Is America Prepared?

Trust for America’s Health Releases 8th Annual “Ready or Not” Report

This week, Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation released its eighth annual “Ready or Not” report on the country’s preparedness for emergencies related to disease, disasters and bioterrorism. Three states, Arkansas, North Dakota and Washington, scored a perfect 10 out of 10 on its preparedness matrix, while 29 other states achieved a score of eight or nine. Only two states recorded a score as low as five.

Is that reason to celebrate?

Although the results certainly represent dramatic improvement since 9/11, when government entities at all levels began ratcheting up their preparedness, the report goes on to state that more work needs to be done and that the gains that have been made are under threat. States nationwide face budget crunches and some have cut funding for emergency preparedness. Many local health departments have had to cut staffing. According to Trust for America’s Health, “The impact of the recession was not as drastically felt by the public health workforce until more recently because supplemental funds received to support the H1N1 pandemic flu response and from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act have almost entirely been used.”

With government cutting back, it is important that community groups and individuals step up their emergency preparedness efforts. Volunteer organizations such as CERT have an important role to play, along with churches, temples and neighborhood groups. Families and individuals need also to do their part. A good way to start is by familiarizing yourself with your community’s emergency risks and emergency response resources. It is advisable for most people to acquire basic first aid training. Everyone should be prepared to survive on their own in an emergency for at least three days by maintaining well-stocked survival kits in their homes, workplaces and vehicles.

We should certainly expect our government to be ready to respond quickly and forcefully in the event of an emergency, but preparedness is everyone’s job. More information on emergency preparedness is available on the More Prepared website.