Just in Case (39 page)

•
Take it easy.
Avoid strenuous activities, or limit them to the early morning or late evening when temperatures are slightly cooler. Do not take salt tablets unless advised by your physician.

• Transit alerts!
Never leave children or pets in a closed vehicle. Temperatures can climb from 78°F to I20°F in under 8 minutes. And keep extra water in your car in case you’re stranded.

HEAT-RELATED AILMENTS

Extreme heat can cause medical problems that require immediate intervention. Being aware of these symptoms and knowing how to respond can save a life.

SUNBURN

The seriousness of a sunburn is determined by its depth, its size, and its location on the body. Sunburn is always serious in an infant or small child and in the elderly.

Symptoms: Skin redness and pain, possible swelling, blisters, fever, and headache.

Treatment: For mild sunburns, take a cool shower, using soap to remove oils that may block pores and prevent the body from cooling naturally. If there is blistering on the skin, apply a dry, sterile dressing and seek medical attention, as burns are prone to infection.

HEAT CRAMPS

Heat cramps are often the first signal that the body is having trouble with the heat.

Symptoms: Muscular pains and spasms, usually in leg and abdominal muscles, and heavy sweating, due to heavy exertion.

Treatment: Get the victim to a cooler location. Lightly stretch and gently massage the affected muscles to relieve spasms. Give sips of up to half a glass of cool water every fifteen minutes. (Do not give liquids with alcohol or caffeine.) Discontinue liquids if the victim feels nauseated.

HEAT EXHAUSTION

Heat exhaustion typically occurs when people exercise heavily or work in a hot, humid place where body fluids are lost through heavy sweating. Blood flow to the skin increases, causing blood flow to vital organs to decrease. This results in a form of mild shock. If not treated, the victim’s condition will worsen. Body temperature will keep rising, and the victim may suffer heat stroke.

Symptoms: Heavy sweating, but the skin may be cool, pale, or flushed. Weak pulse. The victim may have a normal body temperature, but his or her temperature is likely to rise. Fainting, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and headache are possible.

Treatment: Have the victim lie down in a cool place. Loosen or remove clothing. Apply cool, wet cloths. Fan, or move the victim to an air-conditioned location. Give the victim sips of cool water, up to half a glass of water every fifteen minutes. Be sure the water is consumed slowly. Stop administering water if the victim feels nauseated. Seek immediate medical attention if the victim experiences vomiting.

HEAT STROKE

Heat stroke, also known as sun stroke, is a life-threatening condition. The victim’s temperature control system, which produces sweating to cool the body, stops working. Heat stroke is a true medical emergency.

Symptoms: High body temperature (105+); hot, red, dry skin; weak, rapid pulse; and rapid, shallow breathing. The victim will probably not sweat, unless he or she was already sweating from recent strenuous activity. He or she may become unconscious.

Treatment: Call 911 or emergency medical services, or get the victim to a hospital immediately. Delay can be fatal. In the meantime, move the victim to a cooler location, preferably air-conditioned. Remove clothing. Bathe in cool water — by immersion, by sponging, or by wrapping in a cool, wet sheet — to reduce body temperature. Fan. Watch for breathing problems.

WINTER STORMS AND EXTREME COLD

W
INTER STORMS AND
extreme cold are only a problem if you are not able to stay warm and at home. However, if the power goes out and you can’t heat your home, or if you must take to the roads, a winter storm becomes a real problem.

At home, preparation begins well in advance of an approaching storm. In fact, getting ready for a storm is the heart of all family emergency preparedness. Can you keep your family warm? Will you have light to see by? Can you manage a medical crisis? Can you prepare warm, nutritious meals if the power is out for several days?

The winter of 2006-2007 saw ice storms that crippled much of the country for weeks on end. Many families had to seek refuge in crowded, uncomfortable shelters. If you’re reading this book, I assume you would rather stay at home in that situation. Your options come down to how well you’ve prepared.

IF YOU LIVE IN AN AREA OF THE COUNTRY WITH EXTREME WINTER WEATHER :

• Have an energy audit of your home done. This will show you where your energy leaks are. It will be easier to heat your home with an alternative heat source if it is tight.

• Have a supply of well-maintained shovels and ice picks on hand.

• Keep a bucket of sand and a small shovel near your main exit door.

• Make sure your general preparedness program is in place.

IF A SEVERE WINTER STORM IS IMMINENT:

• Check your emergency stocks and replace as needed, but be forewarned: Everybody else will be getting ready too. The shelves at your local market will be quickly depleted of candles, bottled water, batteries, and canned soups. It’s best to stay up-to-date with your OAR (organize, acquire, replace) program on a regular basis, so that you’re well stocked at all times and don’t have to scramble when a storm is forecast.

• If any family members have special needs, such as prescription medicine or diapers, make sure you have an adequate supply.

• In anticipation of the power going out, consume the most perishable foods in your refrigerator, saving nonperishables for future use.

• Most important, if at all possible, plan to stay at home. Storms are unpredictable and can begin several hours ahead of the forecasted arrival time.

DURING A SEVERE WINTER STORM:

• Stay warm. If your heating system is not up to the task of heating the entire home, congregate the family in the warmest part of the house. Dress in layers.

• If plumbed areas of your home are cold, make sure your pipes don’t freeze. See page 106 for more information.

• Remove snow from the entrances to your home before it has a chance to build up. It is easier to remove six inches of snow several times than it is to remove two feet of snow at one time. The only time you might let the snow build up some is if the forecast calls for a switch to freezing rain. In that case, leaving a layer of snow on hard surfaces, such as steps or porches, will make the ice easier to remove.

• If you have a fire hydrant in your yard, keep the area around it clear of snow.

• If the power goes out, follow the guidelines in chapter I0.

IF YOU MUST GO OUT DURING A STORM:

• Dress in several light layers. The air trapped between layers serves as insulation, keeping you warmer than a single heavy layer. Always wear a hat, as most of your body heat is expelled from your head.

• Extreme cold can lead to dehydration. Be sure to drink an ample amount of fluids.

• Do not drink alcohol, as it will depress your central nervous system; you may feel temporarily warmer as the blood vessels close to the surface of your skin expand, but that will draw heat away from your core, resulting in an overall cooling. Instead, drink warm beverages such as tea, bouillon, or cocoa.

• Watch exposed skin for signs of frostbite, including a loss of sensation and a white or pale appearance, especially in the extremities such as fingers, toes, earlobes, and the tip of your nose.

• Watch for signs of hypothermia, including uncontrollable shivering, disorientation, incoherence, slurred speech, and drowsiness. Hypothermia can set in after just twenty minutes of extreme cold.

• If you’re on foot and visibility is extremely poor, rope yourself to your companions or to your base of operations, such as your house, so that you can find your way back.

• If you intend to drive (which you should do only if you absolutely must), make sure your car has an emergency kit (see page 88), full winter gear for everyone who will be in the car, and a full tank of gas.

AFTER THE STORM:

• Check on neighbors, especially the elderly or infirm.

• When you’re shoveling out, don’t take on more than you can handle. Heart attacks can be brought on by the exertion of snow removal, especially if you’re not used to that much exercise.

• If electric or phone wires are down in your area, call your local power company or police department. Do not approach them yourself, and keep your kids away from them as well.

FLOODS

T
HE SUMMER OF
2007 saw much of England under water as a month’s worth of rain fell in less than an hour. The problems of so much water went beyond the loss of property. Water supplies were contaminated; many thousands of people were many days without power; and people died in flash floods because they made bad decisions, either through panic or a lack of knowledge.

Flooding is probably the most commonly occurring natural disaster. Flooding can affect one home, a neighborhood, or an entire region. A severe flood, such as the one in England, can make entire communities unlivable, shut down vital businesses and services, destroy crops, and put people at risk for serious illness.

Flooding develops in several ways. It can build slowly, for example, as steady rains cause rivers to overflow their banks or a hurricane pushes ocean water far inland. It can also develop quickly, as in the case of a flash flood, a sudden, dangerous, moving wall of water that can occur when a dam breaks, a levee is breached, or sudden, torrential rain cannot be absorbed by already saturated land. Flash flooding is the most dangerous, because it can happen with little warning and even without sign of rainfall. You have to be prepared to act quickly to get yourself and your family out of harm’s way.

FLOOD INSURANCE

One important piece of information that you must be aware of is that regular homeowner’s insurance does not protect against losses due to flood. You must purchase flood insurance separately. This will be very expensive if you live in a flood-prone area. There is a national flood insurance program that you can access through your local insurance agent or your emergency management office. There will be a thirty-day waiting period before coverage kicks in, so don’t wait to look into it. For more information go to
www.fioodsmart.gov
.

Every region in the country has some flood risk, but the most significant risk is to those areas that are very low-lying, downstream from a dam or levee, in a coastal area, or in a river basin. Even a very small stream or dry riverbed can turn into a wall of water under the right conditions.

Obviously, there will be times when you will have the luxury of securing your home and belongings to minimize the effects of a flood; other times your only concern will be getting yourself and your loved ones to safety as quickly as possible. The essence of family preparedness is to take steps now, when the sun is shining, to protect your family.

IF YOU LIVE IN A FLOOD-PRONE AREA:

• Make sure you are fully prepared for evacuation, as described in
chapter 9
. Make sure your planned evacuation routes take you to high ground, rather than through low-lying areas.

• Make sure you have copies of all vital records and an inventory of your household goods and valuables stored in a safe place, such as a safe-deposit box or in the care of a relative or friend in a distant location (see page 52). Do the same with your treasured photographs.

• If your furnace, hot water heater, and electrical panel are in your basement, elevate them if possible.

• Install a check valve in any sewer traps to prevent flood water from backing up into the drains of your home.

• Be sure you know the location of all electrical panels and gas and water shut-off valves and how to shut them down, as described in
chapter 9
. Local authorities will notify residents if such a shut-off is necessary in an emergency.

• Make sure you have a hand cranked radio that receives NOAA weather alerts.

• Pay special attention to storing water, as flooding can contaminate tap water.

• Prepare sandbags and have them ready to position if high water threatens.

IF A FLOOD WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED, MEANING FLOODING IS POSSIBLE IN YOUR AREA:

• Stay tuned to your NOAA station or a local radio or television station for emergency updates.

• Make sure your car has a full tank of gas.

• Place your evacuation kits in your car or by the front door.

• Bring in outdoor furniture and move essential or irreplaceable items to an upper floor.

• Remember: When in doubt, evacuate! You can always return home, but you may have only a small window of opportunity to get to safety.

IF FLOODING OCCURS AND YOU MUST LEAVE YOUR HOME:

• Wear sturdy boots, preferably high rubber boots.

• Watch carefully for downed electrical wires. Do not approach them, and do not approach any water into which a downed line has fallen.

• Never walk through moving water. Even six inches of moving water can topple an adult. If you must walk through standing water, probe the area in front of you with a long stick or broom handle for hazards.