About Us
Hope for sunshine, prepare for rain
At Stand2, we help families prepare for the unexpected, when outside help might not be available.
When warnings about impending disasters hit, there is a chaotic rush to the stores for the essentials. Shelves are bare. There is just not enough to go around. Too many people are unprepared for emergencies that threaten the safety and well-being of our families. Other than the occasional severe weather forecast with the potential for power outages, there’s a feeling that ‘it won’t happen to us.’
Why is it important to have an emergency response plan?
Despite these last-minute frantic rushes to the stores in the face of severe storm forecasts, there is too often a widespread trust that there will be enough first responders and governmental resources to save us in the event of a true disaster. Recently, the devastating aftermath of hurricanes, earthquakes, ice storms and wildfires unfolded before us on the news. In the 2014 ice storm in Atlanta, our hearts hurt for the people who had to spend the night in freezing temperatures in their cars. In California in 2017, countless families had to evacuate their homes and areas on a dime, without time to gather and prepare. Some of those who did hesitate lost lives. In other scenarios, people stayed in place, stranded without supplies, power or medicine for days or weeks on end. They were on their own. At Stand2, it was incredibly emotional knowing people impacted by these events.
Businesses and the government spend millions to prepare for emergencies: natural disasters, power grid shut downs, pandemics, cyber-attacks and more. Bill Gates is now warning in 2018 that we should prepare for the next pandemic as we do for war. There is not a plan in place that can adequately protect and provide for individuals and families.
25+ years of emergency readiness
At Stand2, we are passionate about helping you prepare for emergencies. We have more than 25 years of experience in emergency readiness to put to work for your family.
You’ll benefit from our lead consultant’s skills gained from his time in the Army and Guard. He is ready to put his experience working alongside the FBI, FEMA, CIA and CDC to work for you and your family.
For the first time, expertise at this level is affordable to individuals and families. With an emergency response plan, you’ll have peace of mind and the empowerment to support the safety and wellbeing of yourself and your family in the event of a disaster or emergency.
Claire Dunaway Cyr
Founder | Stand2
Claire is a wife, mom, art teacher, artist, group fitness instructor and news junkie with a passion for emergency readiness.
Claire’s first memories of learning survival skills stem from summers at Camp Juliette Low, sleeping in platform tents and learning outdoor living skills. Later, she added to her passion and repertoire on an Outward Bound (‘wilderness training’) course in Northern Washington, living away from modern luxuries. In 1995, she earned a Winter Emergency Care certification (now called Outdoor Emergency Care) in conjunction with National Ski Patrol training. She maintains her OEC certification and enjoys adding to her field first aid skills regularly.
Claire spent a life-impacting week working in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The accounts of lives forever changed, and the heartbreaking evidence of such spray-painted on the sides of homes and buildings, further shaped Claire's passion for preemptive readiness.
While she admits that she always had a passion for survival skills, motherhood gave an even deeper meaning to survival and the desire to have a plan in place. Her empathy grew by knowing people in the path of approaching fires who got the middle-of-the-night knock on their door to flee their home instantly with their children. Claire hurt for the families of many friends devastated by the still-enduring aftermath of the 2017 hurricanes.
Claire keeps up with current events and what she explains as the, “the susceptibility of our country’s power grids and our countless vulnerabilities in the face of those who desire to do widespread harm, and the impossibility of government being able to help people on a widespread scale during any emergency.”
“I became painfully aware that I did not have a level of readiness for my family and for my little ones to allow for peace of mind,” Claire said. “I also became keenly aware of how overwhelming it is to properly prepare an entire family for unexpected unfortunate events.”
Claire knew Angel Soto (see below) and his extensive background in and knack for emergency readiness.
“For Angel, readiness is his nature,” she said. “He has lived it for decades in his personal and professional life. It was a no-brainer for me to seek out Angel to help get my family to the point of readiness in which I could have peace of mind for my family and know that I would be empowered to ensure the safety and wellbeing of my family no matter what unfortunate event we may encounter.”
As Angel helped Claire’s family put together a plan, Stand2 was born.
Angel Soto
Lead Consultant | Stand2
Angel is a mission-focused guy who doesn’t want to waste time talking about himself. He’d rather meet you, assess your home and help you prepare for any number of disasters.
“After working with Angel on our household readiness plans, I cannot put into words all that he brought to our family,” said Claire, who teamed up with Angel to open Stand2 after he helped her create a family emergency-preparedness plan.
While he’s humble and doesn’t like to talk about it, Angel’s unique skill-set and expertise in emergency readiness will prepare you for the unexpected and give you peace of mind.
He spent 25 years in the Army and Guard, including 4 years in the Ranger Battalion. For 16 of years of his military career, he worked alongside agencies such as the CIA, CDC, FBI and FEMA and for eight years, he worked on EOD detail (Explosive Ordnance Disposal). He was senior operations for the 4th CST WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction) and Operations CERF-P, which focused on mass decontamination, medical and search & rescue. He also served in law enforcement for four years in Savannah.
Angel has training and certifications from the National Incident Management System, Homeland Security National Fire Academy, FEMA Emergency Management Institute, Georgia Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Defense.
Angel’s wife teaches with Claire; the two families have enjoyed a friendship over the past 10 years. Claire’s interest in emergency preparedness for her family drew her to Angel’s expertise.
“I knew of the planning and preparations that Angel had taken the time and care to put in place for his family; it was something that I desperately wanted for my own family,” Claire said. “Truly preparing for a range of unexpected events was overwhelming for this working mama of two.”
Stand2 was born years later after they both witnessed a build-up of natural disasters that left friends unprepared to manage life in various scenarios.
“Angel’s experience allowed him to pinpoint areas that we need to work on for safety, supplies, planning, communication and overall readiness that I could not have anticipated,” Claire said.
For Angel, ‘readiness’ is his nature. He empowers families to prepare for the unexpected.