SAFE & SOUND
How to Survive a Natural Disaster
BY:MARC LICHTER
Preparedness is the key to surviving catastrophe. And an extra level of preparation is required when you’re a caregiver or one in need of care. You must be ready to care for yourself or your loved one when medical assistance can be difficult to get. You must be alert to the dangers you could confront. From medication and food to light and shelter, all factors must be considered in manageable, practical ways that ensure health and safety for what could be a considerable amount of time.
To that end—with the understanding that each person’s health, ability and transportability is different—we offer these suggestions for dealing with hurricanes, tornadoes and other natural disasters:
What to Have in Place
BEFORE ANY DISASTER STRIKES, be at the ready. Organize a network of reliable contacts both near and far. One in need of care certainly should try to contact his or her primary caregiver, but critical circumstances could hamper that, so phone numbers of neighbors, friends and relatives should be at hand. Out-of-town contacts are important since communication within the danger area could be impossible. The distant caregiver can possibly make calls to and/or receive calls from those in the affected area, acting as a conduit for team members, relaying messages from afar when locals might be unable to communicate with each other.
Conduct conversations among all contacts so that everyone is aware of the physical condition and concerns, medical needs and mobility difficulties of the person in need of aid. Team members should be familiar with the person’s home, floor plan and all exits. If someone is in a wheelchair, ramps should be installed at multiple exit points in case it’s too dangerous to use the primary exit. Also, all should know where to meet in case of regional evacuation or even if just the care recipient must leave home. To coordinate this, each team member should have in his or her wallet a completed American Red Cross Emergency Contact Card or Federal Emergency Management Agency Family Communications Plan card (see sidebar to find them online).
Pre-emergency is also when to prepare emergency kits, stock up on supplies and order, or at least set aside, extra medication. Make lists of physicians and their phone numbers, as well as a list of medications and current dosage instructions, and have directions to more than one local hospital.
Also have in place a plan for the care of your service animal or pet, should you have one. Most evacuation centers won’t permit pets, but local animal shelters, if possible, could take them in. Have the numbers of such shelters available on your emergency contact cards.
If you or the one you care for is dependent on electrically operated life-support equipment, such as an oxygen compressor, alert the power company. They can notify you in advance of expected power failures and alert emergency services should you not respond to their attempt to contact you. Also consider getting a gas-powered generator that will provide electricity when the power company cannot.
Where to Go
THE SAFEST PLACE to be depends on the disaster. With hurricanes or flooding, for instance, head to higher floors within your home to avoid the water coming in below.
For tornadoes, basements are best. If one isn’t accessible or available, find a room with few if any windows, such as a bathroom or closet.
If confronting an earthquake, try to get beneath a sturdy desk or table or move near an inside wall of the building, covering your neck and head. If in a wheelchair, lock your wheels. If confined to a bed, stay beneath covers and use your pillow to protect your head and neck.
In all cases, those who are blind should navigate with their cane even if one is not usually used indoors. Debris could block usual walking patterns.
What You Need
THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS everyone needs, and then there are those things unique to one with special needs. Consult checklists for both from the Red Cross, FEMA and others. These lists contain what may seem impractical to take along in an emergency (such as a gallon of water per person per day, with a recommended three-day supply), but they’re terrific guidelines, especially when you consider few emergencies dictate evacuation.
A partial list of the basics includes:
-Battery-operated radio and flashlight, plus extra batteries
-First-aid kit, including an assortment of adhesive bandages and gauze, scissors, tape, tweezers, needle, moistened towelettes, rubbing alcohol, soap, latex gloves, sunscreen, thermometer, petroleum jelly, and
non-prescription analgesic
-Water, as mentioned above, stored in plastic containers
-Ready-to-eat food such as canned meats, fruits and vegetables, plus dried fruits and nuts. Have a manual can opener.
-Sanitation goods, including toilet paper or towelettes, soap, feminine supplies, disinfectant, a covered plastic bucket and plastic bags
-Tools, bedding, legal papers...
Additional items specific to those with disabilities include:
-A few days’ supply of prescription medications. Update this as your prescriptions change, and refresh so as not to extend beyond the drugs’ expiration dates.
-Extra eyeglasses
-Walker, cane or wheelchair
-Hearing-aid batteries
-Oxygen tanks, regulator, cannula
-Denture supplies
-Diabetes-testing equipment
-An emergency-alert device
-In all cases, stay calm, stay at the ready and stay in touch.