Individuals are their own first line of defense

The recovery effort from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina has entered its third week, and the shocking images from the Gulf Coast and New Orleans continue to dominate the news. The death toll rises daily and the storm is expected to surpass Hurricane Andrew as the costliest disaster in U.S. history.

The latest damage estimates are running in the range of $100 billion. On the human side, the storm displaced more than a million people and has created a large-scale humanitarian crisis.

While the relief effort plods on, the blame game is in high gear. Instead of all energy being focused where it should be, pundits and politicians are engaged in a self-serving squabble over who dropped the ball. There is little to be gained from this exercise, except for the possibility of lessons being learned from the mistakes.

Two things, however, are clear. The first is that there is plenty of blame to go around. The second and more important point is that, whatever we believe, individually, about the role of local, state and federal governments in protecting citizens from a natural disaster, we all need to be prepared to fend for ourselves.

Some of the same unique and fascinating qualities that make Alaska a great place to live also would make it especially vulnerable in the event of a natural disaster. Nobody likes to think about what would happen if another powerful earthquake struck. But thinking about it and having a plan in place now is far more responsible than waiting until disaster strikes.

Residents should know how they'll handle a long-term power outage, damaged infrastructure, and tainted or interrupted water, heat and food supplies. Families should have a plan for reuniting should a disaster separate them in the middle of the work or school day and communication capability is compromised.

A little planning goes a long way. To that end, the borough is promoting the Community Emergency Response Team program. Part of the federal Department of Homeland Security's Office of Domestic Preparedness, the program provides training in emergency preparedness so that citizens may take a more active role in personal and public safety.

Interested people can find out more about CERT online at www.training.fema.gov/emiweb/cert. For a more localized version of the training CERT has to offer, residents may call Linda Schwankl in the borough's Department of Emergency Services at 373-8821, or e-mail her at lschwankl@matsugov.us.