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SubscribeOne of the first things you can do in disaster preparedness is to put together a go-bag and a shelter-in-place kit. These are essentially disaster supply kits, including a flashlight, batteries, cash, first aid supplies, medications and copies of your critical information in case you need to evacuate.
It’s never too soon to start building a kit. These are commercially available, but they can also be easily put together with things found online or at the dollar store. Put this together knowing that, following a disaster, there may be power outages that could last for several days.
At Ohio Task Force 1 (Ohio’s FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Team), we have to be self-sufficient with food, water and fuel for at least 72 hours. Some of these principles hold for you, too.
Stock canned foods, dry mixes and other staples that don’t require refrigeration, cooking, water or special preparation. Be sure to include a manual can opener and eating utensils.
Three-day supply of non-perishable food (dried fruit, canned tuna fish, granola bars, peanut butter, etc.). See below for specifics.
Store at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food, trying to avoid high-sodium food or foods that will make you thirsty.
The following items are suggested when selecting emergency food supplies. You may already have many of these on hand.
We bring MREs (meals ready to eat, used by the military), but these can be expensive.
Keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible. The refrigerator will keep food cold for about four hours if it's unopened (if power is out more than four hours, food may not be good). Refrigerated or frozen foods should be kept at 40° F or below for proper food storage. Use a refrigerator thermometer to check temperature.
Discard any perishable food (such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs or leftovers) that has been above 40° F for two hours or more. Foodborne illness is not something you want in your family or running through your team.
With severe weather and natural disasters, if you’re ordered to evacuate, know the local evacuation routes to take and have a plan for where you can stay. Never ignore an order to evacuate.
Review your evacuation plan with your family. You may have to leave quickly, so plan ahead. Keep your car in good working condition, and keep the gas tank full; stock your vehicle with emergency supplies and a change of clothes.
Unfortunately, most of the casualties in many storms have been victims who ignored orders to evacuate or drove into flood waters.
To effectively shelter, you must first consider the hazard and then choose a place in your home or other building that is safe for that hazard. For example, for a tornado, a room should be selected that's in a basement or an interior room on the lowest level away from corners, windows, doors and outside walls.
The length of time you’re required to shelter may be short, such as during a tornado warning, or long, such as during a winter storm or a pandemic. It’s important that you stay in shelter until local authorities say it’s safe to leave.
Know that a "tornado watch" means that the conditions exist for a tornado to form, and a "tornado warning" means that a tornado has been spotted either visibly or over radar detection.
The safest type of house to be in during a tornado is a standard constructed home with a basement to retreat to, or an interior room if there's no basement available. Single-story homes might be safer than multi-story homes.
If you're in a mobile home, leave the mobile home and seek more substantial shelter. Mobile home parks should provide communal tornado shelters.
If you're in a car, it's safer to stay in a car than to seek shelter in a ditch or in a mobile home. This recommendation is different than it was in the past, because car designs have improved and become safer. However, do not try to outrun a tornado in your vehicle. Try to get to substantial shelter if possible.
If you're outside and can't get into a building, lie low in a ditch face-down while covering the head. Cover your body as you can, such as with a blanket or coat.
Plan how you’re going to communicate with family members if you lose power. For example, you can call, text, email or use social media (Facebook has a safe check-in feature you can use in a disaster). Remember that during disasters, sending text messages is usually reliable and faster than making phone calls because phone lines are often overloaded.
I hope disaster never strikes you or your home. If it does, I hope these tips on preparedness help. More information about disaster preparedness can be found at https://ready.gov.
Our facilities are equipped to handle any medical emergency.
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