The Ultimate Homeowner’s Guide for Surviving a Disaster

It seems that natural disasters are happening more often in many parts of the United States. Some people do better than others when the community power grid goes down. Fires, extreme heat or cold, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, other extreme weather, and earthquakes can cause danger for homeowners. Taking steps ahead of time to survive a disaster can help families survive and reduce damages.

Backup Generators and Batteries

More and more homeowners in areas that suffer periodic power outages are investing in portable generators, installed generators, or special batteries to keep the electricity going during outages. These backup power systems keep the heat, refrigerator, and lights going. They also keep electronics running.

Generators come as portable units or as permanently installed units and run on natural gas, diesel fuel, or propane gas.

Batteries are now available as a power backup for homes during electrical outages. The batteries are the size of a small bookcase. They can recharge from the power grid or from a home’s solar panels. The drawback of batteries powered by solar energy is if the sun is not shining as in bad storms or hurricanes.

There is also a system that combines an installed generator and a home battery system. Each homeowner contemplating the purchase of a backup power system needs to talk to a reliable supplier and installation company to determine the best equipment for their needs and budget. The type of disaster likely to happen should also be considered.

Have a Disaster Plan Ready

Each family should develop an emergency preparedness plan just in case disaster hits in the future. Along with this written plan, there should be an emergency kit with everything you need such as respirator mask from Mira Safety Since every type of emergency or disaster is different and requires different planning, the homeowner should do an internet search for the type of emergencies that are most common in their area.

Some preparations are needed for all types of disasters and others are specific to a certain type of disaster.

·        Find and write down the best evacuation routes from the house to safe places. Know how to get everyone out of the house quickly and safely. It helps to have exits from every bedroom and other room planned and practiced. Then, everyone should know where to meet outside the house so no one is left behind. Plan for taking the pets with. Know where the utility shut-offs for gas, water and electricity are in case they are needed for safety. It might be a good idea to draw a floor plan of the house with escape routes marked and have a copy posted in each room at the occupant’s eye level.

·        Collect information for important contacts and emergency services and have a printed list of emergency information where it is easy to grab and use. In addition, collect the important documents for family members and keep them together and easy to grab. This might include originals or copies of driver’s licenses, birth certificates, medical records, insurance cards or documents, house or land deeds, adoption or citizenship records, military records, vehicle registrations, wills, and other important documents. If there are pets, include their vaccination records.

·        Assign responsibilities to different family members to save time and prevent chaos. Each person should know what they are supposed to do if disaster hits. These tasks can include grabbing supplies and/or the emergency kit, evacuating children and other family members, grabbing the family pets, moving things in the home to safer areas to avoid damage, and more. If the family must evacuate, who will drive?

·        Once a plan has been established and printed out, have the whole family practice home evacuation and other aspects of the disaster survival plan. Children should be taught how to dial 911 for help and how to memorize and recite their full name, phone number, and address to only the right people.

·        Develop the habit of always keeping the car’s gas tank half full so there is fuel if the family needs to evacuate. This helps you avoid waiting in long lines at a gas station so you can get on the road to safety faster.

·        Make sure the home is insured against the common natural disasters in the area. Check the insurance policy to make sure the home is covered and purchase the extra insurance if you need to.

·        Keep the home’s smoke detectors, CO2 detectors, and fire extinguishers in good working condition. If you don’t have these safety items, purchase them now.

·        Be familiar with the community warning systems and sign up for internet or phone disaster warnings. Know where to call or go for help if the home is not habitable or if evacuation orders are issued.

Assemble a Disaster Survival Kit

Each family should assemble an emergency survival kit and keep it near the home’s exit to grab on the way out or retrieve for at home survival until help arrives. This kit should have enough supplies to last three days to a week. Put everything in a gym bag or a backpack so it is easy to carry. Some items to include;

·        Blankets or sleeping bags

·        Water. This can be commercially bottled water or water you fill sterilized containers with. If a disaster is coming, fill the bathtub and sinks with water. Have a supply of water purification tablets.

·        Non-perishable food. Replace items every 6 months or so. The food should not need cooking.

·        Manual can opener

·        Matches in a waterproof container

·        Three days worth of important medications

·        Flashlights and lanterns with extra batteries

·        Hygiene products

·        Phone chargers

·        Battery-operated radio and extra batteries. This can be used to get life-saving weather and other community updates. A weather radio is the best kind.

·        First-aid supplies

·        Pet food

·        Baby supplies such as diapers and formula

·        Whistle

·        Cash and coins

·        Extra clothing. Update children’s sizes as they grow.

·        Important identification and other documents including paper maps of the area.

Even if the family is sheltering at home during the disaster, electrical, phone, gas, sewer, water, and other utilities may be disrupted. Water from the tap might not be safe. If the electricity goes off, having a power backup system will be very helpful. There may not be heat. In the event of flooding, the basement and first floor may have water coming in. A natural disaster can strike with little notice, so having an emergency survival kit in place can save time and provide supplies to aid in the family’s survival.

When community governments issue evacuation notices because of forest fires, hurricanes, or other disasters, grab the disaster supplies and get everyone in the car and on the way to designated shelters without delay. People who insist on staying home rather than evacuating strain the rescue efforts and account for many of the deaths caused by disasters.

It is important to learn which disasters may happen in your area and make a survival plan for each different emergency. Print out these plans and keep them accessible. The family members should learn some basic survival skills in advance such as first aid, purifying water, cooking without utilities, and staying warm and dry. If the home is without normal heating sources, figure out a way to keep at least one room warm.

Staying Safe After the Disaster

The time after a disaster such as a tornado, a hurricane, or a forest fire has come and gone can be very dangerous with unsafe water, flooded streets, downed power lines, uncontrolled intersections, fallen trees, and more. There can be dangerous gas leaks and hidden sharp objects to avoid. The standing water in streets, homes, and other places can be contaminated with chemicals or sewage.

If you have been evacuated during a disaster, wait until the authorities say it is safe to return to your home. Returning before the area is secured can be very dangerous. Once you return to your home, use caution when inspecting and repairing it. Are the utilities turned off? Stepping into a flooded basement can be dangerous if electricity is still on. That water in the basement can be dangerously contaminated or hiding hazards. Make sure the home is stable and safe to enter. If the home is damaged beyond repair, get help to remove the remaining debris. Contact the insurance company claims inspector to look at the damage before doing anything.

If you sheltered in place and now need to be rescued, put a white sheet on your roof to signal for help. It can be left whole or torn to form a cross. If you can get out and find that it is not possible to survive in the home, go places where people have gathered to shelter, airports, hospitals, or other public places where there will be bottled water and shelter. Once in a shelter, hygiene is important to avoid the spread of disease. Look for places that still have power.

Since it may be hard to get medical attention, take care not to get injured. If there are cuts or other injuries, make sure to clean them thoroughly with clean water, saline solution, or alcohol. Cover the wounds with clean bandages and protect the wounded area from contamination. It is important to avoid infections.

Another danger to avoid is after disaster scammers. 

They may pose as roofers or home repair contractors. Scammers come in many forms and it is important to check out any person offering services. Use licensed, insured contractors on a state-approved list.

It will take time for the community to recover from a serious natural disaster, so have patience and don’t take unnecessary chances while moving around the area.