April 14, 2025 – Emergencies strike when least expected, and preparation is key. In this episode, Kevin Matsukado, the ex-Head of Safety and Security at Hawaii Pacific University, outlines a practical five-step process for emergency preparedness. From risk assessment and communication planning to response and recovery, Matsukado shares actionable advice, including the importance of keeping key supplies like walkie-talkies, first aid kits, and backup power. He also emphasizes the need for proactive financial and medical readiness, such as having cash on hand and extra medication. With insights on everything from wildfires to cyberattacks, this discussion highlights how preparation can make all the difference in a crisis.
Mentioned in today's show:
- Five steps for emergency preparedness guide
- FEMA's emergency preparedness website Ready.gov
- Amazon list of survival kits, MRE (Meals Ready to Eat), and walkie talkies
Transcript
Jim Puplava:
Well, we're all familiar with emergencies, and that's why we're doing this show today. Joining me on the program is Kevin Matsukado. He is head of safety and security at Hawaii Pacific University. Kevin, given the nature of where we are today, whether it's cyberattacks, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, and power outages, I thought I'd have you back on the program. You have something called a five-step process on how to prepare for emergencies. I wonder if we could begin with that.
Kevin Matsukado:
The best thing to do is expect the unexpected. When you expect the unexpected, you have to do a risk assessment to identify potential emergency threats. The key thing is to get everyone involved—your family members or your workers responding to the emergency—and to know their roles. Those are specific plans that can help with the response and recovery from an emergency. You also want to identify a process for evacuation, sheltering, sheltering in place, or lockdown at the facilities. That's what I've experienced during a wildfire, where specific planning for the plans and procedures is key. I want to give you specific supplies that will help in an emergency. When you do your planning and procedures, consider a walkie-talkie that you can purchase within your budget. There are walkie-talkies available from $20 to $800. You can get a walkie-talkie to speak to your family member or coworkers during a power outage. Some walkie-talkies, obviously, if they're more expensive, have a radius that can go up to 45 miles out in the marina. It'll go longer with less obstruction; the more distance a walkie-talkie can cover. I did a bit of research on that. Here on the island, I got a walkie-talkie that I can use to speak to my family member 45 miles away, on the other side of the island. Another important thing is to make sure your gas tank is at least halfway filled. Expect the unexpected. When I was living in San Diego, I practiced what I preached, and all the gas stations were lined up for at least two hours to get gas for an evacuation of 650,000 people during a wildfire. Other supplies that really help include informing family members, churches, and individuals in business organizations to ensure you have important documents packed up—birth certificate, Social Security card, passports, driver’s license, marriage license, and first aid kits. They're available at Walgreens, Walmart, Costco, and Sam's Club. First aid kits are a winner. Obviously, you have to prepare for water. Here on the island of Hawaii, we run out of rice—that’s kind of funny, but rice runs out. Your medication is important too. I did some research: get a cooler and ice packs. There are ice packs that, when you crush the package, turn into ice. There are different levels of coldness for the ice. The coldest I saw was 2 degrees. Some say that's too cold, but you can put it in a cooler, and it'll last for numerous hours. That’s a tip I researched. MREs—Meals Ready to Eat—have a shelf life of approximately five years, so you can rotate those out. Water lasts about five years as well. Another supply to get is for your pets. A lot of times, people forget to bring supplies for their pets, especially their food. That’s pretty much the gamut for plans and procedures. The next step I want to introduce is brief: communication. Immediate and effective communication is essential during and after a disaster of any kind. In response, organizations need to quickly make contact with everyone who will be impacted or part of the response. During the planning process, identify everyone who will be part of the crisis communication team and the platform they will use to disseminate and share real-time information. The communication platform should enable communication before, during, and after the incident among all internal and external stakeholders. You may also need to consider communication about the incident to news media and on social media during or after the event. Proactive communication, providing accurate and timely information about the incident, can help lessen any negative effects on your brand. Here comes the response. Jim, the response phase is where preparation can often reduce the effects of an emergency, but there are often unexpected situations that require you to adapt and modify your plan on the fly. Response activities happen immediately before, during, and after an emergency occurs. The primary goals for organizations are to save lives, ensure safety and security, reduce loss or damage to property, and, as much as possible, maintain business operations and continuity. Here’s a key we practice in a lot of organizations, but families can do it too: regular training throughout the year is important so that all members of the emergency response team, as well as all employees, are familiar with actions they need to take in any type of incident, emergency, or business disruption. Best-in-class organizations run exercises at least two to four times per year, which help test and validate plans and procedures as well as clarify roles and responsibilities. The last thing, Jim, I wanted to share is the last step: recovery and mitigation. After any emergency, the goal is to return to normal as soon as possible. Generally speaking, the first priority during recovery is ensuring safety, providing essential needs, and restoring everything back to service. Recovery also includes repairing infrastructure and any other damages. It’s also an opportunity to assess critical event actions that could lessen or mitigate the effects of future disasters. Basically, when looking at a disaster, you want to evaluate what you did well and what needs improvement. When you identify what needs improvement in your planning and process, start another action plan. It’s a living document that you continue to improve for your planning and preparedness.
Jim Puplava:
I want to add one other thing, something we’ve done personally, Kevin: a shortwave radio. When we did that show about the power outage in California where they took out that power station, it was kind of an accident. At first, we thought it was a terrorist attack—that’s what the local news was telling us. It was only through the shortwave radio that we learned it was actually a power station. We got better information from shortwave radio than we did from local news.
Kevin Matsukado:
Right. That’s a good point. Many of our healthcare facilities here in the United States use satellite radios and CB radios to communicate when an episode happens because there are antennas that connect the communications. When some antennas go down, satellite radios go straight to satellites, and CB radios go directly to the end user.
Jim Puplava:
Let me talk about something else we saw during the pandemic and the initial shutdowns. I had clients, Kevin, who couldn’t get blood pressure medication, partly because of the supply chain. Most people don’t realize that most of our drugs are made in China, especially generics. If you’re taking a statin drug or something for blood pressure, how do you deal with Medicare? A lot of times, Medicare will only pay for one month at a time, but you really need a couple of months’ worth of key medications, especially for those with serious illnesses. How do you work around that?
Kevin Matsukado:
From personal experience, you need to work with your family physician. Your physician will evaluate and make an exemption for your medication supplies. Working with your physician will assist you, and they can guide you on what forms, if any, need to be filled out. Your physician will definitely help you get extra supplies. I’ve personally experienced that. It’s the same if you’re going on vacation—tell your physician you’ll need additional supplies, and they’ll grant it to you. Good question, Jim.
Jim Puplava:
Yeah, this was a real situation for me, Kevin. Before getting COVID, I had emergency supplies—ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine, Z-Pak. When I did get COVID, I immediately went into my protocol, so I didn’t have to worry. Thank goodness, because it kept me out of the hospital. You never know, and I think that’s the point we’re trying to make here. Who would have ever dreamed of COVID? Here in San Diego, the fires we had evacuated almost 650,000 people.
Kevin Matsukado:
Correct.
Jim Puplava:
There are all kinds of things, and the big thing we’re dealing with now is cyberattacks. Let’s talk about keeping some emergency cash.
Kevin Matsukado:
Correct. When I was in the healthcare field, we prepared for a 96-hour independent stand-alone period. It’s a good idea to prepare financially for 96 hours, which is almost a week, by looking at your budget and how much you spend weekly—whether it’s $500 or $1,000. That’s a good start to have cash on hand to last at least a week.
Jim Puplava:
And once again, we’ve seen this in California too—keeping your tank topped up. I keep my tank filled; when it gets down to half, I immediately fill it. We’ve had problems with refineries here. What about things like cooking, Kevin? When we had a power outage, thank goodness I had an outdoor gas barbecue. I was able to cook dinner because you couldn’t cook on the stove. What about things like an emergency barbecue so you can at least cook your food?
Kevin Matsukado:
That’s an excellent question. For those who’ve gone camping in a tent at a park or beach, setting up camp is what you call sheltering in place—a temporary shelter. If there’s a power outage, you can bring your propane oven. You can barbecue, cook your food at the beach or park, because it’s about not having resources. Having your own water, propane, and lanterns puts you way ahead if you start preparing and purchasing these items and setting them aside. If you want to live in luxury, get an emergency generator. I’d get one now because the cost is low. Unfortunately, during a crisis, prices go up—like during COVID, when they marked up PPEs (personal protective equipment) like masks, sanitizers, and disinfectants. The market raised all the prices. But if you’re planning now, and I’m glad we’re doing this podcast, you’ll be way ahead when you start gathering your emergency supplies.
Jim Puplava:
It’s amazing because during the last power outage, Kevin, my house is solar-powered, but it’s tied to the grid. I was outside looking across the way, and my neighbor’s lights were on. He had solar panels, a generator, and emergency batteries as a backup system. When I talked to him, it was enough power to run the lights, refrigerator, and computers—not the pool filter or air conditioning, but enough to keep the lights on.
Kevin Matsukado:
Another resource you can use, if you need guidance, is your local fire department. They can help with your property and do an assessment. Your local police department’s community relations division can also provide excellent resources.
Jim Puplava:
So, Kevin, I’m going to make this presentation available on our website. For those listening who want to follow this and prepare, just look at the events we’ve seen since the turn of the century—from 9/11, Katrina, Rita, the pandemic, fires, tornadoes, hurricanes. You never know what’s going to come up next. Now we have to worry about cyberattacks on our financial system and electric grid. Kevin, anything else you’d leave with our listeners as we close?
Kevin Matsukado:
If you want a checklist, an emergency plan, or what a preparedness package should look like, go to fema.gov. FEMA.gov has all your information, and also ready.gov.
Jim Puplava:
All right, Kevin, thanks so much for sharing your wisdom. Failure to plan is failure itself. Thanks for joining us on the program. All the best, stay safe.
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