Apogee Communications Group has released an updated version of its award-winning DVD, “Emergency Preparedness – Awareness & Survival.”
The educational program gives important tips and how-to instructions about planning for natural disruptions ranging from power outages, droughts, hurricanes, pandemics, radiation accidents, to manmade incidents such as dirty bombs, and other acts of terrorism. The information is arranged in a user-friendly 16-chapter format, which allows viewers to access accurate preparedness information and find specific preparedness topics easily.
“Many people don’t realize what supplies to store, including food and water, and how to use them during an emergency. Having the supplies stored in your home reduces the stress of running to a grocery store when a major event is threatening to find empty shelves,” said Arthur Levy, who has more than 25 years experience covering major news stories for network television news, as well as being a former firefighter and EMT.
Levy has seen the results of many natural disasters. He has seen the effects of these disruptions on families firsthand. Levy covered hurricanes, tornadoes, fires, earthquakes and many other disasters. During recent wildfires in Colorado, Levy used many of the tips in the DVD to prepare to evacuate his home. When electric power was cut in his area, he was able to listen to the latest information on a radio scanner and was able to eat warm meals using his preparedness supplies.
“The purpose of the program is to show that there are choices in the level of emergency preparedness a family or business can have,” says Levy. “Developing a disaster plan for families and businesses is extremely important.”
A trailer of the program is available at: http://youtu.be/XL1biwoeSBk
Levy recommends that a NOAA All Hazards Radio should be in every home. These units provide information 24 hours a day in the event of severe weather or other local emergencies. He also stresses the importance of preparing an emergency escape kit for your family or business.
“If you are asked to evacuate your home due to a wildland fire, flood, or chemical spill, an emergency escape kit could hold your valuable papers, computer external hard drive and other items such as a quality water purifier. Knowing how to use the supplies before an emergency occurs is very important,” says Levy.
The program includes information about some of the newest preparedness products available. New on the market are:
Water filters that can remove impurities like heavy metals and radiation to yield pure, drinkable water
Small personal locator beacons for travelers that can bring immediate assistance to lost or injured persons
Small power inverters that can easily run small electronics or home appliances when power is lost
Postage-stamp sized radiation detectors that can be affixed to the back of a driver’s license
MREs and freeze-dried meals with flameless heater packets that can provide a warm meal in any weather.
With the improvements in smartphone technology, they have become valuable emergency preparedness tools. Applications are available that can allow you to view live color Doppler radar, receive NOAA weather bulletins, listen to police scanners, monitor news events on live TV and communicate with family members.
“I’m recommending a new, comprehensive readiness DVD, ‘Emergency Preparedness – Awareness and Survival.’ This product is amazing for getting people’s attention,” said Rick Tobin, a well-known Emergency Management Consultant, who has reviewed the DVD.
“This is a tremendous tool to help prepare the public, as well as old hands in the business. I have to admit I learned quite a few new things when I went through this DVD. I recommend a number of books in the field of general readiness, but this is the first general preparedness DVD I’ve promoted in years. The way it organizes the information in segments, so the user can focus on the topics they need at the moment, makes it a user-friendly tool,” he said.
“They put in their heart, soul and personal funding to make this DVD available at a reasonable cost because they come from the responder environment. In my work, if I could pick one multi-media tool to hand to someone in my family, community, my school, my house of faith and my elected officials (so they would be more aware), this would be the resource of choice,” Tobin said.
The 90-minute “Emergency Preparedness – Awareness & Survival” DVD is available at http://www.apogeevideo.com.
