Life’s Disasters

Natural disasters in North America are all too frequent occurrences. Canada witnesses an average of sixty tornadoes a year. One-third of American homes are at high risk of being the victim of a natural disaster. “Once-in-a-century” hurricanes now happen in the United States two or three times a decade. Wildfires, deadly heat waves, droughts, floods, tropical storms, hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, earthquakes, tsunamis, and landslides make headlines on a regular basis. Deforestation and erosion lead to landslides and mudslides. Melting glaciers leads to avalanches. Climate change has made the weather wilder and more unstable.

If you live in an area that is prone to natural disasters, it pays to be prepared. Preparation and response strategies can mean the difference between surviving intact and surviving at all. Some natural disasters such as earthquakes can strike suddenly, no matter how prepared you are.

Basic Preparedness

Get to know which natural disasters most commonly occur in your area. You can find out from your local police or fire department, parents or guardians, or teachers. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is the major disaster agency in the United States. FEMA provides basic recommendations for disaster preparedness. FEMA recommends that every household make a plan for handling and recovering from a disaster. Following FEMA’s advice, and getting prepared may help your entire family survive a natural disaster.

Every member of a family, including small children, needs to know how to dial 911 in order to reach the police and fire departments in case of an emergency. In many instances, resourceful children who have called 911 have actually saved the lives of trapped parents and siblings. Teach your little brother or sister about emergency numbers and what to do in an emergency in case you get separated.

FEMA recommends choosing an out-of-state friend or relative to be an emergency contact. Every family member should memorize this person’s name, telephone number, and address. If power goes out, the Internet goes down, or phone service goes dead during a disaster, or homes are destroyed, there may be no way for family members to find each other, or for anyone to find friends and family who live alone. Fortunately, every recent smartphone is equipped with emergency calling.

You will also want to make sure that all family or household members learn the call number of the radio station that broadcasts emergency information in your area so that you can all tune in when warnings are being issued. If you live in a house, you should learn how and when to turn off the gas, electricity, and water lines. If you live in an apartment, you need to know how to evacuate your building depending on the type of emergency.

Every home should be stocked with the following basic disaster supplies: a flashlight and extra batteries; a portable battery-powered radio with extra batteries; a first-aid kit, a dusk mask, wrench or pliers to turn off utilities, local maps, a survival manual, a whistle, dried or canned food; a nonelectric can opener; any medicine needed for family members; cash; and sturdy, rugged shoes that can keep your feet safe from glass or nails. You will also need a fresh water supply, equaling one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days. You can clean out soda bottles and bottle your tap water, to be used for sanitation. Have a few bottles of sealed drinking water on supply, too, and store them in a dark, cool place away from sunlight. Some of these basic disaster supplies will need to be replaced from time to time: batteries, for example, have expiration dates.