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Re: Year 2000 Supply/Production Risks
=From: Bagelhole1@aol.com
=Date: Sun, 7 Feb 1999 11:35:39 EST
=To: interdoc-y2k@jca.ax.apc.org, vic@pusit.admu.edu.ph, cbyrne98@hotmail.com
=Subject: [interdoc-y2k 235] Re: Year 2000 Supply/Production Risks
=Reply-to: interdoc-y2k@jca.ax.apc.org
=
=<< Does anyone know of a Community Contingency Plan?
=:
=: We need one not from an administration point of view but a basic
=: community level: ie seniros, disadvantaged, food bank, shelter etc.
=: >>
=
=Hi,
=
= I'm working on one for San Francisco. I'll share with you some
=ideas. We, as a group are just getting started:
=
Yikes
Reading this is enough to make one hide away.
Does any one seriously believe that the great free market economy of
the USA is actually going to need this level of planning for a
relatively warm area like SF?
Planning at this level of detail really seems to be somewhat over the
top in a country as traditionally entropanerial and quick to sue.
While I am something of a proponent of the "all will not go well
school" going to these lengths would seem to be dangerous:
a) it spreads fear and desponency amongst the general population
b) it also is seen by many to be over the top and therefore makes some
of those who should be doing something about the problem bury their
heads like the ostriches native to my country.
All in all my suggestion is that what you need to do is look at each
of the most critical functions that will effect your
Country/town/household/business, consider the probability of THAT
component failing and plan accordingly.
It is no different to anyother planning process except that there are
larger number of components that might be effected and we scare
ourselves by looking at the aggregated probabilities rather than by
planning at a component level against assessed risks and defined
potential damage.
= 1. Providing lists for personal prep (stockpiling necessities)
Good thinking but consider the probabilities in your town or climate
region of a serious impact occuring.
= 2. Co-ordinating all activities of individuals and taskforces
= preferably on a webpage and hooking into cassandra project .
ok
= 3. Mapping neighborhoods for resources, skills, tools, vulnerable
= populations
= A. Collaborating with gov't agencies.
= 1. SF health dept. has a disaster registry that has already
= done alot of this work for vulnerable populations.
= 2. Try getting the census takers involved to save time.
This seems to be sound DRP anyway.
= 4. Task forces to collaborate with gov't. around many issues:
= A. Getting grain from silos into city sites for easy access for
= neighborhoods.
= B.Working with hospitals, medical supplies, pharmacies
Who are these task teams and why should they "collaborate with
gov't"? Where are they drawn from, who they represent and why?
Surely normal government channels of responsibilities already exist
and it is these that should be making sure that governments do their
job. To suggest anything else is to suggest that elected officials do
not serve their communities.
= 5. Task forces to collaborate with business to find ways they can
= be helpful.
Who be helpful to whom? Surely the survival of business will ensure
that the economy doesnt collapse, basic services continue to be
delivered, etc.
What business needs to do is take responsilbility for ensuring that
they continue to deliver power, food and the products and services
required to oiperate and economic unit like a city.
= 6. Task forces to collaborate with non-profits and social
= agencies.
Community work is good and workers are always needed. Why not ensure
that, like businesses, they can continue to operate. Volunteer to
help, dont waste their tiime and resources trying to find ways of
collaborating with them.
= 7. Task forces to collaborate with media for both outreach to
= community and for in flow of ideas and further areas to address
= thru task forces of concerned citizen volunteers.
PRO. Someone must do it otherwie the reporters might have to go out
and do their own leg work. Bearing in mind that the media is only
interested in saleable news items it may be necessary to work with
non commercial media.
= 8. Task forces for collaborating with agencies to stockpile food,
= blankets, and clothing for homeless and poor.
If you need it. But what about helping the existing agencies that
already work with the homeless and poor.
Duplication of welfare services is something that only the rich can
afford.
= 9. We are currently working on developing a list of low-tech,
= homemade style ideas for sustainable practices to be
= implemented quickly for neighborhood sustainability,o be made
= available at bagelhole.hypermart.net (almost finished), need
= volunteers with computer access, and a little technical (handy
= person) know-how to cull and order ideas.Alternative Survival
= Information has already done alot and are collaborating.
= A. To my mind, once these ideas are available, and once
= everyone becomes aware of the potential dangers, y2k
= portends, this will be the most substantive form of
= contingency, and will be implemented in the remaining
= months.
= B. These short-term, funky kind of sustainability, will cover
= all the areas, such as alternative energy, water, food,
= heat, shelter, transportation, communication, waste removal,
= etc.
= 10. There will be also individuals teaching survival skills and
= first aid to individuals who then teach it to others, and so
= on.
I dont see that this bomb is gong to result in mediacl care
collapsing completely although if I lived in SF and could remember
1988(?) maybe I would have to factor the probability of a
co-incidental earthquake. But surely the health services should be
doing this anyway.
Just some pragmatic thoughts
Henry Watermeyer
=
=______________________
=
=These are all that come to mind immediately, but I hope its a start to
=answering your very important question. I would hope others would add
=relevant ideas to it, and in this way, soon, we can develop a good
=list to share with all the other communities in the world.
=
=
=
"The old Chinese curse appears to be upon us,
we live in interesting times!"
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