This is the fourth post in a series of posts that will cover each area of threats/risks as they pertain to emergencies, disasters, and grid-down events. Each check list has been taken from the associated “layering” article for each area of risks and threats. This series is based on the “7 Common Risks/Threats” article I produced a few years ago.

As I have reviewed the disasters in the last 40+ years I noticed pattern develop, a pattern of common risks, or threats, that were present each and every time. Granted, in some situation/incidents one or more items were far more prominent but they were all there.

This particular check list applies to the risk/threat of poor or no communications.

Here is that #1 item I was speaking about earlier. In every single emergency that had a serious injury or fatality…EVERY ONE!

There are two side of this situation, I call them hardware and software. The hardware are the gadgets; cell phones, radios, batteries, antennas, etc. The software are the skills, knowledge, process, plan, and implementation of communicating. Both are equally important.

Problem: Without the ability to communicate you cannot coordinate your emergency response with your family and/or other responders. This leaves you exposed to every single aspect of what can/could go wrong.

Solution: Acquire sufficient communications equipment and training to use it. Develop a plan on how and when to communicate.

Partial Preview of the “communications” PDF File –< click here to download the complete “communications” checklist PDF file >

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< Previous Article in this Series                             –                                  Next Article in this Series >

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All Articles in this series –

• Check List – Introduction
• Check List – Violence
• Check List – Injury or Sickness
• Check List – Communications
• Check List – Organization
• Check List – Starvation (food storage)
• Check List – Dehydration (water storage)
• Check List – Exposure
• Check List – Misc.

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Related Articles –

• Layering & the Common 7: Part #4 – Communications
• 7 Common Risks/Threats
• Threats, Risk, and Mitigation: Introduction

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Send me your thoughts, ideas, comments, questions, and list addition suggestions…