Category Archives: Adaptability

Adaptability is the quality of being able to adjust to new conditions | behaviour change and as it relates to Emergency Preparedness

Power Cut Kit List: What to Have Ready at Work and Home

Among the items the government’s Prepare campaign lists for power cuts and other emergencies are a battery or wind-up torch, a battery or wind-up radio, a portable power bank for your phone, and spare batteries. Below is what each of those does in practice, and how the options compare.

If you look after a building, a team or a household, this is written for you. It covers what official guidance says, what the kit actually does, and the numbers for reporting a power cut.

Why this matters this winter

The Met Office’s June update on the 2026 El Niño notes that it “can increase the likelihood of more unsettled conditions later in the year, including a higher chance of milder, wetter and windier weather during autumn and early winter.” The Met Office published this season’s storm names on 1 September.

The Cabinet Office’s guide to the National Risk Register 2026 puts the scale in context: “Most power cuts (or electricity outages) are short-lived and local, but longer outages of several days can occur with regional or national impacts.”

Two numbers for power cuts

105 is the free power cut number in England, Scotland and Wales. It connects you to your local network operator. In Northern Ireland, call NIE Networks on 03457 643643.

The Priority Services Register is, in the words of the Energy Networks Association, “a free service to help people who have additional needs”. Eligibility includes people who have reached state pension age, are disabled or have a long-term medical condition, or are pregnant or have young children. Network operators offer priority support in an emergency, and can tell customers who rely on their supply for medical reasons about planned power cuts. Northern Ireland has a similar Customer Care Register.

1. A torch

The Prepare campaign says to keep “a battery or wind-up torch (and spare batteries) at home”, and adds that “torches are safer than candles.” It also points out that you “probably won’t want to use the torch on your mobile phone as this will drain its batteries more quickly.”

The options fall into four types:

  • Wind-up torches need no batteries at all. Our dynamo pocket torch gives up to 20 minutes of light from 1 minute of winding, uses two LEDs that never need replacing, and weighs 65g.
  • Head torches keep both hands free, for example when resetting a trip switch or carrying something down a dark stairwell. The Energizer Vision 400 gives 400 lumens from 3 AAA batteries, is water-resistant to IPX4 and weighs 90g. For sites with hazardous atmospheres, ATEX-rated head torches are in the same head torch range.
  • Lanterns light a whole room rather than a spot. The rechargeable COB lantern runs for up to 4 hours on high and has a USB output to charge other devices. The Energizer rechargeable lantern gives up to 1,200 lumens and 7 hours on high, is IPX4 rated, and also has a USB output.
  • Lightsticks need no power and no switch. The Lumica military-grade sticks glow for approximately 12 hours, or 8 hours for some colours. The 30-stick wall box is a wall-mountable box “for emergency personal lighting in blackouts or evacuations”, with a tamper-proof seal.

2. A radio

The Prepare campaign lists a “battery or wind-up radio to get updates during a power cut”, noting that “a car radio can be used, however in severe weather it might be safer to stay inside.”

All three of our wind-up radios receive AM and FM, and all three charge by hand crank, solar panel or USB:

  • The wind-up radio with power bank and torch plays for up to 8 hours, has a 2,000mAh battery, a 1.5W LED torch and an SOS alarm, can top up a phone through its USB port, and weighs 231g.
  • The Universal wind-up radio also plays for up to 8 hours from a 2,000mAh battery, has three LED torch lights, and its built-in power bank can top up a phone, GPS, head torch or speaker. It is rated for -10°C to +60°C.
  • The Duronic wind-up radio gives 20 minutes of play from 1 minute of winding and up to 7 hours from a full USB charge. Its USB port charges the radio itself, not other devices, and it has a headphone jack but no torch.

3. A way to charge your phone

The Prepare campaign lists a “portable power bank for charging your mobile phone”. The Energy Networks Association adds: “Keep a mobile phone fully charged so you can use it to go online for updates or call if you have a power cut.”

  • Power banks store charge in advance. Our 10,000mAh power bank has two USB ports and will completely recharge most smartphones at least once. There are also 5,000mAh and 2,000mAh versions, and the Powertraveller Phoenix 90 at 22,500mAh for laptops and longer outages.
  • An AA battery charger works when a power bank has run flat. Our emergency USB charger takes 4 AA batteries and outputs 5V at 800mA. Its limits: in our own testing it took an iPhone from 0 to over 50% on one set of alkaline AAs. Newer phones are more power-hungry, and it is designed for emergency top-ups, not daily charging.

One limitation of a power bank: it only holds what you put in it. A power bank that has sat in a drawer since last winter may be empty when you need it.

4. Spare batteries

The Prepare campaign lists “spare batteries for torches and radio and a backup battery for any medical equipment you rely on.”

The two differ in rated temperature range. Duracell Plus alkaline AA batteries are rated from -20°C to 54°C. Energizer Lithium AA batteries are rated from -40°C to 60°C, have a stated shelf life of 10 years, and weigh a third less than AA alkalines.

At a glance

ItemPowered byStated runtimePhone charging
Dynamo pocket torchHand winding20 min per 1 min windingNo
Energizer Vision 400 head torch3 × AAA—No
Rechargeable COB lanternBuilt-in rechargeableUp to 4 h on highVia USB out
Energizer 1,200 lumen lanternBuilt-in rechargeableUp to 7 h on highVia USB out
Lumica lightstickChemical, single useApprox. 12 h (8 h some colours)No
Wind-up radio with power bank and torchCrank, solar, USB-CUp to 8 h radioTop-up
Universal wind-up radioCrank, solar, USB-CUp to 8 h radioTop-up
Duronic wind-up radioCrank, solar, USB20 min per 1 min winding; up to 7 hNo
10,000mAh power bankPre-charged—Most phones at least once
AA emergency USB charger4 × AA—Emergency top-up

At work

A power cut at work is a building problem as well as a personal one, and the same kinds of kit apply at a different scale:

  • Head torches leave both hands free, for example for staff moving through stairwells or plant rooms. ATEX-rated models are made for hazardous atmospheres.
  • Lanterns light a room rather than a path, and both of ours can charge other devices from their USB output.
  • The lightstick wall box holds 30 sticks behind a tamper-proof seal. Its product page describes sticks that “can be safely handed out to guests in the hospitality industry, patients in care homes and hospitals/wards”.
  • Power banks hold only the charge last put into them, and lose charge through use and slowly over time.

Three safety points from official guidance

Candles. The Prepare campaign is plain that “torches are safer than candles.”

Generators and fuel heaters indoors. The Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland warns that “using equipment such as kerosene heaters, charcoal grills (BBQs) and portable generators in doors can cause CO levels high enough to result in CO poisoning”, and that “only equipment designed to be used indoors should be brought inside the home.” Nothing in this article burns fuel.

Fridges and freezers. The Food Standards Agency advises keeping the doors closed. It says a fridge “should stay cold for up to 4 hours”, and that frozen food “should stay frozen for up to 48 hours in a full freezer (or 24 hours if it’s half full).” The Prepare campaign also suggests turning off irons, ovens, electric fires and fryers, and unplugging your TV and PC in case of a surge when the power returns.

For a longer look at what happens when a grid fails at scale, see our piece on the Iberian blackout of April 2025.

The short version

Among the items official guidance lists for a power cut are a torch, a radio, a way to charge a phone, and spare batteries. The options differ in how each one is powered, its stated runtime, and whether it depends on stored charge. Wind-up and solar models can be recharged without mains power.

We are a supplier, not an adviser. What you hold, and how much of it, is your decision. Our full range is under wind-up torches, radios, power banks, lanterns, lightsticks and batteries. If you are equipping a building or a team and know what you need, send us your specification and we will quote it.

Sources

  1. HM Government, Prepare — Power cuts — https://prepare.campaign.gov.uk/be-informed-about-hazards/power-cuts/
  2. HM Government, Prepare — Get prepared for emergencies — https://prepare.campaign.gov.uk/get-prepared-for-emergencies/
  3. Cabinet Office — National Risk Register 2026 — https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-risk-register-2026
  4. Cabinet Office — A Guide to the National Risk Register 2026 — https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6a7c4412aadaaddf89b6e484/A_Guide_to_the_2026_National_Risk_Register.pdf
  5. Met Office — El Niño declared for 2026 as Pacific warms, 11 June 2026 — https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/blog/2026/el-nio-declared-for-2026-as-pacific-warms
  6. Met Office — Official storm names for 2026/27 revealed, 1 September 2026 — https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/about-us/news-and-media/media-centre/weather-and-climate-news/2026/from-family-tributes-to-shaun-the-sheep-official-storm-names-for-202627-revealed
  7. Energy Networks Association — Power cut — https://www.energynetworks.org/customers/power-cut
  8. Energy Networks Association — The 105 service — https://www.energynetworks.org/work/105-service
  9. Energy Networks Association — Extra help for customers (Priority Services Register) — https://www.energynetworks.org/customers/extra-help-for-customers
  10. NIE Networks — Customer Care Register — https://www.nienetworks.co.uk/help-advice/vulnerable-customers/customer-care-register
  11. Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland — Carbon monoxide dangers from heating appliances and generators used indoors — https://www.hseni.gov.uk/news/carbon-monoxide-dangers-heating-appliances-and-generators-used-indoors
  12. Food Standards Agency — Food safety in a power cut: advice for consumers — https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/food-safety-in-a-power-cut-advice-for-consumers/food-safety-in-a-power-cut-advice-for-consumers

Driving in Europe from the UK: Essential Car Equipment Checklist

Four items are compulsory in almost every European country for a UK-registered car: a UK identifier sticker, a warning triangle, a high-visibility vest and headlamp deflectors.

Carry those and you are legal nearly everywhere. Everything else – first aid kit, fire extinguisher, spare bulbs, winter tyres – varies by country, and getting it wrong is a roadside fine.

This guide sets out what is compulsory, recommended and optional across 20+ European countries, country by country, in one table. Updated September 2026 by EVAQ8, a UK supplier of vehicle safety and emergency equipment since 2005.

Do I need a fire extinguisher to drive in France?

No. A fire extinguisher is recommended in France, not compulsory, for a UK-registered private car. It is compulsory in Belgium, Greece and Romania. The country table below shows which is which.

Do I still need a breathalyser in France?

No. Carrying a breathalyser stopped being a legal requirement on 22 May 2020 (Décret n° 2020-605). France’s drink-drive limit is lower than the UK’s, so many drivers still carry NF-approved single-use testers as a sensible precaution, but you cannot be fined for not having one.

Sources: RAC, AA, LeShuttle, Euro Campings, Sterling Insurance, and French government sources including Service-Public.fr and Legifrance. Requirements change; check before you travel.

Understanding the Equipment Codes

In the country list below:

  • C = Compulsory (legally required)
  • R = Recommended (advised or common practice)
  • O = Optional / Conditional (only needed in certain regions, seasons, or weather)

These codes are designed to help UK motorists prepare quickly before travelling abroad.

Compulsory and Recommended Equipment by Country

Table: Summary of compulsory (C), recommended (R), and optional (O) vehicle equipment for UK-registered cars travelling in Europe.

CountryUK Sticker / IdentifierHeadlamp DeflectorsWarning TriangleHigh-Vis JacketFirst Aid KitFire ExtinguisherSpare BulbsWinter Tyres / Chains
FranceCCCC (one per occupant)RRRO (mountain areas)
SpainCCCC (driver minimum)RRRO
PortugalCCCRRRRO
GermanyCCCRO (local cars)RRO (winter law)
ItalyCCCCRRRO (seasonal zones)
AustriaCCCCCRRO (snow areas)
BelgiumCCCC (if breakdown)RRRO
SwitzerlandCCCRRRRO (mountains)
CroatiaCCC (two if towing)CCRCO (winter only)
PolandCCCCRRRO (winter)
Czech RepublicCCCCC (regional)RRO (mountains)
HungaryCCCCRRRO (winter areas)
SloveniaCCCCRRRO (Alpine zones)
SlovakiaCCCCCRRO (snow)
RomaniaCCCCCRRO (winter)
BulgariaCCCCCRRO (Nov–Mar)
NetherlandsCCCCRRCO (signs only)
SwedenCCORRRRO (snow tyres/chains)
NorwayCCCCRRRO (Nov–Mar)
FinlandCCCCRRRO (winter tyres required)
DenmarkCCORRRRO (snow)
IrelandC (for GB cars)OCCRRRO
GreeceCCORRRRO (mountain/winter roads)

Key Insights for UK Drivers

1. UK Sticker / Identifier

Almost all countries require UK-registered vehicles to display a “UK” identifier sticker unless the registration plate already includes the mark. Fines may apply if this is missing.

2. Headlamp Deflectors

Mandatory in most EU countries because UK headlamps dazzle oncoming traffic. EVAQ8 stocks universal beam deflectors suitable for quick fitting before departure.

3. Warning Triangle & High-Vis Jacket

A legal must in nearly all European countries. Keep one warning triangle and one high-visibility vest per occupant inside the car, not in the boot.

4. First Aid Kit

Legally required in Austria, Slovakia, Romania and parts of Eastern Europe; recommended everywhere. Carrying one ensures compliance and safety — see EVAQ8’s Car First Aid Kits range.

5. Fire Extinguisher & Spare Bulbs

Fire extinguishers are compulsory for some locally registered vehicles but remain strongly recommended. Spare bulbs are a simple fix abroad if you lose a headlight or indicator on the road.

6. Winter Tyres & Chains

Obligatory in alpine and Nordic regions during winter months. Even where not required, local police can stop vehicles if conditions demand. Winter Driving Kits

Travel Checklist from EVAQ8

Before crossing the Channel, ensure you have:

  • UK identifier sticker
  • Warning triangle
  • High-visibility jacket (one per occupant)
  • Headlamp deflectors

Our European Essential Kit for travelling to France, Spain, Italy and Germany.

Or opt for our more extensive European Travel Kit — pre-packed, compliant, and ready for road trips across the continent.

Driving in Europe from the UK (2025) | Essential Car Equipment & Travel Kit Guide – EVAQ8
Driving in Europe from the UK (2026) | Essential Car Equipment & Travel Kit Guide – EVAQ8

Summary

In short: UK motorists driving in Europe in 2026 must carry a UK identifier, beam deflectors, a warning triangle, and high-visibility jacket in almost all countries. A first aid kit, spare bulbs, and fire extinguisher are strongly advised.
Breathalysers are no longer required in France.
EVAQ8 supplies EU-compliant car safety kits and emergency travel equipment for UK drivers heading abroad.

FAQ: Driving in Europe

Q: Are UK stickers compulsory in Europe?
A: Yes, unless your number plate already displays the “UK” identifier.

Q: Which countries require a first aid kit by law?
A: Austria, Slovakia, Romania, and some Eastern European nations list it as compulsory; most others recommend it.

Q: Where can I buy an approved European driving kit?
A: EVAQ8 offers pre-assembled European Driving Kits with all required items for UK motorists.

Source Acknowledgements

Data compiled from:

  • RAC (Driving Abroad Guides)
  • AA (European Driving Requirements)
  • LeShuttle (Driving in France)
  • Euro Campings (Vehicle Requirements by Country)
  • Sterling Insurance (Driving in Europe Checklist)
  • Service-Public.fr and Legifrance (Official French Government Sources)

Prepare for a world that’s more than 2° C warmer | Climate Change

updated 25June2017

That’s the UN’s most recent analysis. The world – us – will have emitted enough carbon to warm the planet by 2°C  by the year 2036, that’s just 20 years down the road!

“I think it is clear [the targets] will fall well short of what is required for any reasonable probability of avoiding 2° C”

So says Alice Bows-Larkin, Professor in Climate Science & Energy Policy of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research in Manchester UK as quoted in The New Scientist edition No 3046 of 7 November 2015 I’m reading this Remembrance Sunday (italics added by me; read the extended article online at The climate fact no one will admit: 2 °C warming is inevitable).

Barring any sudden personal tragedies or the ability to resettle on a different planet, this will impact us all: me, my family and friends as well as you, your family and friends.

What will a world be like with ‘just’ 2°C extra heat  – do we actually know?

I’ve heard people joke that they are looking forward to warmer and sunnier days. Well, now that would be lovely indeed, especially if you live quite far north (or south). Joke aside; it is actually an interesting reaction and not necessarily one born out of simple ignorance. For example, Freudian’s would point and say: classic denial, one of the most primitive defence mechanisms, a refusal to accept reality to avoid painful feelings. Cognitive psychologists would describe it i.e. as optimism bias and/or discounting, limitations on our rational cognitive processes  (i.e. see earlier post Resilience and Preparedness Roadblocks: what stops us?) It’s probably a bit of all of the above plus a good sprinkling of individual beliefs, personal experiences and personality.

Reality is, however that we will be getting more than just warmer and sunnier days. The crux of the problem is, nobody really knows just exactly what it all means. Climate change is one of the most urgent and profoundly complex challenges we face.

Better and better models – but we are really running out of time

Vast amounts of data feed numerous models every day (i.e. MetOffice) yet in the end they are just that: models, an approximation to reality.

At best, models attempt to explain and hopefully predict the future. How accurately? Well, that remains to be seen. The ukclimateprojections.metoffice data and projections many still use may well be outdated (2009 PDF) because they assume ‘medium’ emission scenarios.

A 2°C warmer world – some reasonable predictions: heatwaves and flooding

Warmer means more heatwaves

 

Serious Climate Change Problem: how to stay cool

Running air conditioners is the short-sighted answer. This is problematic not just because of guzzling energy which may overload the grid but also because it creates and dumps a lot of hot exhaust, adding to the problem rather than reducing it. Where we currently stand with producing not only efficient but also sustainable air conditioning systems is somewhat unclear(see The Guardian). Spraying or dousing heat stressed people with water only works to some extent as Dr Sundeep Dhillon recently explained at the Extreme Medicine Expo,  personal factors such as fitness and acclimatization status play a huge role. Treating heat illness will increasingly become a hot topic very soon. Undoubtedly we will see more of this:     

Warmer also means more flooding because of more severe weather events. There is a very good chance that the weather will not play by ‘our rules’ as per our models. Exceptional may well become the new normal which means more of this:

Yemen just this week, twice in quick succession:

Cape Verde in late August / early September

Flooding also happens because of rising sea levels. Thermostatic expansion, a volume and height increase as sea water warms plays a role as does melting ice. Some recent predictions are dire for coastal cities such as San Francisco:

Image from Coastal News Today, an well respected publication.

Models and projections while essential, don’t necessarily provide solutions. Models don’t’ fix.

Engineering, although playing a hugely important role to i.e. retrofitting, reinforcing and saving infrastructure, building in more resilient ways for the future, can also be problematic as The Rockefeller Foundation recently highlighted:

We need more than just design solutions, however. We also will need real alternatives to insurance for while a 2°C World Might Be Insurable, A 4°C World Certainly Would Not Be and we are heading there fast. We need a change in attitudes. We need a sense that we individually can really do something, change behavior, change culture and change our world for the better.  It means a serious interest and investment in disaster risk reduction. At the most fundamental level,  it all starts with prepared individuals that can achieve realistic confidence in the face of crisis. So, what is your Emergency & Disaster Preparedness Plan? Check our free resources and look through some of the earlier posts here.

Have a great week.

Monika

 

 thank you for sharing!

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Disaster Preparedness – what Disaster? Why Preparedness?

updated 05/2017

It’s midweek and I am meeting some people.
“…. what do you do?” The question is innocent enough at any social gathering. What happens next however is always quite interesting for me. When I say “I am in Emergency and Disaster Preparedness, we create Preparedness Kits for  individuals, business, organizations and local government” I either get a blank stare and the topic moves swiftly on or it gets engaging:

What do you mean by Preparedness? What Disaster? Where?

Now, that is a very good question. There is a quite a bit of confusion and a considerable gap between theory and practice – that is the difference between disaster theory and actual disaster risk reduction (DRR) and, more recently, preparedness. Thankfully, clarity has improved and the gap is closing for Disaster Preparedness concerns us all – and not just philosophically:

“Live moves very fast. It rushes from Heaven to Hell in a matter of seconds”      —  Paul Coelho

Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/The_Ladder_of_Divine_Ascent_Monastery_of_St_Catherine_Sinai_12th_century.jpg

As imagery of that quote I particularly like the 12th century ‘Ladder of Divine Ascent’ at  Saint Catherine’s Monastery in Sinai which, to me, is a good visual analogy of the precariousness of life as we strive for (ultimate) peace and security.

Predicting the future is no easy task, even with today’s amazing tech and science to help us understand and manage the risks associated with globalisation, urbanisation, climate change, population growth, dwindling resources, etc.

New technologies combine with existing ones, changing old and well understood hazards, and creating new ones in the process. People and communities worldwide – including the UK – become more vulnerable as a result of these new hazards in ways that we may not have encountered before – ways even that are hard to imagine.

‘Natural’ disaster data – perhaps not as straightforward as you may think…

source https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/52db6435e4b0826240a963ce/1392762570748-EY23D42EOAT50PZ5UZR3/katrina.png?content-type=image%2Fjpeg So called ‘natural disaster’ data is readily available nowadays but the term is actually a bit of an oxymoron. Natural events trigger a range of ‘disasters’, the resulting damage is largely the result of lack of planning and poor development which ends up putting property and people at risk.

Another issue is that most disaster data, like the following graphs, are biased.  The one by the insurer MunichRe is skewed towards the developed world, as opposed to, for example the EM-DAT based Oxfam report Time’s Bitter Flood which focuses on developing countries. There are other subtleties that may get ‘lost’ in how data is entered into international databases such as the one by the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters CRED. Often not being considered (but thankfully that is also changing) are issues of geographical or time scale (no difference between 10 deaths in 1 min or 6 months) or that gross rather than normalized data is emphasized, yet there can be significant differences between total damage and per capita damage. Despite these limitations the various data nevertheless show a clear trend:

A clear trend: Natural Disasters / Catastrophes are increasing

Source: https://earthbound.report/2011/05/30/the-number-of-natural-disasters-is-on-the-rise/Source: https://earthbound.report/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/disasters-oxfam.jpgAnd now, another ‘bad’ El Nino seems a certainty:

Impacts from disasters are complex and wide-reaching but more importantly, they affect us all in a myriad of direct and indirect ways even on the ‘other’ side of the world. Disasters do not respect boundaries, whether geographical, social, economic or political5. For a historic insight into disasters located in the UK, Wiki has a couple of interesting lists: List of disasters in Great Britain and Ireland by death toll and List of natural disasters in Great Britain and Ireland .

So, what then is a disaster?

Actually, that’s another excellent question for the term has been used in many different ways1. Operational definitions are important since they trigger political decisions and a flow of resources.

Disasters are more than ‘just’ large emergencies and catastrophes are more than ‘just’ large disasters.

How we talk about and define ‘disaster’ has implications for what kind of research is undertaken and what strategies and resources are used to manage them. Disaster is an intellectually complex and emotionally loaded word that should be used with care. Theory is important as it underpins good practise. For example, in creating hazard maps, different concepts of ‘disaster’ need to be considered not just rapid onset well-defined events like an earthquake or  a volcanic eruption but also  slow onset diffuse events like droughts which only recently are being considered as disaster events1  (also see the current California Mega Drought or Wiki Historic Examples of Drought directly affecting India, Russia, China, USA, Australia and many countries in Africa but having much wider impacts).

‘Dis-aster’ (Latin) literally means ill-favoured star

source: https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5216/5383975707_66c561a1a2_z.jpg Jupiter, the king of the gods and the god of sky and thunder

That is one way of revealing its origins in a classical and fatalistic worldview that saw calamities as coming from the heavens (or as in my later example above the daemonic nether regions).

Most traditional interpretations tend to revolve around agent descriptions, physical damage, social disruption and negative evaluation while more modern approaches favour social constructionism and the disruptions during and after a natural disaster event2.

A disaster is more than one thing (object, event, feeling) to different people and so while theorists may argue for a single, concise definition there is value in diversity.

What ‘disaster’ means to people is subjective, first and foremost and thus not so easily definable. People across the world interpret disasters differently, depending on their goals, cultural views and values.

Defining ‘disaster’ is complex and challenging

Disaster taxonomies exist similar to the ones used in biology3 and one commonly used typology is based on frequency, duration, area, onset speed, spatial dispersion and time spacing4. Other, rather coarse and overly simplistic categorizations use the labels ‘natural’ versus ‘technological/man-made’ or ‘rapid’ versus ‘slow onset’ as mentioned earlier.

Getting to grips with better taxonomies is important for both research and operations. Emergencies, disasters and catastrophes all show different characteristics both quantitative and qualitative which necessitate different management and planning strategies. Now, all this, while interesting, is also quite ‘academic’.

Preparedness, on the other hand, is intensely practical. Even in research…

Preparedness refers to concrete sets of actions taken as precautionary measures in the face of potential disasters

This includes information and training as well as the physical preparations of adapting infrastructure and readying emergency supplies. In our current climate of dwindling public services and resources, business and individuals increasingly have to take on their own Emergency and Disaster Preparedness responsibilities. Naturally, this varies widely depending on the particular circumstances. However the necessity and utility of a good dose of self-sufficiency is, in my view, self-evident.

Being stronger and better prepared individually not only helps you to survive and bounce back, but automatically makes for stronger and better prepared communities.

 

Preparedness is empowering.

Preparedness is a diverse, practical toolkit that can make a huge difference. Start with our FREE resources. As an individual begin by making your own Emergency Plan. As a Business, especially if you are an SME, look into Business Preparedness and practical Business Continuity. And if you can’t find the practical resources and kit you want then give us a shout. Our specialty is, after all, custom-made kits and we’re always happy to help.

Until next time – I wish you lots of motivation to tackle your own Emergency and Disaster Preparedness and bring it into your wider communities.

Monika

 Thank you for sharing, raising awareness for Emergency and Disaster Preparedness

References / Resources

  • 1 Etkin, D. (2015) Disaster Theory – An Interdisciplinary Approach to Concepts and Causes. Butterworth-Heinemann (Elsevier) Oxford, UK
  • 2Quarantelli, E.L (1998) What is a disaster? New Answers to Old Questions, ed. Perry and Quarantelli (USA, Xlibrib Corp) / (2000) Emergencies, Disasters and Catastrophes are different phenomena. University of Delaware DRC Preliminary Paper#304,6) / (2005) A Social Science Research Agenda for the Disasters of the 21st Century in What is a disaster? New Answers to Old Questions, ed. Perry and Quarantelli (USA, Xlibrib Corp)
  • 3 Krebs, G.A. (1989) Description, Taxonomy and Explanation in Diaster Research. International Journal of Mass Emergencies and Disasters 7, no 3; p277-280
  • 4 Burton et al. (1993) The Environment as Hazard. Guilford Press
  • 5 Hannigan, J (2012) Disasters without borders. Polity Press. Cambridge, UK

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Optimism and Resilience: how to achieve Realistic Confidence in the face of Crisis

updated June 2017

We’ve just made our own blog a lot more ‘resilient’ by switching to WordPress hence the delay in putting new articles up. Sorry, but I’m sure you understand and thanks for coming back to share with me more on the topic.

In my last post I wrote about the importance of open public discussions about climate change. Importantly, how our own strong emotions, including pain and fear affect what and how we talk to each another. Such discussions are initially quite polarised or ‘raw’ in the sense that they reflect strong feelings that need to be witnessed in the right context without being misunderstood. Those that put a positive spin on their comments trying to lift the paralyzing gloom and doom are often yelled down by accusations of being blind or worse, being idiots, lazy and apathetic. This of course does not help either.

Finding the right kind of optimism is the real challenge here. Optimism is not just one thing. It is complex and means different things to different people. Optimism is interesting because it comes in different flavours and shades. Contrary to popular belief, ‘resilient’ optimists do not view the world simply through rose-tinted-glasses. Resilient optimists acquire a certain kind or flavour of ‘realistic optimism’ that is just right – the ‘magic’ Goldilocks principle: just right.

To successfully deal with any crisis, realistic optimism serves as the fuel that ignites resilience, providing the very energy so sorely needed to deal with it all, physically, mentally and emotionally. Crises are long and difficult processes and something we all have to learn to cope with at some point in our lives – especially now as we are waking up to an ever more challenging world; one, where we must prepare for a world that’s more than 2° C warmer.

So, how can we become resilient optimists?

First, we need to know the difference. Psychologist Sandra Schneider1 explains that blind optimism is different from realistic optimism in that the blind variety focuses on simply feeling good in the now while the realistic approach takes a wider view with a problem solving stance which goes on to improving our chances to negotiate our changing environments successfully. Does that mean both are mutually exclusive, we have to choose between realist or optimist? Not necessarily – the good news is that there is a way of having both! Desired beliefs are a tremendous force we can harness despite them being a form of self-deception so long as we don’t get lost or distracted by them and have timely, appropriate reality checks in place – which is of course easier said than done! What works for me might not necessarily work for you. Everyone must develop their own brand of optimism and that is hard work and requires a lot of self-reflection as well as the capacity to imagine different kinds of shared futures.

Read that last sentence again. There! That is exactly where the real power lies in my view and it is rooted in the now. Now – as in literally right now – this power is yours. Agreed, now I’m beginning to sound a bit like Yoda but I kid you not: the force really is with you! Thanks to a bunch of incredibly fortunate incidences a long time ago human brains evolved and now we have the awesome power of time travel. You have the power to imagine a better future.

So, right now: what does that mean to you? And no, I don’t mean ‘more stuff’, we’re not squirrels. What could your future really mean to you … you and your friends… you and your friends and your family? Try bigger. You and your community, village and town? Spin it along, elaborate, play with it, have some fun. How would you really like your future to be – and that of your kids. Never mind if you don’t have any right now just imagine you did (if you don’t like kids right now then… oh well, imagine that you do…)

Ok, can you see it? If you really work at it you can even touch it and smell it, really feel it but that takes some practice.

Now – slowly, be gentle. Come back to the present.

Take stock, but keep your wonderful ‘future bubble’ alive.

Now compare –  qualitatively compare: where do you stand now, what resources and abilities do you actually have – you probably have a lot more than you at first can think of so keep a running list. What can you acquire? Not all in one go of course but you can work at it every day. Little by little.

Just keep that future alive and bright in your mind and continue moving towards it. And since you cannot do it all alone you’ll have to count on your friends, family and neighbours – starting with your next-door neighbour to eventually widen and broaden your reach across all your communities. Now for just one minute, imagine we would be all doing that, most of the time in a kind and understanding way creating a shared resilient future for all “just right”. Source https://www.impsandmonsters.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Just-Right_800.jpg Wishing you an imaginative and inspiring weekend, and apologies if the above feels a bit like a roller-coast ride; as a mental agility exercise it was meant to be and hopefully also entertaining, thought- and action provoking. Monika thank you for sharing, raising awareness for Emergency Preparedness!

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Climate Change – who will adapt and develop Resilience and how?

UK floods from space; UK-DMC2 satellite images the flooding on the rivers Arun and Adur in Sussex (source: BBC: http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/72129000/jpg/_72129613_arun_adur_dmcii_after_green.jpg
UK floods from space; UK-DMC2 satellite images the flooding on the rivers Arun and Adur in Sussex (source: BBC)

Last Saturday I posted about sobering article in The Guardian titled ‘Climate change is here now and it could lead to global conflict‘ on our facebook page. Perhaps even more interesting was to follow the huge number of comments left by the public, 1419 at last count. It struck me just how much ‘heat’ some of these comments and highly polarised debates generated, pitching naysayers (it’s just weather!) against doomsayers (worldwide collapse) with a heavy sprinkling of black humour and sarcasm.

The bitter taste of what climate change might have in store for the UK certainly has rattled many nerves.

Extreme weather events no longer are a distant and intangible threat which hitherto was side-lined by public apathy, an attitude of ‘not here, not now and not us’.

Are the 2014 floods really going to change people’s outlook?

This is discussed in a recent New Scientist article by Adam Corner, a research associate in the School of Psychology at Cardiff University who manages the Talking Climate project for the Climate Outreach and Information Network (also as a blog post).

What influential people say – or fail to say – matters

Unsurprisingly, it has been found that some people will remain unmoved as every aspect of the topic of extreme weather and climate change is subject to powerful political, cultural and psychological filters. Crucially, what so called “elite cues” say really matters, especially when they say nothing1. Elite cues are the messages people get from the media, politicians and other high-profile voices i.e. scientists that are understandably reluctant to make simplistic causal links between single weather events and the highly complex dynamics of a changing climate.

I wholeheartedly join Adam Corner in arguing that the climate change debate urgently needs narratives that link ordinary people to the climate change challenge. Extreme weather will have an impact on most aspects of society and will affect us all individually, our families and loved ones. It is high time to discuss – but not through continued polarized debates that create more heat than light.

Everyone affected by the floods need to be heard

People have suffered. People are scared. Some are terrified. Others have a more positive outlook or have luckily not (yet) been affected at all and so might have difficulty to fully empathize. We’re all different and have a right to be heard without being insulted or accused.

I hold with Marilynne Robinson2 who states:

“It is only prudent to make a very high estimate of human nature, first of all in order to contain the worst impulses of human nature, and then to liberate its best impulses.”

I hope this is remembered in the many forthcoming debates.

Monika


thank you for sharing, raising awareness for Emergency Preparedness!

source

References:

1 Adam Cornor discussing Rober Brulle’s analysis of US public opinion on climate change blog post

2 Marilynne Robinson, Pulitzer Prize winning author, in “The Strange History of Altruism” in the book “Absence of Mind”; i.e. see Guardian book review

Also of interest “Is it time to join the ‘preppers’? How to survive the climate-change apocalypse” article in The Guardian, 17.02.2014

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UK Flooding – Community Resilience is the only answer

Community efforts in clearing floods in Cornwall

Is this crazy weather ever going to stop?
This question must have been asked millions of times this last week. I’ve read it in the newspapers and magazines, heard it on radio, on the streets, in buses and the tube, on TV. The UK’s resilience, our resilience to cope, adapt, prevail and move on is being sorely tested.

Looking back at the heart-breaking images from the Somerset Levels, the South West and East and noting this weekend’s new severe flood warnings for substantial parts of the Thames Valley it is hard to keep optimistic. It is hard not to descend into depression, to keep up mental agility, thinking flexibly and accurately, neither over- nor underestimating the severity of the impact to our lives and that of loved ones. It is hard to find the energy and willingness to go on and change, willing to find new strategies and simply to continue.

Where is the strength going to come from? How can it be tapped? In ‘resilience speak’ this concerns two key ‘ingredients’ that make up resilience:

character strength – identifying the top strengths in oneself and others, relying on one’s strengths to overcome challenges and meet goals, cultivating a strength approach throughout, including these key virtues (positive psychology)

connections – building strong relationships through positive and effective communication, empathy, a willingness to ask for and to offer help

Both these key ‘ingredients’ to resilience go hand in hand, neither can really be separated out.

Character strength is never built in isolation. How strong we can be crucially depends on our early and continued social connections throughout life. In turn the strength of our social groups, small and large, are nourished and propelled by inspired individuals that choose to be extraordinary. These extraordinary times have produced extraordinary communities in all flood affected parts of the United Kingdom.

media imageAs a somewhat removed Swiss observer yet from ‘within so to speak as someone who lives here I am continually amazed at the British: the speed and boundless generosity with which communities have come together, pooling resources and sheer man (and woman and child!) power to help each another as well as to offer help across wider areas. In fact, generosity is and was so overwhelming that this morning the local newspaper Cheddarvalley Gazette reports that the Westfield Church flood rest centre in Bridgwater had to close their intake of food donations. However, many flood relief funds are active or are just being formed:

Somerset: Somerset Emergency Relief Fund; Farming Communities need help with animal feed (Farmers Weekly); donate via Just Giving (donations should be marked “For Somerset Farmers”); Rotary UK flood appeal for Somerset
Southwest: Devon Flood Fund; Tauheedul Relief Trust;
West and North:
RSPB appeal to help repair extensive damage at Snettisham, Havergate, Dingle and other nature reserves; EDP Norfolk Flood Appeal is ongoing

Also see Storify for more ways to help, courtesy of @wildwalkerwoman via @ThirlwallAssoc Thanks!

Eric Pickles, the Local Government Secretary, was reported in The Telegraph on Sunday suggesting to “spend aid abroad to stop flooding in the UK”. Calls to divert foreign aid are not new, i.e. BBC last September on austerity. While showing flexible thinking and a willingness to try new approaches, simply diverting foreign aid is unfortunately not entirely straight forward. How much is the UK spending? According to the Guardian last year, the UK’s official development assistance (ODA) is expected to rise to GBP11.3bn when it hits the 0.7% target. With a population of about 63 million, the figure works out at roughly GBP137 per Brit. This is part of a long-term resilience strategy as David Cameron argued and in everyone’s interests to build a more prosperous world, otherwise the problems of conflict, mass migration and uncontrollable climate change “will come and visit us at home”. Well, it seems the latter certainly has.

While the politicians wrangle, let us remember that the Disasters Emergency Commitee DEC has raised over GBP90 million for the Typhoon Haiyan victims in the Philippines all mostly from private donations which works out to an average of just GBP1.43 donated per person living in the UK. Despite recent hardships, anyone here luckily can afford to give GBP1.50 or 2.- to help a neighbour in need.

Monika


Thank you for sharing, raising awareness for Community Resilience and Emergency Preparedness.

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Who moved my cheese? Resilience in a fast changing world

updated 05/2016

Change is the only constant - keep moving with the cheese, stay resilient
Change is the only constant – keep moving with the cheese, stay resilient

It’s hard to believe I am in the same country: my view out of the window to a bright London afternoon seems a world away from the news images on my computer screen and TV. Storm and flooding misery continues unabated just three hours travel away. Strangley removed seems the fading memory of our own 24 hour power outage between Christmas and New Year while many areas suffered that fate for a staggering 10 days of blackouts. It all reminds me just how easy it is for us all to move on and forget, to settle snugly once more into our own comfortable and regular bubbles until we’re immediately and personally confronted with disruption.

Lives are so full and busy that we rarely can take time out as it is and if you do who wants to consider ‘uncomfortable’ situations and plan for the exceptional? After all and thankfully, these events are rare. And they usually happen to other people? Right? So back to our regular bubble… moving right on…..and with that our mental agility is taking another comfortable snooze.
Not getting stuck in complacency is an important aspect of mental agility and that is one of the key areas of resilience.

Have you come across a brilliant little book by Spencer Johnson titled “Who Moved My Cheese?” Published in 1998 it remains one of the best-selling business books that motivates people to embrace change. The story is a parable of two mice and two ‘littlepeople’ during their hunt for cheese (aka happiness, success) and culminates in some hard earned wisdom:

  • Change Happens – or They Keep Moving The Cheese
  • Anticipate Change – or Get Ready For The Cheese To Move
  • Monitor Change – or Smell The Cheese Often So You Know When It Is Getting Old
  • Adapt To Change Quickly or The Quicker You Let Go Of Old Cheese, The Sooner You Can Enjoy New Cheese
  • Change – Move With The Cheese
  • Enjoy Change! Savour The Adventure and Enjoy the Taste of New Cheese!
  • Be Ready To Change Quickly And Enjoy It Again – The Cheese keeps moving

But why bother you ask. Surely with the wettest January on record this will be it … well, perhaps not. I join the BBC in stating “…before you think it’s game over for cold and snow this winter, don’t forget how cold it was last spring. Two consecutive cold springs would surely stretch belief but if we’ve learned one thing about our weather it’s to expect the unexpected.”
Or borrowing from Spencer Johnson one last time: “…continue to smell and move with the cheese”.

And – before I go, just a quick mention: this week we have uploaded our own ‘motivational’ video “Dare to think…..” (or, the proper title being Survival – how to make your own Go Bag and Emergency Kit). Check it out.  [update 05/2016 new ‘Preparedness UK’ video which you can see at the Preparedness Hub]

Have a great week – and ejnoy your cheese!

Monika


Thank you for sharing, raising awareness for Resilience and Emergency Preparedness

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Resilience – nature or nurture?

bamboo-in-the-wind-sid-solomonPhew! While there have been plenty of man-made ‘disasters’ of one sort or another this week at least there have been no major natural disasters and so I take leisure this Friday to delve a little deeper into the topic of ‘resilience’ as is one of the aims of this blog.

You might remember some of the main points I mentioned that play an important role in resilience: self-awareness, self-regulation, optimism, mental agility, character strengths, connections (read previous post).

You probably read through their descriptions and thought that it makes a lot of intuitive sense. In the context of the recent UK floods I then briefly discussed some aspects of optimism and I hope that if you personally were affected you did find some silver lining in it all. Before I pick upon the next strand however, one important question comes to mind. How can you tell that you are or will be resilient? To what extent is resilience innate? To what extent is resilience learnt? Let me begin by telling you a story.

Michael and Mary (a true resilience story)

… were born in the same place at the same time: 1955, the tropical island of Kauai, a paradise with lush rain forests, glorious mountains and pristine beaches at the northwest end of the Hawaiian Islands. Michael, a premature baby, spent his first three weeks in hospital, separated from his teenage mother. His father was absent with the military until Michael was two. By his eight birthday Michael had three younger siblings, his parents were divorced and his mother had left the island, breaking all family ties. Then there is the story of another child. Mary was born into poverty. Her father was an unskilled farm worker and her mother suffered from mental illness. Mary’s life between the ages of five and ten was one of repeated physical and emotional abuse, punctuated by her mother’s several hospitalisations.

Two children with the odds stacked against them.

And yet, by their eighteenth birthday both Michael and Mary were popular at school, possessed solid moral values and were optimistic about their futures.

Michael and Mary’s story is true although their names have been altered to protect their privacy. It is part of one of the first landmark studies into resilience by Emmy Werner and Ruth Smith who, a long time ago in 1955, began tracking 698 children from their pre-natal months to beyond their thirtieth birthday. Of course, a tremendous amount of research has taken place since. Importantly also, several ways of measuring and predicting resilience have emerged.

Now, before you rush off to measure your own resilience please note that it is a highly complex concept and no single measure is ever perfect. At best it can give an indication – a start, a baseline from where you can begin to explore resilience for yourself. It all begins with self-awareness – and a look at the ‘Resilience Scale’ website (Wagnild and Young) is one way of checking this out, free of charge. On their navigation bar look for ‘Test your Resilience’ and have a go. And in case you’d like to read more about Werner and Smith’s work, check out their book “Overcoming the Odds: High Risk Children from Birth to Adulthood“(1992)

Have a great weekend!

Monika


Thank you for sharing, raising awareness for Resilience and Emergency Preparedness.

For more EVAQ8 blog simply use the right hand navigation. For emergency kits and practical resources use the top navigation. For FREE resources head over to our Preparedness Hub and find out why we use humour. If you like this post, please share it to help raise awareness for Emergency and Disaster Preparedness. Thank you!

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Resilience – what it is and how it connects to crazy weather

Resilience - thriving despite difficulties; Resilient Self - Resilienct Relationships - Resilient Problem Solving Resilience – thriving despite difficulties; Resilient Self – Resilienct Relationships – Resilient Problem Solving

Another crazy weather week! Amazing pictures from the US throughout the week, especially the frozen Niagara Falls and headlines of – literally – Hell freezing over; Hell Michigan that is. Meanwhile more flood misery with heavy rains and violent tidal surges affected thousands here in the UK, causing widespread damage and much personal pain… and more is yet to come we’re being told.

With all this gloom and controversies around flood prevention measures running high it is interesting to note that the Guardian ran an article on how floods are not all uniformly bad, how there is a silver lining (even if somewhat thin) to be had in all of this. I’d like to pick up on this at the close of this week.

Finding the positive side in any situation, no matter how grim and hopeless it might at first appear, is a huge skill and a massively important part of what resilience means. And that, increasingly, is what it’s all about. But what exactly does ‘resilience’ mean? One definition holds that ‘resilience’ is the capacity to cope effectively in stressful situations or adversity. There are a number of core capacities that play role and these are, according to the APA1:

  • (a) self-awareness: identifying one’s thoughts, emotions, and behaviours, and patterns in each that are counterproductive
  • (b) self-regulation: the ability to regulate impulses, thinking, emotions, and behaviours to achieve goals, as well as the willingness and ability to express emotions;
  • (c) optimism: noticing the goodness in self and others, identifying what is controllable, remaining wedded to reality, and challenging counterproductive beliefs
  • (d) mental agility: thinking flexibly and accurately, perspective taking, and willingness to try new strategies
  • (e) character strengths: identifying the top strengths in oneself and others, relying on one’s strengths to overcome challenges and meet goals, and cultivating a strength approach in one’s group; and
  • (f) connection: building strong relationships through positive and effective communication, empathy, willingness to ask for help, and willingness to offer help

That’s a lot – complex and interesting stuff! Plenty of material there for me to write about in small doses as we go into this near year talking about Emergency Preparedness and Resilience.
You will have noticed that I’ve highlighted ‘OPTIMISM’ in the above list and will have read its description – a very far cry from the rose-tinted and rather blind optimism you might have come across elsewhere. The aim here is not to gloss over reality but rather a bit of a case of thorough #SherlockLives -style analysis and a much wider appraisal that eventually will help towards finding new strength and direction.

So, back to the Guardian and the good side of our #UKFloods. I encourage you read the full article but in a nutshell, here it is:

  • UK wind industry had its best-ever period, setting daily, weekly and monthly records
  • heavy rains across Britain have left the water supply industry smiling, reservoirs are full
  • environment: floods and storms are important natural phenomena that help the natural environment, i.e. clear clean river gravels of silt, encouraging fish migration; some plants depend on strong winds to spread their seeds further afield…
  • wildlife: burrowing animals breed best when soggy ground makes their holes easy to dig; record numbers of wading birds..

And for us? The wild weather has been an excellent stick for environment groups and scientists to beat government with as well as raise awareness generally. Charles Tucker, chair of the National Flood Forum, nicely summed it up: “With joined-up thinking, you invest in communities to develop resilience and prepare for future flooding. You invest in a national effort, requiring the agencies responsible for flood risk management to work with local people, equipping them to tackle local flooding problems. You give local communities the tools to find solutions themselves.” Highlights by me.

In the end, it’s also all up to us – individually as well as part of a community! Have a great weekend.

Monika

1APA – American Psychological Association


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For more EVAQ8 blog simply use the right hand navigation. For emergency kits and practical resources use the top navigation. For FREE resources head over to our Preparedness Hub and find out why we use humour. If you like this post, please share it to help raise awareness for Emergency and Disaster Preparedness. Thank you!
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