EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS
Increasingly, we hear about natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes and floods. In the back of our minds there is also the possibility of man-made disasters, both accidental and perhaps unthinkable intentional ones. Would we be prepared?
It is not a healthy response to live in a constant state of fear regarding such disasters, but it is healthy to have extra assurance based on adequate emergency preparation and planning. Would you and your family know what to do in an emergency to be safe and secure? Have you considered the following: How would you connect with each family member in an emergency? Where would you agree to meet? If you were asked to stay home in an emergency (think a really bad Denver snowstorm), do you have a food (and water) supply to last you through at least 72 hours? If asked to evacuate your home, would you have a to-go kit with some cash, identification and medical information?
Creating a personal/family emergency plan may seem like too much work, or something you would really rather not have to think about, but wouldn’t the peace of mind that comes from being prepared be worth it? For great sources of information on emergency planning and checklists for being prepared, see the links at the bottom of this page.
Julie will be presenting an educational session at the American Counseling Association 2011 National Conference in New Orleans in March. Her presentation topic is “Disaster Mental Health and Trauma Research: Integrating Key Concepts in Disaster Mental Health Response”.
In April 2010, Julie and colleague Marlene Husson presented an educational session “Understanding Psychological First Aid-A Disaster Behavior Health Response Tool” at the Colorado Counseling Association Annual Conference.
Julie was recently published in the book “Compelling Counseling Interventions”. If you are interested in the articles on the subject of counseling and disaster response, please check out these 2 articles: "Counselor and the Disaster Response Team" and "Psychological First Aid: An Evidence Informed Approach for Acute Disaster Behavioral Health Response".
Julie continues to present information on the psychological aspects of emergency and trauma and is a regular instructor in the Denver metro area C.E.R.T. (Citizen Emergency Response Teams) program. She has presented the “Disaster Psychology” section of C.E.R.T. training for deaf and hearing impaired citizen emergency responders in Denver.
If you have questions about home and family emergency preparedness please contact Julie at 303-918-1775.
Additional Emergency Preparedness Links
www.redcross.org
www.fema.gov/areyouready
www.readycolorado.org
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