I’m writing a new NON-fiction & would appreciate your help

Have you lived through a disaster?

Hi, I appreciate your assistance. I will be using your personal experiences for a book I am writing about surviving disasters (natural, man-made, technological, etc.) The only identification I am requesting is your FIRST name; any other ID offered will be kept in my personal file in case I need to contact you for more info and will be destroyed upon completion of the manuscript.

If you have lived through a disaster of any kind your responses will be extremely helpful to this project.

You can copy the questions with your responses into an email and send that to me at ChelleCordero@gmail.com ~or~ you can download the .doc (http://bylines333.com/?attachment_id=661), fill in the responses and attach it to an email mailed to ChelleCordero@gmail.com , whichever is easier for you.

Please put DISASTER in the subject line.
Please respond as soon as possible.

Email is my preferred method to receive responses, however if you would like you can snail-mail the form to me at: By-Lines; POB 333; Tomkins Cove NY 10986.

1)      What region of the country/world do you live in and what type of disaster has occurred?

2)      Can you give a brief description of what your living conditions were before the disaster (ie: single family home, trailer, apartment complex)?

3)      What was the extent of damage and losses to your family and home?

4)      Did you have any warnings of the impending disaster? If so, what preparations did you make?

5)      What resources were available to you to assist you and your family after the disaster?

6)      Were you able to recover after the disaster and resume a “normal” life? How long did this recovery take?

7)      What were permanent losses that could not be recovered?

8)      What changes have you made to avoid or decrease your losses if future disasters occur?

9)      Based on your experience, what advice would you give to others to mitigate losses and safeguard their families?

10)   Any other comments?

9/22/13 WEWRIWA a community of writers and readers

Another foray into the WeWriWa meme...
Continuing with the theme of September being National Preparedness Month, I am including an excerpt from another of my EMS novels, HYPHEMA (I used creative punctuation to make this fit)
In this scene North Carolina paramedic Matt Garratti has responded with an S.O.D. team (Special Operations Division) to the scene of a town devastated by tornadoes. Matt and his partner Jay are attempting to search and rescue victims trapped in a collapsed church after a youth group event.

Jay was lowered first, Matt followed; he could hear muffled sobbing in the dark – that was a good sign. With flashlights on, they found their way to the first victim, a teenage girl was battered from the debris falling in on her, her right leg was fractured and the bone was protruding through the shin. He felt sorry for her, he knew that it hurt; splinting it the best he could in the confined space, she was soon ready to be lifted out. Next he moved on to a young boy, timber was lying across his chest and the boy couldn’t escape; Jay helped move the debris and the boy was free -except for deep scratches and bruises, he was well enough to crawl towards escape. Matt was thankful the boy’s injuries were minor.

They moved four of the seven trapped victims out without incident; two were dead in the carnage long before they got there. The last victim, the pastor, was pinned beneath a heavy metal beam, the kind that was strong enough to hold the floor under an exuberant congregation during services; the man, though weak, was conscious and praying for the souls of the two teens who had perished. He told Matt and Jay how much he appreciated their help.

For more WeWriWa Snippets, go to: www.wewriwa.com

Kindle
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and then if you would like to read more of this scene, click here

Prepare & Stay Safe after a Natural Disaster

NATURAL DISASTERS

Drought >

Earthquakes >

Extreme Heat >

Floods >

Hurricanes >

Landslides & Debris Flow >

Severe Weather >

Space Weather >

Thunderstorms & Lightning >

Tornadoes >

Tsunamis >

Volcanoes >

Wildfires >

Winter Storms & Extreme Cold >

Natural disasters such as flood, fire, earthquake, tornado and windstorm affect thousands of people every year.  You should know what your risks are and prepare to protect yourself, your family and community.

Recognizing an impending hazard and knowing what to do to protect yourself and your family will help you take effective steps to prepare beforehand and aid recovery after the event.

Some of the things you can do to prepare for the unexpected, such as assembling a supply kit and developing a family emergency plan, are the same for all types of hazards. However each emergency is unique and knowing the actions to take for each threat will impact the specific decisions and preparations you make. By learning about these specific threats, you are preparing yourself to react in an emergency.

from Ready.gov

Hostage Heart    by Chelle Cordero   Life was hard after the hurricanes swept through, destroying her parents' home and livelihood... An errand for her boss - a chance encounter with a crew of bank robbers - a kind man who tried to help her ... a man who isn't all he seems...no, he is so much more