re the old guard. We came back and went to college on the GI Bill and started businesses. 

Of today’s 18 million veterans, there are currently 2.5 million veteran-owned businesses. 

Two hundred and nineteen of us became astronauts.

Twenty-six of us became presidents. 

And we still make our bed every morning before the coffee, and we still stand up straight.

According to the Census Bureau, during our post-military civilian careers, we veterans earned 14% more income than an average American citizen. 

I wonder why? 70% of us voted in the last election, while only 60% of non-veterans voted. 

Why is that? 

And, despite occupational hazards, veterans, especially long-serving veterans, live longer than their non-veteran civilian counterparts. 

Wait a minute. 

We earn more. 

We vote more. 

We live longer. 

And we got to go on the most challenging life-changing rides of our lives, in helicopters, submarines, aircraft carriers, birddogs, etc. all while serving for something greater than ourselves. 

Why doesn’t everyone serve? 

It must be one of the best kept secrets in the world.

"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers....we veterans". 

I have asked Pete over the years to write down his story. He's a gifted writer. This is his most recent response:

Bruce,

SOG teams were the big operations, mostly across the fence. But their FOBs were fully staffed with kitchens, hamburgers and coca colas.

I was with a MATA team. MATA had several levels of in-country operations. I was with the smallest, a tactical advisory team with the 61st ARVN artillery. We ate Vietnamese food and lived in Vietnamese compounds. 

I was their Forward Observer (FO) advisor, maneuvering with the ARVN 5th Rangers.  

I think you can find MATA team descriptions online. We were similar to the SOG teams but smaller, and we stayed mostly in South Vietnam. A couple of times I was right on the Cambodian border. 

Some of my I&R boys would cross the river for information, but never for engagement.

As for telling or writing my story,...............no, I've put it away, and it needs to stay away. 

And Bruce, nothing would come close to what those SOG guys did.

He cares deeply about this nation. I receive emails from him with musings, as here:

"The Founders wanted a republic; the electoral college was a mechanism to create that form of government.  The college was designed to give some power to the individual states.  The senate, with two senators from each state, is a similar governmental mechanism.  The power of the purse, along with the power that comes from majority rule, goes to the House.  That’s where the 319 square miles gets its way." 

Bruce,

I need your help in researching a "military issue". I've looked but cannot find a reliable answer to the question:

What percentage of the US armed forces see active combat?

I'm not talking about serving in a combat theater. I'm talking about served in a actual fire fight, a real dog-fight, or a real naval engagement.

Some books and papers have addressed this question but the answers swing all over the place with all sorts of variables. Here are 2:

1. It has been said like this. 1% of the population of the US will serve in the military. 10% of the military is combat arms. 1% of combat arms will ever see combat.

That would mean 10% of the 1,400,000 active duty are combat arms = 140,000. 1% of them is 1,400. 

2. One percent of active-duty personnel will actually fire their weapons at a live and present enemy. That's 14,000.

There are currently about 2,450 active-duty Navy SEALS, 7,000 Green Berets (which includes Delta), and maybe 2,000 Force Recon Marines. 

Totaling 11,450, many or most of whom are "on ready alert" but never are in actual combat.

Bruce, help me get a straight and simple answer.

Bruce,

Yes, I had seen the Quora answers, but none of them really answered the question. Hell, none of them even tried to answer the question. 

The closest was the quote that 10% of all active-duty are combat arms trained, and 1% of that 10% see actual combat. So 1,400,000 x 10% x 1% = 1,400 out of 1.4 million. That's 1% of 10% which is equal to 0.001%. 

But then lets look at the question specifically for the Vietnam era.

1964 to 1973: 2.7 million Americans served "in country" in Vietnam. 58,158 dead, 304,000 wounded = total 36,158 divided by 2,700,000 = 13.4%. But..............most American troops who were in actual firefights or dogfights lived without being killed or wounded, therefore.................do you see where I am going with this?

Next I looked up the number of CIBs that were awarded, but then I saw this article:  http://nation.time.com/2013/04/05/to-cib-or-not-to-cib-that-is-the-question/

If you ever discover any research, or reports that actually answers the question, please forward it to me. 

Hey, I just realized an error in my math.

Concerning the Vietnam era veterans, I divided the 362,158 (wounded or killed) by the total who served in country (2.7 million) not the total in service (9 million) during the Vietnam era. 

That changes the results from 13.6% to 4%.

This is Priceless! Note reference to the "Main Stream Media"...72 years ago!!️

What is meant by the modern term referred to as "POLITICAL CORRECTNESS"...The definition is found in 4 telegrams at the Truman Library and Museum in Independence, Missouri.

 The following are copies of four telegrams between President Harry Truman and General Douglas MacArthur on the day before the actual signing of the WWII Surrender Agreement in September 1945.

 The contents of those four telegrams below are exactly as received at the end of the war - not a word has been added or deleted!

 (1) Tokyo, Japan 0800-September 1,1945

To: President Harry S Truman

From: General D A MacArthur

Tomorrow we meet with those yellow-bellied bastards and sign the Surrender Documents, any last minute instructions?

 (2) Washington, D C 1300-September 1, 1945

 To: D A MacArthur

From: H S Truman Congratulations, job well done, but you must tone down your obvious dislike of the Japanese when discussing the terms of the surrender with the press, because some of your remarks are fundamentally not politically correct!

 (3) Tokyo, Japan 1630-September 1, 1945

To: H S Truman

From: D A MacArthur and C H Nimitz

Wilco Sir, but both Chester and I are somewhat confused, exactly what does the term politically correct mean?

 (4) Washington, D C 2120-September 1, 1945

To: D A MacArthur/C H Nimitz

From: H S Truman

Political Correctness is a doctrine, recently fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and promoted by a sick mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a piece of shit by the clean end!

 Now, with special thanks to the Truman Museum and Harry himself, you and I finally have a full understanding of what 'POLITICAL CORRECTNESS' means

Love it, Harry was the last  great Democrat.

Bonus: Visiting Soldierstone.

Creating a Church Emergency Response Plan

While trying to add content to this page, I accidentally erased it. Thank God for the Internet Way Back Machine! I was able to go there and find a copy, save it, and paste it here to restore this post.

https://web.archive.org/

https://web.archive.org/web/20180322074022/http://poetslife.blogspot.com

Expert advice here an here.
Anglican Bishop: Why I Pack to Protect my Flock

By their design and purpose, houses of worship are “soft targets.”

Sadly, as recent church massacres have shown, one of the most unprepared, but most 

vulnerable to having emergencies, are such “soft target” churches and the churchgoers inside.

In hopes of changing that, here are some basic steps along with a description of the step you can take to prepare for and respond to such emergencies.

These concepts apply to all who want to be prepared IN ADVANCE to successfully deal with such current and future threats.

         

Step	Description
1.   Recognize the Need	In our case, it began when a toaster caught on fire in a faculty lunch room over two years ago. The response to the fire was less than stellar.  One law enforcement official who witnessed the chaos saw the need for an emergency response plan. He approached the pastor who supported the idea and he began to put together a volunteer safety and security committee. Given every day safety concerns (floods, fire, hurricanes, storms) the need has always existed. Now that murderers have assaulted church goers, the need is even greater.
2.    Organize a Volunteer Safety and Security Committee	Our volunteer safety and security committee include the pastor, business manager, choir leader, religious education teachers, law enforcement and fire-fighting professionals, information technology professionals, a nurse, retired military and a retired grocery store manager. Each brings a particular expertise and view to creating the emergency response plan. Your committee will reflect your unique needs. Like any volunteer committee, some people will leave and need to be replaced. Our primary Emergency Response Plan writer changed shifts at work and had to leave. Another member immediately stepped into that role.
3.    Identify the Threats	Conduct a survey of personal, fire, threats and security measures to see what you already have in place and what you need to implement.          Ask questions and discuss your unique vulnerabilities. Write down all you can think of and address them.           What if an active shooter approaches?          What if a bad storm suddenly turns worse and a tornado cloud forming a quarter mile outside the cation building where hundreds of young children, and dozens of religious education volunteers are? Fire -- what to do and how to do it Mentally unbalanced individual appearing Criminal entering the building -- obvious and not so obvious Weather emergency Natural disaster Others unique to your church or area Granted, you are more likely to face the demands of a snowstorm, flood, fire or an angry spouse than terrorists or an armed murderer, but your emergency response plan must be designed to handle the entire threat matrix.
4.    Writing the Emergency Response Plan	Every Safety and Security Committee member will contribute to the plan, but it is most practical to assign one or two members to author the plan. Using the survey as a starting point, organize chapters and subsections to cover each area (objectives, definitions, responsibilities, incident leaders, prevention, preparedness, notifications, types of emergencies, emergency contacts, etc.). Cover all details. For example, do you need to create signs to identify shelter areas? Signs to point to Evacuation Area A or B? What will go into the teachers’ evacuation bag (flashlight, roster of children, evacuation procedure steps card, etc.).
5.    Create an Emergency Contact List	List cell and email contact numbers for local police, fire, medical, tradesmen (tree removal firm, etc.). Also include all staff, teachers, maintenance, volunteers, and others. Cell Phone Broadcast Message – Create a list of the cell phone numbers of all parents. Use this list to do a broadcast email or text message if weather or an emergency warrants it.
6.    Purchase Any Necessary Supplies	Maybe you need a military-grade medical bag with tourniquets. In our case, we discovered that those in the gym could not communicate with the business manager in the office. So, we purchased radio’s so that everyone could communicate quickly in an emergency. After identifying the most useful items for the teachers’ emergency evacuation bags (flashlight, roster of children, evacuation procedure steps card, pen, whistle, etc.), you may want to buy those and fill up their bags. Again, purchase what is useful for your situation.
7.    Train Everyone in the Emergency Response Plan	The pastor, business manager, choir director, teachers, ushers and anyone else who responds to an emergency need to be trained. The more who are trained the higher the chance you will have a trained person to respond when needed. We created a PowerPoint we used with each group to give them the fundamentals and their responsibilities. After training them in class, we ran drills in the building to ensure they knew the plan and carried it out correctly.
8.    First Aid Training and Supplies	Basic first aid saves lives. Teach as many as possible first aid techniques         Teach Staff, Volunteers, and Coaches First Aid           Distribute Basic First Aid Kits – Place larger first aid kits in the large rooms (church, gym, cafeteria, and library) and smaller first aid kits in each classroom.           Defibrillators – Purchase several.
9.    Sign up for Emergency Apps	Multiple emergency cell phone apps are available. Prepare Me Carroll is my local emergency app. Find those for your area and share them. (https://tinyurl.com/y9yv3npr)
10.  Special Needs: Seniors, the Disabled and Young Children	Seniors, the disabled and young people all have special needs. This is especially in a power failure or other emergency. Using common sense, try to plan for and meet their needs, medical and otherwise. One tool is WaterBricks (https://www.waterbrick.org/)(www.waterbricks.com)  These bricks can be frozen. This is important to extending frozen food life during a power outage or to keep insulin cold for a diabetic, this can be a lifesaver in the first few hours and days of the loss of power. Young children also have special needs. Have a few stuffed animals, toys, books and games around to occupy them in an emergency.
11.  Test the Emergency Response Plan	Run exercises to test your plan. This is critical to get others who were not part of the committee, but who need to know it. Expect surprise and gaps in your plan that you can only identify in a test drill. For example, we discovered the three flood lights behind the gym over Evacuation Zone 1 were burned out and had to be replaced. We also found the fire alarms in the old part of the facility were not connected to the fire alarms in the new building. Also, the younger children quickly and efficiently walked to the evacuation zone. The teen-agers looked at their smart phones and did not find the evacuation zone. You will find your own surprises to fix with each drill.
12.  Evaluate the Drill	Create an evaluation form for the drill. Have committee members and others monitor the drill and fill out the evaluations. Incorporate any lessons l earned when you update the plan and the training.

These steps to create a church emergency response plan are useful, practical, and mostly free.

If you decide to create one, be aware that your pastor has many competing demands on his time. Safety and security is one of many. Some religious leaders see it as a necessity and support it. Others do not.

I pray that yours sees how important a volunteer Safety and Security Committee is to saving lives, reducing injury, and protecting property, creates one, and that committee creates, tests, and updates its emergency response plan to achieve that holy goal.