Originally Posted By: capsu78
>SNIP<
explore how the loss of so many first responders, healthcare facilities and local/ regional agencies is impacting the response in some of these worst hit areas... Much of the community "knowledge pool/ trained resources" has be scattered at least, leaving "outsiders", even Japanese ones, to try to get a grip on deciding where to start tackling problems.
Think about losing your local government, Fire, police, sanitation workers, shopkeepers and knowing you are not only waiting for help to arrive, but also waiting for the resources as well as decision making to be begin to match the needed response.
Being your own First Responder will keep most of us on this board quite busy, assuming we are able, but what of the "clueless"?


That's our assumption in the San Francisco Bay Area. Our fire department trains CERT volunteers on the assumption that whoever is here when the quake hits (fire, police, EMI) is all there _will_ be here for weeks, maybe a month. Help will not arrive soon, so we're all on our own.

My assumption is that we'll all get together and help out whoever we can. CERT volunteers are trained in triage, and we'll do what we can. I have no animus toward the clueless. We're all in the same boat and making friends with everyone is a good thing, in my humble opinion. If a person isn't trained in first aid and has little to contribute in terms of food or water, they can be used as a messenger, as someone to gather food, water, wood, to hold the hands of the hurt and confused. Everyone's welcome, even the clueless. Turning away people as unworthy is just not right.