No Need to Answer in the Form of a Question

Last week I got to talking with office-mate PIO Greg about his native Flagstaff. I, myself, am from Pennsylvania. Lancaster County, Pa., to be exact. So, it stands to good reason that I do not know too much – really anything – about the local history or legend of Flagstaff.

Ultimately, our conversation evolved (or maybe deteriorated) into a flippant contest of wits. The sort of thing you do to test someone’s supposed genius on a subject. Despite throwing my best Wikipedia-inspired questions at him, Greg proved himself a true Flagstaff-ian … or is it Flagstaff-an? Whatever it is, the point is that Greg gets to keep his Flagstaff membership card.

In the same spirit of fun and self-edification, I thought I’d pose the readers of this blog – all five or you –a similar challenge. I want to know what you know about emergency preparedness … about what it means to be ready for the effects of and recovery from an emergency or disaster.

So let’s get down to it. Below are six (10) questions taken from the wellspring of information that is www.justincasearizona.com. The questions are divided equally into three (3) categories based on their subject.

Without further a due, let’s get started.

Prepare a Plan
1. A friend or relative who lives somewhere other than Arizona is be a good candidate for an emergency ______ contact. You should “check in” with this person if you are separated from your family during an emergency or disaster.
2. It’s important to plan and practice _______ routes in case you need to get out of the house in a hurry.
3. In an emergency or disaster it’s important to identify a place where family can reunite. How many reunion places should you identify and where should they be?

Make a Kit
4. An emergency kit should include enough food, water and supplies to last a minimum of how long? (You can answer in days or hours)
5. Pack a _____ in case you get separated from your pet and need to describe his/her appearance.
6. Potable (drinkable) water is an important part of a kit. As a general rule, pack ___ gallon(s)/per ___/per ___.

Be Informed
7. What website is “the state’s online source for real-time emergency updates, preparedness information and multimedia resources?” (This one's a softball!)
8. A flood warning means flooding is occurring or will soon occur (True/False)
9. If you are in a moving vehicle when a dust storm hits, the driver should take three (3) steps. List them.
10. One (1) foot of water is enough to float most vehicles (True/False)

BONUS (+2): In 75 words or less tell us what emergency preparedness means to you and your family.

Answers can be emailed to azein@azdema.gov. We’ll wait a week or two before combing through the answers. Depending on the level of participation, maybe we can make this a monthly thing. I’ll even see if I can’t wrangle up some prizes should we see some enthusiasm.

Oh, and if you’ve got some good trivia questions of your own, shoot them are way. See if you can stump the AzEIN PIOs ... we "Triple-Dog Dare" 'ya!