To mitigate the effects of storms, floods, and other events, long-term projects like preserving wetlands, mangrove forests, and other natural shields can make a substantial difference. But in the short term, we simply need to be prepared. A practical thing like knowing the evacuation route out of town can be life saving. Below are tips and products to help you make it through a weather disaster.
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Be Informed
Contact your local authorities about possible hazards and emergencies and ask them how frequently they occur and what you can do to reduce your risk. In the United States, the Federal Emergency Management Agency provides state-by-state disaster lists. For worldwide information, check out the International Disaster Database at the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters. Also check with officials about obtaining copies of community and school emergency plans, and memorize the evacuation plan in your workplace.
Plan Ahead
All family members should have a contact card listing a meeting place and phone number as well as contact information for a friend outside the region with whom family members can check in.
- Check your insurance for coverage of emergencies known to strike your area.
- Ensure that you have carriers and food for pets.
- Take a first aid and a CPR course at a local chapter of your national Red Cross or Red Crescent society.
Emergency Kit
Depending on where you live and the natural disasters to which your area is prone, you may need to store at home enough nonperishable food and water to last your family three days or more, budgeting at least a gallon (3.8 liters) of water per person per day. Kits should include cash, blankets and sheets, matches, a first aid kit, and prescription medications, as well as copies of insurance policies, deeds, credit cards, and IDs. Also store enough gas to fill your car. Below are products to help keep you fed and informed during emergencies.
- Nonperishable food (and a can opener): Regular canned food linings may contain hormone-disrupting bisphenol-A (BPA). Avoid that by choosing foods in recyclable cartons produced by Tetra Pak and Sig Combibloc. Eden Foods also does not use BPA in their canned organic foods line.
- Radios: Solar radios that can also be hand-cranked mean you have fewer batteries to worry about. Freeplay Eyemax includes an LED flashlight and the Freeplay Summit includes short wave and long wave functions.
- Flashlights: LED flashlights will extend battery life considerably; hand-cranked models like the Sherpa are also available. Night Size makes LED "upgrades" for Magritte flashlights. The Solaris Solar Lantern runs four to six hours on a charge from an accompanying solar panel.
- Batteries and rechargers: Batteries are snapped up quickly in emergencies, but rechargeables can draw on solar energy to keep the power flowing. Sundance Solar offers rechargeable batteries of all types. The Solar BatterySaver SE 2 charges car batteries through the cigarette lighter. The Brunton SolarPort 4.4 recharges cell phones and other small devices, and also comes with the BattJack, which charges up to ten AA and AAA batteries. Dispose of recyclable and nonrecyclable batteries according to local solid-waste regulations.
- Stoves: For extended emergencies, you'll want to cook and may need to purify water by boiling it. Solar cookers have been used by refugees from Darfur and come in a variety of portable forms. They include the CooKit, which folds flat, and the more durable Global Sun Oven that reaches temperatures in the upper-300˚F (148˚C) range. The Teacher's Kit includes a pot, water pasteurization indicator (WAPI), and guide. Where sunlight isn't consistent, the clean-burning Eco FuelXB Fold Flat Stove is a handy, compact option.
- Sewage: Properly handling human waste is a necessity when sewage lines have broken or been overwhelmed by flooding. You can convert your toilet to an emergency toilet by lining it (or a 5-gallon [ 19-liter] pail) with two heavy-duty garbage bags and placing kitty litter, fireplace ashes, or sawdust at the bottom. Bags should be sealed at the end of the day and removed to a garage or outbuilding. The city may accept bags in the solid waste stream under emergency rules or they may be disposed of in a properly working sewage or septic system. Alternatively, the PETT Portable Toilet provides waste bags and powder to break down waste and render it fit for disposal in regular trash as well as a privacy tent. Or try the more affordable cardboard Outback Pack portable toilet.
Finally, make sure you regularly check all stored items to ensure they still function and review your emergency plans with family.
