Disasters and public health emergencies come in many varieties.  They can occur anywhere and anytime.  Yet, disaster preparedness can be one of those things that we just don’t like to think about.  We don’t like to think about making a plan or building kit because we don’t want to think about bad things affecting our families or communities. 

Using the power of positive thinking, we can focus on simple activities we do every day to make our families and our communities safe.  Sometimes the “small things” we do to show that we care can also help us to prepare.  In a disaster or emergency, small gestures such as checking in with family through a quick text, stopping by to check on an older adult neighbor or to check on neighborhood kids home alone after school, can build social connections and ensure that all our neighbors are safe and sound.

Through engaging in basic preparedness activities – whether individually, as a family, or as a community – our everyday capacity to care for one another make us ready to address the needs of other in the event of a disaster or public health emergency.  When you think about it, none of us are alone.  Together we form families, neighborhoods, communities, tribes, states, and a nation.  One way to feel socially connected and to increase the sense of community is by engaging in preparedness.

Community resilience is the ability of communities to withstand, adapt to, and recover from adversity.  Doing small things to show that we care is an important part of strengthening community resilience through preparedness.  These simple activities are the building blocks by which we enhance community resilience and improve family and community preparedness at many different levels.  And when we become more prepared as individuals and communities, we also build national health security.

Here are some things you can do to show that you care and to help be prepared:

• Get Connected:  Mobile apps and social media have resources to help you stay informed and connect with family and friends following an incident; it’s a simple way to let them know you care.  Most smartphones allow users to receive emergency alerts and notifications.  Facebook has an Emergency Check-In Feature for disasters to let your social network know that you are ok.  Check out the emergency alert systems in your community.  Many communities have apps or let you subscribe to their alert notification system via text or e-mail.
• Expand your community: Research demonstrates that public health emergency planners can better perform their mission if they develop and maintain relationships with community- and faith-based organizations. Community- and faith-based organizations can show they care by reaching out to their members and others with access and functional needs in their local community to ensure these members are included in preparedness, response, and recovery.  Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (VOAD) focuses on the “4 Cs,” cooperation, communication, coordination, and collaboration, to build strong, resilient communities and foster more effective delivery of services to communities. Connect your organization to one.  Likewise, many faith-based organizations show they care by engaging in preparedness planning activities to promote disaster resilience among their members and communities.  Many faith-based organizations also have health ministers dedicated to promoting community resilience by providing important new research on public health threats.  
• Volunteer: You can strengthen neighbor-to-neighbor ties and show you care by volunteering for preparedness activities.  For example, Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training teaches people about disaster preparedness and CERT volunteers support their communities following a disaster when professional responders are not immediately available.  Also, the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) provides an opportunity for community members with training in medicine, public health, safety and other skills to strengthen public health, reduce vulnerability, build resilience, and improve the response and recovery capabilities of their local communities.

These are just some ideas to help you get started.  Do you have more ideas on ways that you can help care for people in your community by taking steps – big or small – to help enhance health and connectedness?  Share your ideas in a comment to this blog post.