TTC Video - When Everything Fails: Surviving Any Disaster

Living through a disaster is not a question of if—it’s a question of when. Fires, floods, chemical spills, terrorist attacks, and other disasters can happen swiftly and without warning, so it is imperative that we all do what we can now to prepare. Do you know what hazards are most likely in your neighborhood? How will you find out about potential disasters? And how will you communicate with your loved ones? If you had to evacuate without warning, do you know where you will go, and what route you will take?

Delving into these questions is a great first step in becoming disaster-aware and ready to survive should the unthinkable happen. When Everything Fails: Surviving Any Disaster offers a practical guide for protecting yourself, your family, and your community. Taught by Professor Stephen Owen of Radford University, these 14 practical and informative lectures will arm you with information for planning ahead so you can prepare for the effects of a disaster or catastrophe. You will also learn about the resources and infrastructure in your community that are in place to aid in preparedness, response, and recovery.

As you will discover, when a disaster occurs, it may be some time before help arrives. Every one of us may find ourselves on our own in a dangerous situation, so we must be prepared, for our own sakes as well as for the people, pets, and community that depend on us. Planning for such a scenario can be overwhelming—after all, one hallmark of disasters is they catch us off-guard—but with the right training, supplies, and practice, you can live confidently, knowing you are as ready as possible. From basic first aid measures like CPR and the Heimlich maneuver to the fundamentals of the first responders, When Everything Fails: Surviving Any Disaster shows you what you need to know to survive.

A Case Study Approach

One of the best ways to prepare for the next disaster is to study past disasters. Numerous “after action reviews” have been written for everything from hurricanes to train wrecks, and these case studies can tell us what happened, what went wrong, what individuals and first responders did well, and what we can learn for next time. Professor Owen draws essential lessons from calamities that have affected big cities and small towns across the United States, including:

The winter 1982 airline crash in Washington, D.C.’s Potomac River;
The 1997 flood of the Red River valley;
The 2011 tornado in Joplin, Missouri;
The 2016 firestorm that hit Gatlinburg, Tennessee;
The 2016 mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida; and more.

Through these and other case studies, Professor Owen draws larger lessons, such as the distinction between a “routine emergency” (e.g., a car wreck), a “disaster” (e.g., a train wreck that creates a massive chlorine spill), and a “catastrophe” (community-wide destruction such as the result of Hurricane Katrina). He asks you to reflect on what you would do and how you would respond—and he offers the latest recommendations from emergency management organizations on how to prepare or respond.

For instance, no one wants to consider the possibility of encountering an active shooter, but there are several important principles that might save your life, should ever find yourself in such a situation. The first principles are around “situational awareness” and “normalcy bias.” After the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, some survivors reported that they initially thought the sound of the gunshots may have been part of the music or fireworks going off. When an active shooter is present, it’s critical to move past an initial reaction of “everything is normal” and into a mode of “run, fight, hide.”

Every case study has something to teach us, and the simple act of reflecting on these past disasters will make you more aware than the average citizen.

Preparation and Resources

A train wreck and chemical spill in your neighborhood is probably unlikely, but many types of disasters happen across the country every day. Over several lectures, Professor Owen does a deep dive into several of the most likely disasters we might face, such as:

Fires. After learning about the chemical process of fire, as well as the terms “flashover” and “backdraft,” you will learn a few things you can do right now to lessen the risk of fire in your home.
Earthquakes. You might be surprised to learn that bracing in a doorway is not necessarily the best response to an earthquake. What should you do? And what should you prepare for after seismic activity?
Extreme Weather. From flash floods to hurricanes to derechos, weather is one of the most dangerous hazards in our world. A few simple tips can be the difference between life and death.

While you might be on your own during and immediately after an unexpected disaster, our communities have infrastructure and a number of resources to help us prepare and recover. In this course, you will be introduced to many of the common concepts around disaster planning and emergency response, including FEMA’s National Preparedness Goal and the Preparation Cycle.

You’ll also get to know some of the responders and agencies who are there to keep us safe, including visible first responders such as police, firefighters, and EMS, as well as behind-the-scenes scientists, public health departments, and others who are here to aid in prevention and recovery. How do these various operations and agencies function? How do they coordinate together? And what can we learn from them?

The Incident Command System (ICS) is a national framework developed after 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina to help coordinate efforts from multiple levels of government as well as private players. Professor Owen introduces you to this powerful system, outlining what you might expect from various responders during and after an incident. He also points you toward community resources—such as the Red Cross’s CPR training, Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT), and SKYWARN weather spotting—where you can learn more to enhance your readiness.

Disaster preparedness is the responsibility of all of us. When Everything Fails: Surviving Any Disaster is a fascinating, easy-to-follow introduction to the world of preparation and recovery. Remember: When everything fails, what you learn here may save a life. Stay safe out there.