My sister sent an email to the whole family about disaster planning - she sent an outline of questions and planning created by Ramsey County in Minnesota. Her reasoning for sending this to the family was "in light of the recent bombings in Ankara and because disaster planning is my job". (She's a BANKER...)
Okay - so it's wise to talk about these things in the very least. But it's also so American. The idea that we can plan and control events in the event of a disaster. And, to an extent, I suppose we can make a plan for organizing emergency services, mass casualties, natural disasters - I've gone through training drills myself on the ambulance corps, coordinating with fire and police, triaging patients, etc. We try to prepare for all angles - so we won't be helpless.
And we need to do this, to an extent - but this also seems to build and existence around the fear of the unknown, and the illusion that when the unspeakable happens, we can handle and control the next steps. This is the confidence and pride of Americans that cannot imagine a situation where in all our strength we could be helpless. But seriously, is hiding in the corner of a classroom really a good disaster plan for a school shooter. Are these the kind of events we are no preparing ourselves for - the million what ifs.
And yet, haven't we all lived through situations where we have been helpless to change the course of events happening to us?
So, instead of going into that - I'm going to take time to make fun of this disaster plan instead.
1. How will we get warnings? Air sirens - no. Media - assuming its working.
2. What are our hazards? earthquake, bombings, coups d'etat, war
3. Household safety equipment: fire alarms - one, check. Carbon monoxide - nope. Fire extinguisher - nope, Flashlights and batteries - somewhere. Emergency radio - I don't know, do they have emergency channels here?
4. Emergency Kits: I watched a presentation on earthquake preparedness at the high school here once - part of their emergency kit recommendation was a C-collar. I thought to myself - great, we'll have lots of people with broken necks walking around. Here, they recommend an evacuation kit, shelter kit, and car kits ... that's a lot of kits laying around ...
5. Evacuation plan - As in, how to evacuate your home, i.e. two exits in each bedroom. That is an extremely novel idea for this building (or any apartment building in Turkey) to have two exits at each window. You're lucky to have two exits within the building. Also, it suggest to have an evacuation plan of the neighborhood - following road closings and guidance of emergency services, and a shelter to go to.
6. Communication plan - How will we get in contact with each other? How will we find each other?
7. Pet info, out of state contacts, other important contacts (doctors, family, insurance, etc.) - really? pet info? To quote Royal Tenenbaums: Too late! Leave the dog! Go! Go!
And how far will we take this planning? My brother Aaron bought a bow and arrow just in case he has to hunt for food one day. Another American I know here bought brass knuckles for himself, pepper spray for his girlfriend, and stores small water jugs (he says the small jugs are easier to carry and barter for other things you may need). or to even do any of it in an orderly fashion in the midst of it all. But then I remember the stories of how all the workers inside the Twin Towers orderly evacuated the building, quickly and silently down so many flights...and then I flip to our school's fire drills that involve skipping, singing, and squealing with excitement while we line up within flame licking distance of the building.
We've talked about worst-comes-to-worst - living Arvin's mountains, where we met. Or Kusadasi, where it's warmish. The emergency plan is good, I suppose, I just can't imagine remembering to grab all that stuff - to remember which kit is in which place, or to check and restock. And to sit and dwell on all the what ifs and create plans and strategies for each - its a lot of energy, time and thought spent on some very dreary stuff.
What I do know is this:
In the earthquake in Izmit in 1999 - Tolga was in Izmit and his family was in Artvin. They had no way of contacting each other to find out if Tolga was okay - phones, Internet, nothing was working. Hakan got on a bus in Artvin - there was no room and so he convinced the driver to let him lay in the compartment where the driver sleeps. It took 24 hours for hime to travel from Artvin to Izmit, and somehow, in the midst of all of it - Hakan found his brother.
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