Seven Must-Have Tools When Disaster Strikes

Hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, wildfires! Are you prepared for disaster? Do you know where your flash drive is? Here's how to survive – and thrive.

By Ian Landau, Senior Editor

http://www.everydayhealth.com

This summer, wildfires have charred thousands of acres of land and displaced families throughout the Midwest and West. Now, the East Coast is moving into peak Atlantic hurricane season, which runs until late October — and is expected to be worse than average, experts say, especially with fast-approaching and ominous Hurricane Isaac currently punishing Louisiana. To help ensure you're ready for whatever comes, prepare now. And while you may know the basics of emergency preparedness (food and water, first aid kit), the following items will also help keep you and your family safe when a cyclone, tornado, earthquake, or terrorist attack strikes.

Protect Your Head

Hurricane-force winds can launch wood through the air like projectile 2-by-4s, and a twister can churn piercing shards of shredded trees through the air. Head injuries are a major concern in natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, or earthquakes, and the the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has endorsed wearing a helmet, specifically during tornadoes.

Head injuries are responsible for up to half of all fatalities in tornadoes, according to researchers at the University of Alabama Injury Research Control Center. And although flooding is the leading cause of death in hurricanes, high winds can rip gutters from the eaves of houses and send lawn chairs and trash flying — directly toward your head. Got a spare football, lacrosse, bicycling, or ski helmet in the back of the closet? Dig them out and keep them with your emergency kit. They will serve you well in an earthquake, too.

Buy Batteries and a Hand-Cranked Radio

A few hours to a few days (or more) of lost power is common when disaster strikes. Recall that at the end of last summer, Hurricane Irene knocked out power to more than 4 million homes — and in some areas power did not come back on for a week or more after the storm. Besides filling up the bathtub for a water source and having enough flashlights and battery-powered candles, staying informed of the latest emergency information is critical to your family's health and safety. Stay in tune with local emergency-response efforts by keeping a crank-powered emergency radio in your kit. When the batteries run out — you made sure to get fresh ones, right? — these radios create power by turning the handle. Make sure any radio you purchase receives the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Weather Radio All Hazards, a national broadcast service found on the VHF band, and only accessible on special radio receive

Read Up on Your First Aid Skills

All those first aid supplies in your kit — bandages, antiseptic, burn ointment — won't be worth very much if you don't know how to use them properly. Although Medicine for the Outdoors is a handbook for wilderness emergencies (addressing everything from minor issues like gastrointestinal problems on up to shock and fractures), coping with injuries in the aftermath of a disaster — when immediate attention is required and help is not on the way — takes the same skills as treating wounds and other medical problems in the backcountry.

Back Up Your Vital Docs

Obviously, physical health and well-being is most important when facing a disaster, but keeping important documents safe can save precious time, energy and money later. Along with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the nonprofit social investment bank and financial literacy advocate Operation HOPE created the Emergency Financial First Aid Kit. The kit recommends you store originals of records like birth certificates, social security cards, and your mortgage or real estate deeds in a fireproof and waterproof metal box or safe. It's a good idea to add in pertinent medical records and your family's health history, as well. As backup, you should scan those documents and put them on a portable flash drive, or load them onto a laptop that you keep exclusively as an "emergency computer."

Consider Other Modes of Speedy Transportation

Downed trees, rubble, and washed out roads are just a

few of the reasons you may not be able to drive your car in the aftermath of a disaster. However, while your car is wedged under a large tree or gasoline is unavailable, two wheels might start looking pretty good. A bike may enable you to get across town in minutes to fetch help or make contact with local authorities. While out on your bike ride, take along two other important items from your emergency kit: a whistle to attract attention and a reflective vest if you're riding at night. Fix-a-Flat and a spare tube, too, might bail you out if you ride through debris and suffer a punctured tire.

Always Have Footwear Ready to Go

Long before last year's devastating earthquake and tsunami, the Japanese led the way in disaster preparedness. And why not, in a country that experiences more than 2,000 earthquakes each year with a 6.0 magnititude?

It's common in Japan to leave a pair of shoes under your bed when you retire for the night. Why? If an earthquake strikes during the night, you need to scramble out of your home through broken glass, chunks of concrete, sharp edges and debris, and you do not want to do so in bare feet. Another Japanese safety precaution is anchoring bookshelves and file cabinets to the wall with pressure-mounted rods, so the cases don't tip on anyone. Japanese also have government and school organized meeting places in open spaces where every child, woman and man knows to go during a disaster.

Sunday, September 2, 2012