{"id":17735,"date":"2026-09-30T12:38:51","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T12:38:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/?p=17735"},"modified":"2026-09-30T12:38:51","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T12:38:51","slug":"why-disaster-preparedness-is-everyones-job","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/?p=17735","title":{"rendered":"Why Disaster Preparedness Is Everyone\u2019s Job"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-body\">\n<p>Published September 30, 2026 06:32AM<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Natural disasters have always existed, but as they get more frequent and intense, the way we respond matters more than ever. That\u2019s why National Preparedness Month serves as an important reminder that the best response to any disaster starts with the best preparation.<\/p>\n<p>Being prepared saves countless lives. Climate-related deaths have fallen more than 99 percent since 1920 thanks to advancements like early-warning systems, data shows. And every $1 invested in preparedness can save up to $15 after disasters occur, according to the United Nations. With the cost of global disasters expected to top $2.3 trillion every year, preparedness is clearly important to everyone\u2019s future.<\/p>\n<p><iframe class=\"fp-remove\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"position:absolute\" title=\"Preparation Before the Stakes Are Real | Amazon\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.jwplayer.com\/players\/0CLNmTcE-vEu7c4fo.html\" width=\"100%\" height=\"100%\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"auto\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s why Amazon has spent the last decade using its global supply chains to shore up relief efforts here and abroad alongside trusted nonprofits like the American Red Cross, Save the Children, and World Central Kitchen. Amazon operates 12 relief hubs in seven countries and has donated and delivered more than 30 million relief items (shelter equipment, blankets, medical devices, and more) after more than 200 major disasters. Each hub is stocked with essential supplies long before the need arises, so that aid arrives within hours, not days, if a disaster strikes. To further help communities prepare, Amazon also has developed rapid response technology systems that a single person can use to restore power and connectivity for critical services\u2014all in portable and reusable packages about the size of a suitcase.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re repurposing the same infrastructure that ensures speed and reliability for customers worldwide to support communities\u2014even before disasters strike,\u201d says Jeffrey Schweitzer, Amazon\u2019s disaster relief innovation lead. \u201cThe faster communities get what they need after a disaster, the shorter and easier their recovery becomes.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2755555\" class=\"pom-image-wrap photo-alignnone\"><figcaption class=\"pom-caption\"><span class=\"article__caption\">With Amazon\u2019s rapid response technology systems, a single person can restore power and connectivity via portable, reusable, suitcase-size packages. (Photo by Amazon)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>This strategy of preparedness has faced harrowing real-world tests. After catastrophic twin earthquakes shook Venezuela this past June, Amazon delivered 698,000 emergency supplies (sleeping bags, tarps, generators, water filters, diapers, cleaning equipment, hygiene kits) to more than a dozen nonprofits supporting communities on the ground. During 2025\u2019s California wildfires, 8,000 Amazon volunteers assembled hygiene kits and helped with cleanup efforts.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2756177\" class=\"pom-image-wrap photo-alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1708\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2756177\" style=\"color:transparent\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/20260630-GEMVolunteers-Amazon-1044-scaled.jpg?width=3840&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=75&amp;fit=cover 1x\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/20260630-GEMVolunteers-Amazon-1044-scaled.jpg?width=3840&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=75&amp;fit=cover\"\/><figcaption class=\"pom-caption\"><span class=\"article__caption\">Amazon volunteers in Miami prepare supplies for earthquake relief in Venezuela. (Photo by Amazon)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Now, Amazon is working closely to bridge technology gaps that have kept communities in the dark in the chaotic aftermath of earthquakes, hurricanes, wildfires, and other natural disasters. Amazon is making 2,000 of its rapid response technology systems available at no cost to nonprofits by 2027.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur rapid response technology systems are easy to move, even when roads are impassable,\u201d Schweitzer says. \u201cI\u2019ve heard again and again that the first thing people want after a disaster is to be able to call a loved one and say \u2018I\u2019m OK,\u2019 or simply brew a pot of hot coffee. This requires power and connectivity. Our portable systems are designed to bring vital services back to a community in minutes. They\u2019re customized to what our nonprofit partners actually need. And after they\u2019re used, nonprofits send them back to Amazon to get refurbished for the future.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><iframe class=\"fp-remove\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"position:absolute\" title=\"Amazon's Rapid Response Technology | Amazon\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.jwplayer.com\/players\/54b7sj3c-vEu7c4fo.html\" width=\"100%\" height=\"100%\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"auto\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But these steps are only one part of preparedness. Also essential: local coordination and practice.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe worst time to start with a plan is after something happens,\u201d says Amazon\u2019s Head of Disaster Relief Abe Diaz. \u201cFor Amazon, preparedness means prepositioning\u2014it\u2019s having everything from pallets of diapers to satellite communications ready to go, and even more so, it\u2019s having the people trained and in place to support. While we can\u2019t stop a disaster, we can prepare for it alongside community partners.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For example, ahead of National Preparedness Month, this past August Amazon joined local government agencies and other organizations in Indian Head, Maryland. The goal was to host a collaborative training exercise\u2014complete with mock rescue operations\u2014to practice how to coordinate with each other in real time, and how to put the new rapid response technology systems to use.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2756182\" class=\"pom-image-wrap photo-alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1320\" height=\"743\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2756182\" style=\"color:transparent\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/assets.aboutamazon.png?width=1920&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=75&amp;fit=cover 1x, https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/assets.aboutamazon.png?width=3840&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=75&amp;fit=cover 2x\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/assets.aboutamazon.png?width=3840&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=75&amp;fit=cover\"\/><figcaption class=\"pom-caption\"><span class=\"article__caption\">An Amazon employee participates in a disaster relief training in Maryland. Above, a helicopter tests a rapid response technology supply delivery.<\/span> (Photo by Pete Kiehart)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Indian Head Mayor Brandon Paulin acknowledges that preparing for the worst might not always make a community\u2019s annual to-do list. But he jumped at the opportunity to get ahead of hurricane season with the Amazon team. (Bonus: The training event also included stocking local food banks with more than 5,000 food kits.)<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen a natural disaster comes, there\u2019s not a whole lot of preparedness\u2014folks are stressed and worried about their own things,\u201d Paulin says. \u201cIt\u2019s important to have planning already in place to make sure we\u2019re able to help people as quickly as possible. Knock on wood there\u2019s never an event, but when there is we\u2019ll be ready to support families in what is their dire time of need.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2756183\" class=\"pom-image-wrap photo-alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1708\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2756183\" style=\"color:transparent\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Amazon-Disaster-Relief-Hub-scaled.jpg?width=3840&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=75&amp;fit=cover 1x\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Amazon-Disaster-Relief-Hub-scaled.jpg?width=3840&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=75&amp;fit=cover\"\/><figcaption class=\"pom-caption\"><span class=\"article__caption\">Pallets of supplies being prepared at an Amazon Disaster Relief hub to be donated and delivered to nonprofit partners. (Photo by Amazon)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Arya Anand, who serves as a technical program manager for Amazon\u2019s disaster relief team, helps make sure all that Amazon does to prepare achieves maximum impact. She analyzes and optimizes the company\u2019s processes across varying geographies to discover how they might be best applied to a given disaster scenario. She acknowledges that no amount of preparation can account for every foreseeable outcome\u2014but it can give you the tools to weather the scary unknowns.<\/p>\n<p><iframe class=\"fp-remove\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"position:absolute\" title=\"Disaster Relief Is a Collaborative Response (Chris Interview) | Amazon\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.jwplayer.com\/players\/XIhfLsd9-vEu7c4fo.html\" width=\"100%\" height=\"100%\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"auto\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRegardless of how much preparedness there is, there\u2019s always going to be some level of ambiguity,\u201d Anand says. \u201cSo how do you work with that ambiguity and turn that into a superpower? This hurricane training experience in Maryland collectively taught us the power of practice, and even more so, the power of multiple different organizations coming together, in advance, to achieve the same mission.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jesse Levin agrees. Levin serves as the executive director of the nonprofit networking organization, Defense Entrepreneurs Forum, and the founder of\u00a0 Tactivate, a hybrid response recovery organization that brings military, entrepreneurial, and expeditionary talent to solve problems in global disasters. He emphasizes that preparatory exercises like these are important, sure\u2014but they can also be a \u201cwild rodeo of incredible capability.\u201d In other words, it\u2019s not just smart to work on preparedness\u2014it\u2019s exciting.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCommunity readiness is a team sport,\u201d Levin says. \u201cToo much of today\u2019s preparedness culture focuses on individuals stockpiling supplies in their basements, an isolated, fear-driven approach. Anyone who has lived through a major disaster, and any professional responder, will tell you that community is the ultimate currency when the status quo breaks down. We must shift from being reactive and dependent to being proactive, ready, and collaborative, with everyone sharing responsibility for readiness and resilience.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cReadiness is an adventure sport. It\u2019s the same thing as going on an expedition.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p><i>When disasters strike, Amazon uses the same strengths that get packages to doorsteps to bring critical aid where it\u2019s needed, fast. Since 2017, Amazon has donated and delivered more than 30 million relief items to support communities impacted by 200-plus disasters worldwide. For more information, visit <\/i><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"sponsored\" data-afl-p=\"2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aboutamazon.com\/impact\/community\"><i>AboutAmazon.com<\/i><\/a><i>.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.outsideonline.com\/culture\/why-disaster-preparedness-is-everyones-job\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Published September 30, 2026 06:32AM Natural disasters have always existed, but as they get more frequent and intense, the way we respond matters more than ever. That\u2019s why National Preparedness Month serves as an important reminder that the best response to any disaster starts with the best preparation. Being prepared saves countless lives. Climate-related deaths<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17736,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17735","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wild-living"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17735","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=17735"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17735\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/17736"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=17735"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=17735"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=17735"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}