Involvement with a group is only an option for those that are dedicated and willing to participate in the training and deployments. As a member of both the NC-1 DMAT and the National Medical Response Team-WMD East, I can vouch that participation in regular training is essential if you hope to be useful during a deployment.<br>I can also tell you that participation in an emergency team does NOT provide for your family. I have been deployed on hurricane responses in North Carolina and my wife and kids have been "on their own" with me gone.<br>There is NO substitute for personal planning and preparation.<br>As a retired USAR/Army National Guard officer with 11 years enlisted guard experience, I disagree entirely with the comments made re: the guard. For the most part, I have found the units that I have been assigned to professional and the folks reasonably well trained. I deployed on two state emergencies due to hurricane related flooding and found the service we provided to be usefull and gratifying. <br>I have never been provided with less than suitable housing in the field, nor did I miss a meal or fail to get other essentials during any deployment (other than during wargames at the Joint Readiness Training Center) during my 25 year experience with the guard and reserve.

As a member of one of the "un/underprepared local/state/federal government relief agencies" I take strong exception to your comments. <br>Unfortunately, many people have no option in an evacuation but to go to a public shelter. We have frequent experience with evacuation here in coastal North Carolina due to hurricanes. Public shelters are a reality for most folks as everyone can't evacuate several hundred miles to avoid the effects of the storm due to traffic and other factors. <br>When Hurricane Floyd hit us a couple years ago, I had to protect my office and home first and then make a decision about evacuation. My choice was made for me by the tremendous traffic jam on the highways. We rode out the storm at home.<br>There were tens of thousands of people living in shelters for weeks following the storm. All being cared for by volunteers.<br>People evacuating to a shelter are responsible for their own food, medications, clothing, and water during their stay. We (NC-1 DMAT) provided medical care and distributed food (MRE's), water, and sanitation and infant care supplies for weeks to shelter bound refugees.<br>In large part, the refugees were unprepared and inequipped for their shelter stay.

BeachDoc,<br><br><br><br>Although your experiences do not match mine re the National Guard, I am glad to hear them. Perhaps the four Guard units I have served in are exceptions, rather than the rule...I hope so at least. According to a fairly recent article in the Army Times, the Guard/Reserve now comprises 60+% of the total force, a thought, which given my experiences in the Guard, scares me. <br><br>If there was an error in my post, it was in assuming that all Guard units function at the low level of the ones that I have served in. In my defense, my opinion is shared almost universally by other Guard members of my aquaintance who, like me, served for extended periods on active duty. Even the worst of my active duty stations were leaps and bounds ahead of any guard unit I am familiar with in terms of professionalism, training, leadership, readiness, preparation, planning, morale and funding. It my be comparing apples and oranges, but it is what I have to go on. <br><br>For the record, I have missed meals in the Guard, and I have slept on bare concrete because there was no alternative. I have been issued a weapon, but no ammo, when there was reason to expect that I might need both. I have been assigned to duties for which I had no training, no experience and no clue. <br><br>Once again, I hope your experiences are the norm, rather than mine.<br><br><br>Take care,<br><br>Andy<br>

BeachDoc,<br><br><br>No offense intended. My comment was poorly worded; it was aimed more at the fact that huge numbers of refugees strain the resources of any agency. It was not intended to reflect individual competencies, as most relief workers I have met were very competent. I apologize for that.<br><br>Take care,<br><br>Andy

"Make it do, use it up, go without." I quickly learned in the service to find the most respected senior NCOs/Petty officers, stay close, shut up and open my ears and eyes.My first "sea daddy" said the only thing to really sweat was running out of salt water. I learned to take SNAFU'S and FUBAR'S as a given. It's not hard to think outside the box when supply sends it somewhere else.

If I could butt in here just a moment...<br><br>I've been around ARNG and US Army Reserve units in a variety of "situations" and IMHO the two of you are simply reporting different experiences - both of you could be right on target from what I have seen. My observations are from the perspective of an Active Duty carreer in the US Army.<br><br>I think it is fair to say that generally the USAR units are better trained and prepared to perform their wartime missions than ARNG units - and there are a ton of reasons for those circumstances. <br><br>Emergency responses to disasters are not the same thing as wartime missions (we hope). I have no first hand experience with USAR units in domestic disasters that I can recall. <br><br>I do have first hand experiences with ARNG units in domestic disasters, and from my perspective they all did OK for a short period of time (less than 2 weeks). Some did a fantastic job and did it for an extended period of time. Some did OK for a while and then... citizens asked those units to be withdrawn or replaced and TAGs complied with those requests. There was one state that had a truly sad concept of using the ARNG, but I cannot blame the soldiers from Captain on down for that - the problem was clearly and squarely in the state capitol (the governor's residence...) The other states I had opportunities to work with did OK at worst, and individual units (up to brigade size) did remarkable things.<br><br>The biggest "problem" is making intelligent decisions about exactly what the best use is of the ARNG units and the soldiers in them. Again, in my experience, the key decision-makers (who are RARELY the ones you see in the news, and BOY, could I tell some tales about THAT!) in large scale situations have zero control over those decisions and little or no influence. It is an unfortunate fact that ARNG units seem to get tossed into situations aimed as much (or more) at political objectives as at realistic assistance. That's not the soldier's fault...<br><br>I could go on at great length, but my main point is that you both are probably correct. Doc, I had the privilege of working with some truly outstanding ARNG units in some disasters, and they really did themselves proud (and I might add, so did the Governor's office in that state - too bad he chose to retire). Andy, I saw other things exactly like your experiences <shudder> - just recalling some of those still gets me mad as heck.<br><br>I'll butt out now...<br><br>Regards,<br><br>Tom<br><br>

Karen Glenn of "Frontier House" is currently posting on Frugal's "Homesteading and Self Sufficiency" forum. Quite interesting !!! _________________________________________________ Proverbs 21:19

CERT training may be a way for your whole family to get involved. It is a FEMA based program. You get a group together. It may be your neighborhood, your work place, your volunteer organization, church, whatever. You take 18-21 hr training course, usually given in 3 hr segments over several weeks. Basic first aid, fire extingisher, some buiding stabilization, a few other things. <br><br>Then the local Emergency Management can call on your team to assist in needed. Your team provides your own support but at least you have some basic training. Since it is a volunteer organization, your entire family can participate. The training is taught by local EMS, Fire, Rescue, and law enforcement. That way you get to know them and they get a sense of the dedication of your group.<br><br>The training slides are available on the web. The instructor guides are also available. These are just overhead slide presentation material and do not inculde all the information you would hope to get in a training session but would give you an idea of what to expect. <br><br>Search the web for existing CERT teams and what they have done. <br><br>The program was designed in California to encourage local neighborhoods to provide basic relief post earthquake when emergency services are streched to the limit with long response times. The idea was that your immediate neighbors will respond anyway. Why not give them some basic training to reduce their injuries, make them more effect and enpower the PHRASECENSOREDPOSTERSHOULDKNOWBETTER. to take care of themselves.<br><br>Even if your CERT team never responds and disbands immediately after the training, you got some training, you met some people in public safety, and have begun to get some tools and knowledge to help yourself.<br><br>You could get the training on your own. The first aid training in similar to the basic Red Cross training. Fire extinisher training can be taught for $10 per person in a hour. Stabilization is just using lumber like lincon logs to support structures.<br><br>I am a member of a rescue squad. We are on the state resource list to be called up if needed. We are expected to care for ourselves the first 72 hours. Our response vehicles are filled with rescue equipment and when we all bring our personal supplies, it can be crowded. Response agencies are often put under an equal amount of strain and lack of provisions as the refugees. The major difference is we have volunteered for such conditions and our mind set is different. We realize that no one will save us, it is up to us to not only save ourselves but others. Even so, it is nice to find a place to take a shower, get some hot food, and sleep undisturbed for a while.

There are safety in numbers if all the numbers are cooperating. If you are a student then you probably don't need to worry overly much about a wife or kids. Get yourself involved in whatever group you can that will be focused on surviving whatever disasters you might be preparing for. You can choose from many public / civic minded organizations that will be attempting to help others during a disaster / emergency or you might easily find a band of true "survivalists" and there find an isolationist group with truely significant preparedness. When / If the SHTF, these isolationist Survivalist groups will be sitting pretty telling the rest of us "I told you so" as they defend their cache with the best armament they could procure. Whatever you choose remember that participation within a group requires a certain conformity of philosophy. As for me and mine I am choosing to participate with the civic minded organizations. My state doesn't have any CERT programs yet but I am working on that. My approach is to bet HAM, EMT certified (attained) volunteer for the local EMS which is volunteer and then start to lobby for the formation of CERT programs. Unfortunately I became civic minded after my 35 birthday so the NG and AR units are not interested in my aged contributions.

No problem. I know that the feds have taken some well deserved hits in the past. Shelters remain the province and responsibility of the local and state folks, often with on-site management by the red cross. <br>The Guard has a different level of responsibility in disasters and teams like the USPHS DMAT's have another....pure medical and outreach.<br>There certainly is room for improvement, the move toward "CERT" teams is a step. I think that communities should take more responsibility locally for taking care of themselves, like the old Civil Defense model of the 50-60's.<br>Unfortunately, the Guard is , in my experience, trained in the warfare-mission realated tasks and not disaster related issues.<br>I agree with a number of the posts that criticize the deployment of guardsmen with unloaded weapons, I have been in that situation myself in the 70's. Anyone remember Kent State?? I do and am not eager to repeat the experience. Unfortunately, the guard does not have the luxury of unlimited training opportunities and they "powers that be" tend to throw them where they often don't really belong. (like airports......)