Preparing for Emergencies - Storms
by Donna Thomson
The specifics of storm preparation will depend on where you live. For instance, I live in Queensland, Australia and our storm season generally consists of thunderstorms, hail and sometimes we have flooding from heavy rain. Whereas in other parts of the world storm season may include typhoons, hurricanes and tornados! Obviously a lot more preparation goes into the actual structure of the home and your safety measures, should one of these events come your way. Below are a number of general tips but make sure to check out your local storm advisory services too.
Torch/Flashlight - At our house we've discovered the wind-up style LED torch that doesn't need a supply of batteries on hand. So there's no need to worry that the batteries will be flat when a storm hits. You simply wind the handle for approximately a minute for a nice, bright torch. The charge stays in the torch for some time so you don't need to wind it before every use. Make sure you keep your torch somewhere handy so you can get to it quickly in a blackout, for example on the fridge.
Candles - if all else fails, candles and matches will give you light throughout the home if you experience an extended black-out. I keep a box with handles, candle-holders and matches in a cupboard and used to store them in one of the kitchen drawers for easy access. Please keep a close eye on any lit candles if you have children in the home.
Radio - A radio is something you also need to have batteries on hand for, but we found a wind-up torch that includes a radio with antenna! This seems like the ultimate useful survival tool for me - no batteries needed! Have the radio tuned to a local station that is most likely to broadcast storm updates.
Batteries - If you do have a battery-operated torch and radio, make sure you keep a back-up supply of the right sized batteries close to the items so if batteries do go flat you have spares. Mark a container with 'emergency only' so these batteries don't get used for toys and remote controls!
First Aid Kit - Always have this in an accessible location and have a mini kit in your emergency supplies kit. Make sure it is kept replenished with all the items you might need such as gauze, bandages, antiseptic, tweezers, scissors, allergy medication, prescription medications, etc.
Planning Ahead
Remove potential airborne items from the yard. It's a good idea to do this on a regular basis during storm season because you may not be at home when a storm hits. Potential hazards are outdoor furniture, children's toys and play equipment, garden debris and tools, and unsecured building materials. If the items can't be removed from the location and stored for example in a garage, shed or in the house, secure them as best as possible.
Clear gutters of leaves and other debris regularly during storm season and check all drains to make sure they are clear.
Check the trees on your property, removing dead and overhanging trees or branches. Contact your local electricity service to deal with trees that are close to powerlines. Trees that are too close to the home may need to be assessed by a professional.
Coping with Heavy Rain
In the case of very heavy rain, it can be too much for the drains to handle so you'll need a back-up plan for how to cope with the excess water. This was an issue at our home a couple of months ago and we needed:
Raincoats - the plastic travel rain capes that fold into a small pouch are ideal.
Torch - someone to hold the torch will be handy but if not, it can be a good idea to have a torch with a built-in stand so that you can point it where you need it.
Buckets - to scoop away excess water and to hold debris as it collects on top of drains.
A trowel or pick - something to dig an emergency trench to drain water away from the home.
Towels - to soak up any water that may be entering the house and of course to dry yourself off.
If you have a pool it is handy to know if the filter has a 'waste' or 'backwash' option that will pump water out of the pool and into a main drain system, or as in our case, out to the main road. When pools overflow they can contribute to the potential flooding of your home in heavy rains.
Coping with Power Outages
It's a good idea to consider what you will do if you lose power for several hours or even days. For instance, if you have a baby who drinks from a bottle, how will you heat the bottles? If someone requires power to run health-related equipment such as a nebuliser, do you have back-up supplies of puffers and other manual equipment for emergencies?
Of course a generator is an excellent back-up source of power, especially to keep the fridge and freezer running, but if you don't, you need to consider your options.
Fridge/freezer - Keep them closed as much as possible to retain low temperatures. If you have a large freezer it may be worth freezing a couple of ice-cream containers full of water so you have solid blocks of ice on hand in an emergency. If your items will fit into ice-boxes, keeping them closer together with less air around them will help keep them colder.
Cooking - If you go camping you're likely to have some sort of gas cooker and gas bottle that you can use for cooking, so a power outage doesn't necessarily have to prevent you from making some hot meals. Plus you can boil water in a stainless steel kettle for baby's bottles and so on. If you don't have these emergency items it may be worthwhile purchasing them. Just make sure to keep the gas bottle filled.
Food Supplies
It can be a good idea to have emergency supplies always on hand in the back of your kitchen pantry. Suitable items will have a long shelf life, like canned goods and tetra packs of long-life milk. Think cans of soup, baked beans, mixed vegetables, tuna and so on. You could also have packet-mixes on hand that just need hot water added (which you boil with the gas cooker), e.g. rice meals, pasta meals and noodles. There's no reason you can't dine in style when the power is out, e.g. by adding a tin of tuna or salmon to the meal.
If your area is prone to severe storms where it's a possibility that the home could be badly damaged, make sure to store a can opener, some bowls and utensils all together is a strong area of the home - perhaps with canned food and other items in a solid box that you can find when it's calm. If this is the case, you will also need to store containers of fresh water for drinking.
Coping with Severe Storms
Wind can be one of the most destructive elements and aside from clearing the yard as I've already mentioned, you may need to take some extra measures. Add a roll of tape to your emergency kit to tape up windows. This prevents glass flying everywhere should wind or airborne items break any windows.
Create a Plan
The most important thing you can do is to have an emergency plan. Let all family members know where the emergency kit, torch, radio etc is stored. Have some practice runs with the children so they know what to do in case of different emergency scenarios if you are not home or can't be reached quick enough in the house. Not only does practicing let everyone know what to do, but it helps everyone remain calmer when an emergency does arise.
Choose the safest room in the house and other safe areas that are the best choice to get out of a storm's way.
Plan what you will need to take with you if evacuation is required - create a list of things like your wallet, insurance papers, etc. And make sure they are quickly and easily accessible in an emergency. The items most grieved for when lost in storms or fires is photos, so you might like to organise to keep your most precious photos close to your essential paperwork, etc. so you can quickly take it with you. Also have a plan for what to do with your pets and know your options for travel routes from your home to safe areas in the community.
Outside Contact
In any situation you should have important contact numbers listed, including your general emergency number for police, ambulance and fire brigade. Also list the phone numbers for your local electricity service, council, hospital, plumber, gas fitter, weather bureau and so on. Think of all the possible emergency people you may need to contact in minor or major situations, including your neighbours and family members.
How will you ring them? When a storm or other emergency is heading your way, grab your cell/mobile phone and keep it with you so you can call for help or information at any time without having to stop and think about where the phone might be. If it's feasible you could keep a specially allocated emergency phone in your emergency kit as a back-up.
Emergency Resources
Australia
In an Emergency, phone: 000
Australian Storm Tracker Map: http://www.weatherzone.com.au/stormtracker.jsp
National Weather Warning Summary: http://www.weatherzone.com.au/warnings.jsp
Australian Disaster Information Network: http://triplezero.gov.au/
Bureau of Meteorology: http://www.bom.gov.au/
USA
In an Emergency, phone: 911
Storm Tracker: http://www.stormtracker.noaa.gov/
Storm Watch: http://www.fema.gov/plan/prevent/nhp/stormwatch.shtm
Storm Ready Links (Gov): http://www.stormready.noaa.gov/links.htm
FEMA Disaster Information: http://www.fema.gov/hazard/index.shtm
Canada
In an Emergency, phone: 911
Weather Radar: http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/radar/index_e.html?id=ONT
Get Prepared (Ca Gov): http://www.getprepared.ca/
UK & Ireland
In an Emergency, phone: 999 or 112
Preparing for Emergencies - Severe Weather (UK Gov): http://www.preparingforemergencies.gov.uk/
MET Office Weather Warnings: http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/uk_forecast_warnings.html
Worldwide
World Meteorological Society: http://www.wmo.ch/pages/members/index_en.html (find your local meteorological service)