Expand All  |  Collapse All

• Home
• Recent Issues
• Sections
• Our Magazines
  • About Us
  • Editorial Advisory Board
  • Advertising
  • Circulation
  • Editorial Information
  • Guidelines for Authors
  • Subscriptions
• Contact

Family Health Magazine
PREVENTION

Surviving Disaster
Are you prepared for an emergency?

Is it just our imagination, or is the world becoming a more dangerous place to live? Tornadoes, floods, earthquakes, ice storms, huge forest fires and terrorist attacks have all made recent headlines. It seems not a week goes by without bad news from some part of the world grabbing our attention. If you think things are getting worse, you aren’t being paranoid. They are worse for several reasons.

Home Emergency Supplies
• Drinking water: a supply of two litres per person per day in sealed, unbreakable containers. Drinking water should be replaced every three to six months.
• Water for food preparation and sanitation; two litres per person per day
• Supply of non-perishable food that requires no refrigeration, cooking and little or no water. Ready-to-eat canned meats, fruits, vegetables, juices, soup, honey, peanut butter, crackers or cereal will work. Check expiry dates and replace with fresh stock as needed.
• Supply of specialty foods for infants, elderly people and others who may be on special diets
• Pet food
• Comfort or stress relief foods like cookies, candy, or instant coffee
• Hand operated can opener, disposable cups, plates, knives, forks and spoons
• Waterproof matches, candles, tin can, and garbage bags
• Battery operated flashlight, radio and extra batteries
• First aid kit: include an extra pair of eyeglasses, any medication or vitamins, and important medical information like a list of prescription medications, the family doctor’s phone number, and the style and serial numbers of devices like pacemakers.
• Warm blankets and a change of clothing and shoes for every member of the family
• Extra car/house keys, extra cash
• Adequate supplies for an alternate source of heat that can be used safely in the home (wood for a wood burning fireplace, for example)
• Toilet paper and other personal supplies
• Whistle
• Playing cards, a few small books and toys

First, the earth is undergoing significant weather pattern changes. It doesn’t really matter whether this is a result of global warming or not. The fact is, across the world weather disasters are becoming more regular and having a greater effect on humanity. ‘Flood of the Century’ and ‘Worst Storm in 200 Years’ are typical headlines.

People are also challenging nature. Urbanization is concentrating people in a smaller area, magnifying the effects when a disaster strikes. Amazingly, some people insist on ignoring dangerous situations, defying common sense by living on flood plains, in the middle of tinder-dry forests, and on the edge of cliffs. When you take on Mother Nature, you never win.

Finally, the nature of international conflict is changing. War was once confined to the battlefield; now it has entered our communities. What once only threatened soldiers now affects us all. The possibility of a terrorist attack, while remote, still exists.

Despite the overwhelming nature of most disasters, steps can be taken to minimize their effects and increase the likelihood of survival. Fortunately many of these steps are simple and inexpensive. Coupled with common sense (for instance, not building on the edge of a cliff), they can reduce the effects of the disaster.

Disaster preparedness works from the bottom up. The first line of defence and preparation is at the individual and family level, followed in turn by the neighborhood, municipality, province, and finally the national and international level. Each level complements and supports the others. Together, they form a strong disaster readiness web.

Every family and individual should have a disaster plan. These simple plans should be something everyone, including children, can understand. Remember, even a simple house fire would be a disaster for your family. Most municipalities and provinces have excellent websites and brochures that outline the steps for individual and family disaster preparedness.

Simple things can improve your ability to survive a disaster:

• Have an evacuation plan. Know where to go if you have to leave your house. Outline the steps to take before leaving, such as turning off the gas. Identify a safe gathering point for your family. Do you have friends or relatives you can go to for shelter? If not, be aware of your community’s emergency shelter plan.
• Have an emergency contact phone number. Pick a number outside your community where all members of your family can call if they get separated. Long distance lines and pay phones often work even though local lines are out of order; cell phones too. An emergency contact number should allow all members of your family to check in and maintain contact. Let your friends and family know about your family communications plan!
• Your stock of bottled water should be rotated frequently. Keep an extra propane tank filled for cooking on the barbecue. However, it isn’t safe to heat your home with a barbecue, camping stove or any other type of non-approved heating device. The risk of carbon monoxide poisoning is too great. Store all fuels in a safe place. Stock extra batteries for flashlights and portable radios. Even the kids’ boom box will work in an emergency. Take stock of the supplies you normally keep on hand, and add as required. Fancy emergency kits aren’t necessary. Use common sense and take advantage of what you normally keep around the house. (Use the right kind of candles, and you may even be able to salvage a romantic evening during a disaster!)

Neighborhoods provide an excellent structure for disaster preparedness. During the snowstorms that hit Victoria in 1996, neighbours banded together to shovel snow off roofs, clear streets and check on their neighbours. Communicate now to save time later. Who has an emergency generator? Who has an SUV, and knows how to use that snazzy winch on the front bumper? Do you have a doctor or nurse living on your street? Do you have neighbours that need specialized medical support such as dialysis or are physically challenged? There is strength in numbers. If you don’t have an existing neighborhood organization that can be used to do some disaster planning, approach your local government to set something up.

If the disaster exceeds the ability of the individual, family and neighborhood to respond, the next level is the municipality. Every municipality is required to have a disaster plan. This plan assesses vulnerabilities – the existing threats to the community. Guidelines for declaring a local state of emergency, specific disaster tasks for municipal departments, co-ordination of utilities, health support and other agencies, and contact numbers are all outlined. This plan should be publicly available, either in printed form or on the municipal website. As well, most communities have volunteer organizations such as Search and Rescue, Amateur Radio,
the Salvation Army, and St. John Ambulance that give you the opportunity to participate in disaster preparedness.

If a municipality is unable to fully deal with a disaster, the next level of assistance is the province. Provincial emergency management organizations (EMOs) will activate provincial emergency plans and will co-ordinate support from other municipalities and from provincial resources. For example, both Vancouver and Calgary have well-trained Heavy Urban Search and Rescue Teams which can be requested through the provincial EMO.

Finally, in those rare events where the scope of the disaster overwhelms even provincial resources, the federal government, through the Office of Critical Infrastructure Protection and Emergency Preparedness, will coordinate support. Federal resources, the Canadian Forces, other provinces, and even other countries may be involved. Since September 11, 2001, great efforts have been taken at the national level to improve our disaster preparedness, particularly in response to a terrorist attack.

Have a personal or family emergency plan. Organize your neighborhood to respond to a disaster. Be aware of your municipal disaster plan. In the event of a disaster, a little preparation can go a long way.