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Emergency
Preparedness in event of Disaster:
Emergency
preparedness is crucial for coming out from disasters with
least damage. Just
the knowledge of what to do, may help save lives of you and
your family. Here are collection of studies and links of
documentation related to disasters preparedness also as per
the type of disaster. Besides these, links to resources for
forecasting disasters are also provided here. The source of
the reference is also given along with them. Write to us
at
dmis@sristi.org
 Trauma
Management:
Disaster stress may revive memories of prior
trauma, as well as possibly intensifying pre-existing social,
economic, spiritual, psychological, or medical problems.
Trauma management is crucial and rescue workers as well as
family members should prepare themselves to handle trauma hit
members in the family. For more go to Trauma
Management
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Disaster Preparedness:
Preparedness
Questionnaire, ask yourself how prepared you are in the event
of a disaster. This is a step towards getting yourself ready
to meet eventualities which might save your, your families
life in the event of disasters. Also you may be able to help
your community to come out better during disasters. After
going through this questionnaire explore resources listed
above for preparedness in event of disasters as mentioned.
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Do you think that your family is relatively
well-prepared for a disaster such as an earthquake,
tornado, cyclones, winter storm, fire, flood and other
such incidents?
This small step to understand and equip yourself about knowledge
related to disaster preparedness would help you come out
from a disaster unscathed. Your well-prepared
family could help save the lives of others, not just
yourselves. Are you and your family prepared, ask this
question to yourself first?
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Do you believe that the community you live in is
relatively well- prepared for a disaster?
Do you know about your
community/ Panchayat/District, Disaster Management Plan?
Is there any source of community Information system that
you know of? Are you aware of any source of information to
prepare yourself for disasters?
Has your District / State DMA (Disaster Management
Authority) coordinator worked with local hospitals,
nursing homes, day care centers, shopping malls, schools,
etc. to make sure they have a plan for what to do during
an emergency?
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Have you discussed disaster preparedness with
your family?
If you have a plan of what you will do during a
disaster but you haven't shared it with your family ahead
of time, your plan may not work! Each family member needs
to know how to phone for help, escape out of the house,
and seek safe shelter in the house. Each family member
needs to know how to be safe when they are out of the home
(at work, school, play). Each family member needs to know
how the family plans to reunite if it becomes impossible
to return to the home.
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Do all members of your family know how to call
for help?
If you have kids, do they know how to phone for help?
Do they know to dial 100 (if it is available where you
live)? If you don't have 100, do you have the number of
the Police, Fire, Ambulance, responsible friend/relative, etc. near the phone? Do your
kids know what sort of information they will need to give
over the phone (i.e., the address of the home, their last
name, etc.)? Do they know to phone from outside of the
house if the house is on fire? Do they know to stay off
the phone during an electrical storm?
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Have you conducted a home hazard hunt and fixed
potential hazards?
Many disasters at home can be averted with a simple
hazard hunt. Is the home fire-safe - no frayed electrical
cords, no overloaded outlets, working smoke detectors, if
any,
working carbon monoxide detectors, no flammable liquids
near sources of heat or flames? Are working fire
extinguishers easily available? Is the home earthquake
safe--no unsecured heavy objects (mirrors, bookshelves,
etc.), the water heater bolted to the wall? If there is a
water tank on the top of the house, then how much water
should be stored in earthquake prone zones?
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Do you have a Family Disaster Supply Kit?
In your supply kit you will need ALL
of the things it will take to survive 72 hours. This will
include food and water of course, but also medicines,
blankets, flashlights, etc. Even if you don't put together
an actual kit (although we encourage you to do so), think
about having at least enough food, water and medicine at
home with you to last 72 hours. (Check
out this Kit)
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Do you have a Disaster Supply Kit for each car?
A small box in the trunk of your car,
other vehicle with blankets, a
first-aid kit, cash, food, flashlight, radio, etc. could
literally mean the difference between life and death.
Every car should have a kit (atleast a first aid kit). You might want to change the
contents of the kit for the different seasons of the year.
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Are you trained in First-Aid (within
the last 3 years)?
Basic first-aid, for example how to stop bleeding by
applying pressure, can be crucial, even life saving
knowledge. First-aid courses are often offered by and local hospitals
and charitable hospital for
nominal charges. Think how happy you (and the victim) will
be if you are able to make use of current training in an
emergency situation.
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Are all responsible family members current in
First-Aid?
Unfortunately, there is the possibility that YOU
might be the victim! Does everyone in your family
know basic first-aid?
-
Are you current in CPR (trained in the last 3
years)?
CPR - Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation is a simple
technique that has saved many folks who would have
otherwise been choking, drowning, smoke inhalation, or
heart attack victims. When you think about a few hours of
training saving a loved one's life, isn't it worth it?
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Are all responsible family members current in
CPR?
Again, there is the possibility that YOU might
be the victim! Or, you might not be home when the incident
occurs. Be sure that everyone in your family is trained.
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Do you have operational smoke detectors and
carbon monoxide detectors?
Having a smoke detector and/or a carbon monoxide
detector in your home is NOT good enough!
You need to make sure they are operational, that is, they
must have working batteries. An operational smoke detector
more than doubles your chance of escaping from your home
alive. Two good rules of thumb are check your detectors
once a month (pick a day of the month, say the 1st, and
make a habit of checking the detectors every month on the
1st); when you change your clock for daylight
savings/standard time, change the batteries of detectors
too.
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Do you have a charged ABC fire extinguisher?
There are three basic classes of fires. All fire
extinguishers are labeled using standard symbols for the
classes of fires they can put out. A red slash through any
of the symbols tells you the extinguisher cannot be used
on that class of fire. A missing symbol tells you only
that the extinguisher has not been tested for a given
class of fire.
Class A: Ordinary combustibles such as
wood, cloth, paper, rubber and many plastics.
Class B: Flammable liquids such as
gasoline, oil, grease, tar, oil-based paint, lacquer, and
flammable gas.
Class C: Energized electrical equipment -
including wiring, fuse boxes, circuit breakers, machinery,
and appliances
Many household fire extinguishers are "multipurpose"
A-B-C models, labeled for use on all three classes of
fire. If you are ever faced with a Class A fire and don't
have an extinguisher with an "A"
symbol, don't hesitate to use one with the "B:C"
symbol.
WARNING: It is very dangerous to use water
or an extinguisher labeled only for Class A fires on a
Class B or Class C fire.
Do you know where your fire extinguisher is? Do you
know if it is still fully charged (they can lose their
charge over time)?
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Do you know how to use the fire extinguisher?
Using a fire extinguisher is not completely
straightforward and the time to learn how to operate one
is NOT during a fire. Follow the
four-step PASS procedure. Pull the pin:
This unlocks the operating lever and allows you to
discharge the extinguisher. Aim low:
Point the extinguisher nozzle (or hose) at the base of the
fire. Squeeze the lever above the handle:
This discharges the extinguishing agent. (Some
extinguishers have a button instead of a lever.) Sweep
from side-to-side: Moving carefully toward the fire, keep
the extinguisher aimed at the base of the fire and sweep
back and forth until the flames appear to be out. A good
practice might be to purchase two fire extinguishers--one
to keep and one to let each family member practice on.
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Do you know how to turn off all utilities (gas,
electricity, water, etc.)?
For a variety of reasons, it may be necessary to turn
off the utilities in your home. Do you know where the
water main is? Do you know where the circuit breaker box
or main switch is? Does everyone in your family know NOT
to turn off the electricity if you have to stand in water
to do so?
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Do you know where your family records are?
If your house burned down today would your insurance
papers, household inventory, receipts, other important
papers etc. burn too? A
great place to keep your valuable papers (marriage
certificate, birth certificates, passports, insurance
papers, household inventory, etc.) is in a safe deposit
box. It is probably not wise to keep your will in a safe
deposit box though. A will is best kept with your lawyer or a close friend (if you die it will become difficult for
others to access your safe deposit box, making it
difficult for them to find your will).
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Do you know where your family will meet outside
your home in case of an emergency?
If your family is separated during an emergency you
should have two contingency plans in place. The first plan
should be a place to meet near your home (such as across
the street at a neighbor's) if the emergency is something
like your house burning down. The second plan should be a
place to meet in your community, away from your home,
(such as a local business or friend's house) if the
emergency is something like your neighborhood being
evacuated. By knowing ahead of time where to rendezvous,
family members can avoid needlessly worrying about members
that are fine and concentrate on family members that are
unaccounted for.
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Do you know at least two exits from every room
in your house in case of a fire?
Most rooms have a door and a window. If the window is a
second story window, do you have a way to escape safely
(i.e., a fire ladder)?
-
Have you practiced an emergency drill in your
home within the past year?
Drills are a terrific way of making sure that everyone
in the family (kids and adults) understands and has the
physical/mental ability to carry out the plan your family
has developed. If kids get confused about whether to stay
inside or leave the house during a fire for example, the
time to get them straight about it is BEFORE
anything happens.
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Do you have an out-of-area phone contact?
Believe it or not, long distance phone calls are often
easier to make immediately following a disaster than are
local phone calls. Does everyone in your family knows to
phone the contact to inform about there safety.
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Do you know about disaster plans at your
workplace, at your children's school or day care, etc.?
Few of us spend 100 percent of our time at home, so we
need to know about the disaster plans at the other places
we (and our loved ones) spend time. Be sure that you know
what the plan is and that it is a sound plan.
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Can you list the actual cash value of EVERY item
in your home?
You may be asked to create such a list after a fire,
cyclone or flood! Obviously, a wise choice is to make that
list (often times called a household inventory) well
before a disaster occurs. A household inventory can
provide you with some excellent information for deciding
how much insurance to purchase as well.
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Some family members have special needs, for
example the elderly, mobility impaired or sick. Do you
have a plan for making sure these members will be safe
during a disaster?
Check your family disaster plan and make sure it will
work for everyone. For example, if the family plan is to
seek shelter in the basement or community shelter during a
cyclone warning, be
sure everyone in the family is able to negotiate the
stairs to the basement/shelter. If some members are unable to go
to the basement/shelter, make sure you have a second plan in place
for them (i.e., seek shelter in an interior room, under a
heavy piece of furniture).
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Do you have a plan for your pets?
A simple sign on your door, alerting the fire
department to the fact that you have pets inside, could
save your pets' lives. Bringing a pet to a temporary
shelter may pose health risks that the local shelter may
not be willing to cope with. It's a good idea to arrange
for a place ahead of time (maybe a friend or relative)
where your pets could stay temporarily in case of an
emergency.
There are lots of places to go for more information
about disaster preparation and planning:
Rescue International:
Formed in 1985 Rescue International (RI) is a nonprofit
organization of people and companies that provide special
search, rescue, and recovery services and products to
requesting agencies free of charge. RI's educational programs
are based on a foundation of experienced instructors teaching
students skills and providing information derived from hands
on experience and backed up with a written program guide
and/or manual. Go to
http://www.keyinternet.com/rescueintl/
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RESCUE Training Resource and Guide:
Free rescue training site with a wealth of information
including reference articles, online quiz's, links database,
photo galleries, slideshows and much more. Created by a
volunteer rescuer in Australia. Go to http://www.techrescue.org/
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EPIX
- Emergency Preparedness Information eXchange:
The purpose of EPIX is to facilitate the exchange of ideas and
information among Canadian and international public and
private sector organizations about the prevention of,
preparation for, recovery from and/or mitigation of risk
associated with natural and socio-technological disasters. Go
to
http://hoshi.cic.sfu.ca/~anderson/index.html
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Search and Rescue Institute:
The Search and Rescue Institute offers search and rescue,
first aid and disaster preparedness and operations training.
Go to http://www.sarinstitute.org
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Stanford
University Disaster Preparedness & Response:
Disaster preparedness and response
resources from various parts of the world with things
organized by organization/author, disaster plans,
bibliographic resources, etc.
Very useful links to a lot of information. Go to http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/bytopic/disasters/
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Safety
for Everyone: Natural Disasters
This is a very useful instructional
website on the basics of safety associated with day-to-day
life scenes such as at home, or on the road, industry, office,
etc with a special page on natural disaster.
Although very fundamental, sometimes people lack even
the most fundamental knowledge and hence this website can be
very handy to teach kids and adults.
Emergency Management Agency (EMA), 1998.
Go to http://www.safetyforeveryone.com/natural/natural_index.html
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Source:
www.ema.gov.au
& various
Internet sites as mentioned
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