06/08/2016
Civil Unrest – (Claire Wolfe)
Defining civil unrest
Look up “preparations for civil unrest” on Google you’ll find nothing that’s going to help you. In fact, you won’t even easily turn up a good definition of what civil unrest is.
Civil unrest occurs when anger, frustration, or fear turn disruptive on a mass scale or when government officials crack down because they anticipate such disruptions. Crackdowns can lead to further frustration, especially when the crackdowns look unwarranted and tyrannical.
Here are definitions of levels of civil unrest and a little bit about how they might affect us:
LEVEL ONE: The lowest level of civil unrest is when people turn on their own neighbourhoods. Level One civil unrest can be deadly and destructive, but primarily to people who live, work, or must travel in the immediate area. Level One unrest is spontaneous and is confined to a narrow geographical zone where the protestors live. Police response may be harsh, but it’s localized. Unless you’re in the middle of it, you’re unaffected.
LEVEL TWO: Level Two civil unrest may also be focused on a single area. But in this case, rioters or protesters have deliberately targeted a business district, a facility, a transportation system, or an organization to impose maximum disruption. Although still focused in one area, Level Two can disrupt normal life and business in a whole region or country.
LEVEL THREE: Level Three comes when mass unrest or authoritarian crackdown causes disruption at state or regional level. Everyone in the region is affected. Effects might include travel restrictions, random ID checks, mass arrests, food and fuel rationing, controls on money and banking, roadblocks, and other harsh “emergency” restrictions.
LEVEL FOUR: Level Four is Level Three—but on a national or even international scale. It’s martial law. If things ever get this bad, it’s likely that the government itself will be a far bigger threat to everyone’s wellbeing than whatever the original cause of the clampdown was.
What we can do
1. Keep standard emergency preps up to date. First thing to do is make sure all our typical household preparedness supplies and plans are current. Backup food, water, and other supplies are our mainstay for everything from long-term unemployment, power outages to social breakdowns.
2. Don’t fall into foolish complacency. We tend to have an “it can’t happen here” attitude toward political violence or social upheaval. If anything disrupts the supply chain, for instance, peri-urban and rural areas could be the first to be cut off from food, medicines, fuel, or other necessities. If government breaks down to the point where it can’t deliver, the rural poor and unemployed could become just as agitated as their urban counterparts.
3. Watch your health. Take all the standard recommended precautions like frequent handwashing. Make sure your preparedness kit includes surgical masks and disposable gloves as well as a selection of frequently updated medications.
4. Get home plan. In a perfect world, we’d all be home, watching the chaos erupt on TV from the safety of our living rooms. However, reality says that some of us will be at work, at school, or in the car when unrest occurs. You need to develop a “get-home” plan for all of the members of your family, based on the most likely places that they will be. This is where friends and neighbours become a necessity.
5. Make common cause with your neighbours. Establishing a strong bond with people in your community is vital to every sort of emergency preparedness. In event of a Level One or Two emergency, these are the people who could give you a ride or a place to sleep if you accidentally end up in a “hot zone” of riot or protest. They can advise you if they’ve spotted a roadblock or disturbance on your usual routes.
5. Watch for signs of trouble when in an unfamiliar area. Sometimes the only advance notice you get is the notice your own senses give you. When walking, driving, biking, or otherwise traveling in unfamiliar places, stay in what security practitioners call “condition yellow.” It just means “be alert!” Always be aware of who’s nearby and what’s going on around you. If you spot trouble developing, turn. Avoid it if at all possible.
7. Stumbling into a “hot zone” of unrest. Be prepared to think on your feet. Not many people are qualified to give you advice about how to behave if you unavoidably find yourself in the midst of trouble—a riot or mass protest. If street-level chaos surrounds you, do your best to keep a cool head, move away from the worst of it if you get the chance, and get inside if possible.
