When Everything Fails: Surviving Any Disaster

Welcome to your journey of preparedness! Begin your series with a self-assessment. Explore the different types of disasters and reflect on your baseline. Do you know the hazards around you on a regular basis? Do you have plans for shelter or evacuation? What about communication?

After reviewing a few basic concepts (such as the difference between an emergency, a disaster, and a catastrophe), Professor Owen walks you through the fundamentals of a good preparedness plan. From identifying risks around you to building physical and digital “go kits,” you are on your way.

Prevent, protect, mitigate, respond, recover: This simple framework is a way of thinking, designed around FEMA’s National Preparedness Goal, a recipe for identifying and preparing for potential hazards. From here, the next step is to equip yourself and establish a few practices that will serve you if (or when) disaster strikes.

Decision-making is a critical component of surviving a disaster. In an emergency situation, your mind won’t operate like it does in day-to-day life, which is why preparation and planning are so critical. Here, learn to size up emergency situations, guard against “normalcy bias,” and act appropriately under stressful circumstances.

Knowing the basics of CPR, first aid, fire extinguishers, and more might one day save a life (even yours). Take a look at some of the practical skills you would be wise to develop, from operating an AED to shutting off utilities. See where you should look for more comprehensive hands-on training.

A fire is one of the most common disasters you might encounter, and one for which you can readily prepare. Learn the basics of fire safety, from developing a home fire safety plan to specific things you can do to reduce your risk of fire in the home. This episode also shows you the fundamentals of how fires work, including flashovers and backdrafts.