What to put in an emergency kit.

Earthquake, Fire, Floods, Hurricane and Tsunami...

Disasters do happen, and most people do not think it will happen to them. However, it does happen, and many people are not prepared.
After being in a few major disaster, and learning from the most prepared people -- the Japanese, here are some things I would put in my own disaster kit.
1) Bottle of drinking water
2) Flashlight
3) Old pair of glasses (which is still usable)
4) Change of clothes
5) Power bank (to charge your phone) and cables
6) Spare set of keys
7) Stack of small change ($1 bills, and small denominations, possibly quarters)
8) Photocopy of your identity (driver's license, passport, etc)
9) Small Toolkit (with screwdrivers and pliers) or Swiss army knife
10) Medication
11) Respirator Mask
12) Some snacks with long shelf life (muesli bar, etc)
13) A first aid kit


For items 9 - 12, I usually do a check every year on the expiry dates. (For simplicity, do it on Jan 1 morning, so you don't forget)
For me, I will also get a separate portable solar panel to charge the power bank.
Please note that having a portable radio is also a good idea.

I'll pack everything in a separate laptop bag where I'll throw in my laptop and charger inside just before I leave the house.

-- Robin Low

Think before you donate to disasters.

In the wake of floods, hurricanes and other recent disasters, many people with the best intentions will flood to donate to the survivors. Some will like posts on Facebook and share the news, others will donate blankets, clothes and other items. The government disaster response teams will provide food, shelter and clean water. There will also be other smaller groups that may be interested in going down to volunteer and bring aid to the survivors.

In reality, not all aid is equal. In some scenarios, the canned food and bottled water given to survivors create a second disaster of waste management. Even the biggest NGOs on the field are unable to distribute clothing, toys and blankets well, and once soiled, it may breed bacteria and cause health problems.

Following any disaster, waste management is a big issue. Although it is important to support the survivors, rushing to donate old clothes and other non-essential items may not be a good idea as most NGOs don’t have the capacity to manage these non-essential logistics. It will be left aside and get damage and in time, create more problems.

On the case of bottled water, this is the worst thing to send. It does not make sense at all, both financially and logistically. Sending 100,000 liters of water a day for 40,000 people can cost up to $300,000 and for large NGOs to purify the same amount of water, will cost $300 and there will be no plastic waste.

Donating to large international NGOs usually mean that a lot of foreign relief aid will be imported into the affected countries. Most disasters, even the large scale ones are rather isolated. Floods and earthquake areas rarely extend over 10km, and there will be local businesses which are open for business post disasters, but they will be excluded from relief by the international NGOs. The businesses in the foreign countries will be the ones who benefit from the disaster.

In the long run, these aids do affect the local economies adversely and your well intentioned donations will cause harm to the financial eco-system. What’s worse, some international organizations are managed off site in another country and bureaucracy may cause massive waste and inefficiencies.

So what can you do?

There are always many innovative locals with solutions on hand. During Hurricane Sandy, a group Occupy Relief Sandy hacked the Amazon Wedding Registry to create a disaster registry. People with needs can get the things they need, like diapers, milk formula, detergents and flashlights, and nothing goes to waste.  Local groups usually buy locally and donating to them will benefit the local eco-system.

Instead of donating immediately, you can hold back donations and think about visiting the disaster areas when things are more stabilized to spend tourism money which goes directly into the local eco-system. Buying local products from the affected area is one of the most important things to do to help recovery as the economic recovery is usually ignored by most organizations.

Contact friends / alumni / colleagues in the disaster areas. Their local knowledge and by the fact they are right there in the disaster area, will know which is the most effective way of supporting the survivors. Every disaster is different and getting ground knowledge on the ever changing disaster is the most effective way to provide the right kind of support needed.

The people in the disaster areas are not victims, and do not need your pity. They are survivors and despite the great disaster, they still prevail. They did not ask for your help and do not expect gratitude. A doctor is still a doctor, and disasters destroy infrastructure but local capacity remains. We need to engage survivors and support them in the recovery. Disasters create survivors and it is our collective responsibility that we do not create a system which turns them into refugees.

-- Robin Low

Relief B2V - Nepal Earthquake

The 2015 Nepal Earthquake is an unforgettable disaster for many. 14 districts were badly damaged, and villages like this one saw many buildings damaged. In Phulbari, Many villagers have their homes damaged and the school was also badly damaged.

Fortunately, donations were available to support the rebuilding of temporary buildings and within a month, the students were in schools again.

This community has a cooperative with over 200 farmers as members. The funds consolidated was able to allow them to fix the homes and patch up some.

As for now, the farmers who were already rather poor are ok as the earthquake did not destroy their crops. They would be more adversely affected if there was a drought.

I visited the village and shared with them my experience in Japan and wanted to see if I could support them in any way. They said they needed an ambulance. The reason: during the earthquake, they realized that no one had any way to transport the injured to the Hospital, and it was too far away.

After brainstorming and some discussions, they agreed that a van would serve the same purpose of transporting the injured, and yet be able to send their produce to the market.

But how would they be able to fund the van, especially after the earthquake when their homes are damaged?

Relief B2V

I recorded a video interviewing the villagers, asking 4 questions:

1) What happened during the earthquake?
2) What did you lose?
3) How much do you need?
4) What are you going to use the money for?

And currently I'm talking to the Fast Food Association and other F&B business association to see if they were interested in supporting this village.

I'm not asking for donation, but rather, a loan for the van, and in return, the villagers will pay back the loan with their produce, delivered to the restaurants.

There will be detailed contracts on harvest details and cost for each vegetable type.

This will allow the villager to get support they need, and the businesses that want to support to the villagers with something tangible, yet with a long term goal, of connecting the Cooperative in the village to the restaurants direct, hopefully allowing them to earn more (without the middleman) and the restaurants to know where their food is coming from.

Buy Local, Eat Local!

Please share with me if there are other villages which you can use similar ways to support and connect them with businesses.

-- Robin Low

Sustainable Disaster Recovery for Nepal.

The recent 7.8-magnitude earthquake in Nepal is a heartbreaking disaster with thousands dead and much of the infrastructure destroyed in Kathmandu.

Nepal is a poor country. Nepal’s GDP per capita was only $694 in 2013, unemployment is at about 40% and overseas workers account for 30% of the economy.

The disaster relief phase will be in the headlines as many countries send armies on the ground for search and rescue missions and medical support, saving lives. Providing much needed shelter, food and water will also be very prominent and large NGOs like Red Cross and Global Giving will raise a lot of funds for this purpose.

For people who donated and supported in the relief efforts, I really respect you for taking action and making a difference to the survivors after the earthquake. In disasters however, the rebuilding process is not as easy as providing shelter, food and water. In poorer countries like Nepal, the rebuilding process is extremely complex as the stability of the government is in question and even with a lot of funds from donations, it may never recover to even the state before the earthquake.


From my experience in Haiti after the earthquake in 2010, even with US$3.5 billion in aid, Haiti still has not recovered much and in some areas, the situation seems to get worse. The local economy that is supply similar products will find increasing difficulty to earn a living and resort to relying on just foreign aid to get by.

I have worked with a few great organizations in Haiti like Haiti Partners' Children's Academy which does great work and empowers the next generation of youths with holistic education with affordable education. However, there are also a lot of other NGOs which does not provide real social impact. Many NGOs still provide free services or free food, 5 years after the disaster, and local businesses are affected badly.

The situation of Haiti and Nepal may be quite similar, I would like to look at the disaster as an opportunity to rebuild an infrastructure for growth to reduce poverty. My experience at different disaster areas and getting inspired by the great projects and people I met over the years, I believe I have a lot of value to add to the disaster recovery efforts in Nepal.

I'm interested in forming a Relief 2.0 recovery team for the following tasks:

1) Deliver donated products to partners on the ground. (Solar panels, 3G connection, etc.)
2) Relief B2B, helping local businesses to restart, giving them access to crowdfunded loans (locally or online)
3) Gather information about local capacity and state of business and infrastructure. Find out what is needed to help economic recovery.
4) Gather and share information about marginalized communities and connect them to social enterprises in the world to find solutions collaboratively.
5) Document with photos, accurate information about the magnitude of destruction. Perhaps follow up in the future on the progress of recovery and what else needs to be done.

-- Robin Low

Liberated by disasters

When a disaster happens, some people are burdened by a task of picking up the pieces caused by a force beyond their control, others are given a gift, a gift of being spared from the disaster. Some people take it for granted and do nothing, others may volunteer or donate.

Many things we learn about relief is not true. We are often told that individuals are not effective in the field. We are told not to donate clothes, but only give money. However, when you think of it closely, do you know how your charity money is spent?

I have been to several disasters, and I have realized that there is a big role for individual volunteers to play. Large charities and governments bring aid to the field fast, but due to top down bureaucracy, they are unable to act fast enough to satisfy the changing needs on the ground, and individuals are required to fill the gaps and meet the needs on the field.

I have often seen children running around naked, and yet charities tell us not to donate clothes. The reason why the charities tell us not to donate clothes, is not because the people do not need them, but rather the charities do not have manpower to sort them. As an individual, I have been to a shelter and got the children in the shelter involved to help sort the donated clothes. At the end of the day, the sorted clothes are picked through and used by the survivors.

There are times which I do not agree on how the charities act. Most incoming resources for recovery are managed by foreign organizations, professionals & volunteers and they excluding local stakeholders. Funds provided largely spent on foreign resources - Local resources and Stakeholders are not actively engaged in relief & recovery initiatives, often being displaced by foreign providers. But instead of complaining, I felt that one should take action to do what is right.

Fear prevents people from taking actions. Even when you feel that you can contribute, you will find excuses to stop you from taking actions. Procrastination sets in and it is hard to overcome.

With social media, emails and smses, the world is a much smaller place. Everyone is interconnected. With information that others are burdened by disaster, I decided to go to the areas and contribute as an individual. When I wanted to contribute actions, I constantly send information of my actions back on social media, and request for reimbursements from my friends to support my effort. When they see my actions and photos, much of my costs are covered.

When I declare to friends that I am going to Japan a week after the tsunami, there were people who cautioned me about the dangers, and others who wanted to contribute. Some asked me how effective I could be on the ground, some asked why I wanted to go. Frankly, I don't really have the perfect answer. Some time ago, I have decided to live life by my rules, not by rules other set for me.

It is a liberating experience not to be controlled by fear, but have the courage to do what you think is right. It is not easy, but defeating procrastination is a lifelong skill which I intend to master.


-- Robin Low