Natural Disaster Preparedness

Being properly prepared for a natural disaster can, in many cases, mean the difference between life or death. Althought not all natural diasters are life threatening, not being preparded for one can leave family and friends scrambling, uncomfortable and unable to save presious possesions. There are a numer of different types of natural diasters or emergencys that one may need to prepare for, depending on the region and part of the world they live in. Below is a list of some of the most commen natural disasters or emergencys, and some ideas for preparing for them.

Floods are one of the most commen of all natural disasters and clam the lives of thousands and distory billions of dollars in property each year. Usually a flood is the result of unuasually high amounts of precipitation concentrated over a small area, so a number of other natural disasters can cause this. Hurricains, typhoons, monsoons ect... all can cause a flood. Usually a major flood occurs sometime during or after the heavy precipitaion in a city or town that lies next to a major river or body of water. The river swells and the banks give way to millions of tons of water all at once that go flooding into near by city streets and feilds. People who live in appartment buildings, duplexes and on high grounds 20 or 30 feet above the level of the river dont have to worry about waterproofing their homes and protecting there possesions. However, the people in the low lying comunities and grond level homes need to think about waterproofing and prepairing.

The first step is determianing the likely hood of a flood happening. If someone happens to live 100 miles from any body of water and they live up on a hill, they dont need to prepare for a major flood. Researching the history of the town you live in and finding out if a flood is even possible is the first step. Second step is to get home owner insurance that protects against floods and other acts of nature. It may cost a extra 20 or 30$ a month, and you may never need to claim anything, but the one time something does happen, you will thank yourself for having the insuracne. Third step is to waterproof your basement. Sealing all cracks in the foundation, building up the ground level around the base of the house so that water flows freely away from the basement, and planting trees and shrubs around the base of the house will all keep water from seeping into the basement. Often swewers back up and push water back into the house, this cant always be avoided, but a regular swewer pipe check and cleaning can insure less pressure build up. Sealing off the basement windows and doors are also something to consider. Depending on how likely it is that you will have a flood, leaaving your basement unfinished can save you money and greif in many ways.

Earthquakes are the result of tectonic plates shifting beneath the earths crust and either causing gaps, or pushing rock upwards. The force of a earthquake is unstoppable. It is difficult to prepar for a earthquake, but some precations can be taken to insure survival. Once again, determaining wheather or not your even at risk is the first step, and then getting insurance is the second. Now if you live in a part of the world that have small termors more than once a year, its a good idea to earthquake proof your home. This involves not haingin any large objects from the roof of the home, securing tall shelves into the wall that it stands up against, keeping glass and heavy dangerous objects off top shelves, and having a safe room in the house that has many blankets, pillows and emergancy supplies. Remember hallways are often the safest retreat during a earthquake, but if you can its better to get out of the house and far away from buildings.

Now that your home is ready for a major storm or small flood, its time to prepair your family for the emergancy. Buying a first aid kit, candles, bottled water, lighters, blankets, pillows, extra clothes, flash lights, canned foods, deyhrated foods, even a generator and storing them in a safe and dry place is one of the best ways to deal with a natural disastor. Educating your family on what to do if there is a flood, and where to find the emergancy supplies is a must.

I hope that reading the above information was both enjoyable and educational for you. Your learning process should be ongoing--the more you understand about any subject, the more you will be able to share with others.

About the Author: