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Monday, September 4, 2017

Hurricane and Disaster Packing and Preventing Damage

Problem
How do you prepare for a storm or hurricane.

Answer
At last, a comprehensive sensible plan in one place.

Much of it is common sense but it takes time and effort to organize and you need a list. A hurricane is not a holiday. It's bad enough on holiday to find you don't have enough money, food, or drinking water, sunglasses or underwear.

Which tips do I like the most? What do I remember.

Clothes:
Hats
Boots - waterproof boots for wading.
Socks - Quick dry synthetic fabrics. Spare socks.
Gloves - heavy duty gardening gloves for removing debris without getting hands scratched.
Clothes - layers for all weathers.

Bags
Folding carry bag in pocket. Bags for food.
Sealed boxes like Tupperware.
Insulated bags for hot or cold food or to keep food from insects and bears.
Drinking bottle.

Securing Your Property:
The fact that people die from drowning and flying objects. One of the first tips is:
1 Bring in objects such as children's toys from the garden.

Another is to:
2 Secure windows. Keep away from windows during storms to avoid flying glass.
3 Pull curtains. (So looters can't see tempting objects and flying glass is contained.

Prepare a
1 Go bag.
2 Sufficient water and food for three days for every member of the family including babies and pets.
3 Any family medicines, prescriptions and a first aid kit.
4 Torch (Americans say flashlight)
5 Originals or copies of ID, passports, credit cards, bank account numbers, birth certificate, driving license, and marriage certificate, and
6 INSURANCE DOCUMENTS - car, health, household, life, whatever.
7 Prescription for replacement varifocal glasses.
8 Binoculars. (Or use camera to take photos of distant objects and increase size.)

On a holiday you might leave documents and valuables behind. When evacuating a building which could be looted or destroyed you are more likely to need documents and valuables.

Just like a day or weekend trip:
Travel and Accommodation
1 Plan your route out.
2 Book your night's accommodation.
3 Have a backup plan if the accommodation is full. (Know the local evacuation centre.)

Communication
1 Have a family member out of state for everybody to call.
2 Have a radio.
3 Don't use landlines with wires during lightning strikes.
4 Keep pets nearby so you don't have to chase around hunting for them.
5 Fully charged phone. Adapters and plugs, and adapter plugging into car cigarette lighter to charge phone.
6 When email and phone won't work, a text message may be quicker and easier to get through.

6 Car -
1 Near house
2 Covered - in garage. So it won't get damaged, blocked in, float off, hurl itself against the house or people.
3 Garage key and car key handy. Maybe in your jacket pocket, either jacket pocket you are wearing or on hook beside front door and everybody else in house knows where.

In case you are trapped in the house:
1 Mobile phone in your pocket.
2 Ski jacket with built in wearer locator device used in avalanches.
3 Cereal bar in pocket or hiker's energy bars.
4 Phone alarm in pocket set to ring hourly or old fashioned alarm clock to ring hourly to tell dogs and searchers where you are if you are too weak to keep shouting or are unconscious.
5 Army dog tag or necklace with your name - you may have an old one in your jewellery box.

You might want to invest in:
1 Ski jacket with wearer finder.
2 Phone with printer attached. (Use it to take a selfie and print a photo for a new identity document.)
3 Window in roof to escape or wave flag to signal you need help during flooding.

Train Children
How to phone for help. Information to give: Your name. Condition of adults. Location of house. Location of your place inside house. Nearest outside door. Dangers. Help needed. Advice needed while waiting for help.
Place notices on help lines and evacuation centres by phone and front and back doors and beds.
Lock guard dogs away to prevent them from attacking or deterring rescuers entering house.

Medicines
Divide medicines into two.
You may need medicine boxes to show the hospital pharmacy which medicines you take.
On the other hand, some of my local hospitals throw away all medicines brought in by patients. Why? Costs you money. Sounds outrageous. means you have no pills when you get home. Why do they do it? Because they have previously had trouble with patients bringing in pills.
To prevent:
Patients forgetfully taking double doses by taking hospital pills plus their own.
taking pills whose contents increase the dose or counteract other ingredients in the hospital given pills
suicidal patients in pain taking the whole bottle of pills
visiting children thinking pills are sweets and eating them
pills taken at times not recorded by staff
patients with Alzheimers saying they just took the pill when they didn't.

Tips
https://www.nbcnews.com/better/health/how-prepare-stay-safe-tropical-storm-or-hurricane-ncna796676

Author
Angela Lansbury

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