UPDATE (2018/01/15): Included a PDF for the Hawaii State Department of Defense below.
Did You Know How to Respond to the Missile Threat?
We are glad that everyone is safe and that the emergency alert about a ballistic missile threat to Hawaii on January 13, 2018, which people received on their mobile devices and saw flash across their tv screens was just a mistake. However, seeing social media reactions as the situation unfolded it seems apparent we all could be better prepared. We hope that we never have to act on disaster plans, but wherever you live you could always take better steps to safeguard yourself, your family and friends, and your businesses and organizations.
I was fortunate enough to attend a Hawaii Society of Business Professional’s luncheon last fall that covered the topic of the threat from North Korea and what people and businesses should do to prepare. So I felt a little better prepared compared to the confusion I saw on social media this morning. However, faced with the reality I did ask myself, did I take all t he precautions I could? Maybe, but also maybe not. While we should ask questions of our officials about how a mistake like this happened, this presents us all an opportunity. An opportunity for us to better prepare for emergencies.
Hawaii’s Emergency Management Agency
To that end I would like to direct your attention to the State of Hawaii’s Emergency Management Agency’s website. On it you will find a Get Ready section that has resources to help you prepare your family, your home, and your business. Those are resources for you to review in general for getting prepared for disaster in general. If you have concerns about the Nuclear Threat, the agency has a specific section dedicated to that here. Further, there is a FAQ and if you still have questions you can submit them to the agency for review and response.
Additionally, Hawaii State Department of Defense and the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency provided a Guidance Summary for Coordinated Public Messaging that gives critical information for the Immediate Actions you should take in case of a nuclear detonation.
Planning Requires asking Questions
As you go through some of the resources, you will realize while there are a lot of practical steps, such as putting together an emergency kit by getting food, water, and medical supplies, a lot of planning is asking questions. Planning is that, whether it be strategic business planning or estate planning, we need to ask a lot of questions to get us to think of what we should do in a particular situation. Disaster planning is not any different: Do you have everything that you need for an emergency? Does everyone in your family know what to do in emergency? What if you are at home? What if you are at work? And so forth …
On the one hand, we spend a lot of time planning for risk mitigation with clients, so we get it. It is sometimes hard putting in that mental time for thinking about the future. However, our firm’s other services include being a resource for clients and their businesses in going after claims for their injuries they’ve suffered in a disaster or asking for a release of obligation under a contract under a Force Majuere (Act of God) clause the reality is that work comes after. Bottom line is that your goal should be to keep yourself, family, business and community safe. So please consider steps to plan and prepare. Stay safe!
