A weekly journal of toastmaster international Philippines The 10th Man

Midtown Toastmasters "Evacuate! Evacuate your houses immediately!" 

Upon hearing these words, what would be the first thing that you would pick up?   What would be your thoughts? Will you be scared? Or despite the fears, will you find the courage to stand up and with a firm voice say, "Let's go now."

Few days after the 7.2 earthquake happened in the Visayas, I went on a sick leave and decided to watch movies at home. I'm no fan of Zombie films, but this movie, World War Z, did not give me nightmares. Instead, I was able to pick up a few practical lessons in life. To give a short background without giving away much of the plot, the movie tells us about a Zombie infestation that was spread by a Virus. While most of the countries were already stricken with this disease, the protagonist was led to Israel, the last survivor of the onslaught who was able to protect their people by building a massive wall around Jerusalem. Once in the Holy Land, he asked the leader known as Mossad, how come Israel was able to build a wall in the nick of time. It was because of the Mossad's policy of the 10th Man:

For every potential threat, one out of 10 men in the agency assigned to the case needs to take it seriously, no matter how far-fetched it may seem.

Hence, the 10th Man Policy enabled them to build a wall after being able to decipher an e-mail that contained the word "zombie."

My friends, after watching the movie, I had a resolution. I knew that I had to be prepared for calamities.  But before I can even complete my to do list, another calamity, the super typhoon Haiyan struck us. Hence, tonight I would like to appeal to each one of us to be prepared.

You would consider it foolish to go on a long drive without a spare tire or set of battery jumper cables so that just in case something goes wrong, you won't be left stuck in the middle of a dark road. Likewise, it's prudent that you keep a necessary preparedness kit and other supplies to protect your family when disaster strikes. Moreover to keep you alive should rescue efforts come in a little bit late.

Let me introduce to you the 72 hour Emergency Kit also known as a bug-out bag. A bug-out bag is a portable kit that contains the items one would require to survive for seventy-two hours when evacuating from a disaster. The focus is on evacuation, rather than long-term survival. Other names for such a bag are a BOB (Bug out Bag), 72-hour kit, a grab bag, a battle box, a Personal Emergency Relocation Kits (PERK), a go bag or a GOOD bag (Get Out Of  Dodge),INCH bag (I'm Never Coming Home). It's up to you to determine what needs to be placed inside your bag, you can refer to the list below for a quick reference (distributes checklist). Food, Water, Clothing and a few tools placed in one bag should be enough.

While some people include buying insurance policies as a means to being ready when they get sick, disabled or die prematurely, another loop hole must be taken into consideration when talking of security and peace of mind. Disasters like earthquakes, strong typhoons, tornadoes, tsunami, biochemical threats, avian virus, etc. are real possibilities that can strike you any time. Are you prepared to evacuate your homes? While you would consider it fortunate to be given around 2-3 days warning before being evacuated, there might be times that you just have to do it immediately! Are you ready to bring what you need to bring? Do you even know what you ought to bring?

Now you know the answer, a bug-out bag.

Just like your insurance policies, you hope you will never have to use this bag. But should disaster strike, then you can be glad that you have managed to put one together for yourself. Remember it was not raining when Noah built the Ark.  Lessen your fear of being hit by man-made and natural calamities by being prepared. Remember,  nobody else is responsible for your safety and your family's but YOU alone. And the best time to start preparing for this Preparedness Kit is now.

"Evacuate! Evacuate your houses immediately!"  Upon hearing these words, what would be the first thing that you would pick up?   What would be your thoughts? Will you be scared? Or despite the fears, will you find the courage to stand up and with a firm voice say,  "Let's go now."

In these times of uncertainty and in the coming days, let's not be scared. Let's be prepared. Let's be very prepared.