BEFORE THE STORM
Make sure you have anemergency survival kit and an emergency food kit. Coordinate with your neighbors and figure out how to get in touch before an emergency. Charge your laptop and smartphone so you can get in touch with people and coordinate any plans.
DURING THE STORM
Try to stop water from entering your home by putting plugs in sinks and baths and weigh them down with a sandbag, pillowcase or a plastic bag filled with garden soil or a heavy object. Plug water inlet pipes with towels or cloths.
Attempt to keep contact with your neighbors to make sure everyone is safe and so that you can pool (and later ration) supplies when the situation calls for it.
If your car is swept into the water and submerged, do not panic. Stay calm, hold your breath, force your wait outside, and swim to the surface. If you are swept into fast-moving floodwater outside of your car, point your feet downstream. Always go over obstacles, never try to go under. Do not enter floodwater.
If you are stranded on something above floodwater, such as a tree or building, stay put and wait for rescue. Call for help if you are in danger.
AFTER THE STORM
Even if the storm is clear, keep listening to weather reports and only return to evacuated buildings if you are told it is safe to do so. Beware of sharp objects and pollution in flood water.Watch out for live electrical wires. Be sure the electrical current is turned off. Watch out for animals, especially poisonous snakes that may have entered your home during the storm. Keep safe from loose plaster or ceilings that may have come loose.
Assess the damage. If you have evacuated from your home and wish to turn back, be sure the structure is not visibly damaged and in danger of collapsing before entering. Do not use electrical appliances that have been wet, because there are hazards of electric shock and fire.
Avoid water-borne diseases. Assume that any water in flooded or surrounding areas is not safe unless local authorities expressly declared it to be so. If there is no safe water supply for washing, use bottled water or disinfected water (by adding 5 drops of liquid household bleach and let sit for 30 minutes). Before entering an area that has been flooded, try to don protective clothing to avoid contact with floodwater.
Decrease the risk of mosquito or other insect bites by using insect repellants. Throw away all food (even canned ones) that have come in contact with flood water.
----------------------------------------------------
Joe Eagle writes about disaster preparation for a number of publications and runs a website called http://stormsurvivalstore.com which has tips and articles about how to best prepare in case of a flash flood, tornado or earthquake.
EasyPublish this article: http://submityourarticle.com/articles/easypublish.php?art_id=342867
No comments:
Post a Comment