Our Daily Bleg: How to Get People More Interested in Disaster Preparedness (Without Freaking Them Out)?

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In response to our call for blegs, a reader named Lisa Klink writes to ask your advice:

I just started a job at the Red Cross teaching preparedness education. The tough part is convincing people to take action: make an emergency kit, have an evacuation plan, etc. My question for your readers is: You already know that you should be prepared in case of disaster. What would prompt you to actually do it?

Great question. And not so easy. People like me spend a lot of time telling people like you that so many “disasters” they worry about are extremely unlikely. On the other hand:

1. Disasters do happen
2. They are often very costly on a number of dimensions
3. That cost could presumably be curtailed by better preparedness, much of which is relatively cheap and easy

That said, you’re reading the words of a guy who lives in New York City, and who lived here during the 9/11 attack, and has two fairly young children, and still never thought it worthwhile to load up a “go bag” with Cipro and cash.

So give Lisa your best advice in the comments section below (and vote up the other comments you think are valid). FWIW, the Red Cross may want to just steal a new crazy/brilliant campaign the Centers for Disease Control unleashed a few days ago, urging preparedness in case of zombie apocalypse. Yes, zombie apocalypse. Yes, the CDC.