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Article Series:
Home Emergency Preparation Tips &
Family Disaster Plans
How
To Stay Safe at an Emergency Shelter
In order to increase your chance of survival
during a severe storm you need to take action quickly. A storm
could include the following:
- tornado
- hurricane
- severe thunderstorm
- flood
Acting
quickly increases your chance of survival. The first
step is to go to the nearest shelter. A safe room on your home,
a basement, or public shelter would be the safest places to
go.
Depending on the nature of the storm, you will have a variety
of safety procedures to follow. Below are examples of safety
tips to keep in mind when staying at an emergency shelter:
Be sure to prepare in advance. You most likely will not have
to stay in the storm shelter for long. However, it is possible
to end up there for several hours. In case of this possibility
you need to be prepared. Depending on the type of shelter you
stay in, you may need the following:
- Plenty of warm clothes
- Pillows and blankets
- Sturdy shoes
- A battery operated radio and extra batteries
- Medication and person items
- Extra clothes, socks, shoes, and sweaters
- A warm coat
- Adequate supply of food and water
- List of emergency contacts
- First aid kit that includes prescription medications
To prepare for the possibility of moving to a public shelter,
do to the following:
- Plan on taking the safest and shortest route to the destination.
Also, you should know how long it will take you to get there.
- Carpool with others in your neighborhood. This should be planned
as far in advance as possible.
- Lock up important legal documents, valuables and other items
in a safe. You can hide this underground somewhere, or in a
basement.
- Inform friends, neighbors, and family members of your whereabouts.
While you are at the shelter you may have to sit in one spot
for a couple of hours. This is where the pillow you brought
along will come in handy. Also, in the case of a hurricane
or tornado, you may need to sit a certain way to protect yourself
from the possible flying debris. To protect yourself from flying
objects you will need to do one of the following:
- Stay low to the ground, and put the back of your hands over
your head
- Stay underneath a sturdy piece of furniture, such as a large
table
- Stay away from any windows.
- Pay attention and follow the instructions of the people who
manage the shelter
- Listen to the radio or TV, on a station of the shelter’s choice
- Do not move from your spot unless instructed to do so.
If you are staying in your own private storm shelter you should
consider building a trap door on the outside of the location,
in case you have to exit underground. You also may
want to build a storm proof cabinet with supplies in it. Those supplies
would include:
- First aid materials
- Non-perishable foods and water
- Emergency phone numbers
- A safe with important papers, family heirlooms, and money
- Extra set of car keys
You
may also want to put a trap door on the outside of your
home basement. This will help you exit underground in case
the house falls down. In addition, you may want to add a portable
toilet, or a bathroom in your storm shelter.
Please follow all the above procedures carefully. If you do,
you will have a greater chance of surviving a storm. Also,
please also inform your friends and neighbors of the proper
way to stay safe during a storm. You and your neighbors can
pool together and offer rides to senior citizens and mentally
challenged people. Furthermore, be sure not to forget about
the physically disabled people in your neighborhood. They may
need rides to shelters also.
Also, if you have a family, remember to include additional
emergency supplies needed for all of them. For example, if
you have an infant, you may need to put baby food, formula,
and diapers on your emergency supply shelf. You may also need
to include pet food and medications in this cabinet as well.
This information is not necessarily an exclusive list. Please
contact your local emergency center before a storm hits. They
can educate you on how to further prepare for a storm.
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SolveYourProblem.com
: 2006
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