After today’s earthquake and a series of tsunamis, I have one thing on my mind – What if I was there? Would I be able to act in this situation? Would I even know what to do?
I remember fire drills in school, which were fun, we all got to line up and exit the building. Those fire drill days were always short, needless to say we all loved the whole “pretend” fire idea!
A while ago my future mother-in-law told me that when she was in school, they had nuclear drills, or atomic bomb drills, whatever you want to call them. The purpose of those was to teach them what to do in case USSR dropped a bomb or started a nuclear war. I guess the regular “duck and cover” is applicable in many situations, but not all!
A couple weeks ago my best friend and I were discussing a show called “I Shouldn’t Be Alive” (you can read more about the show here http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/i-shouldnt-be-alive-escape-from-the-amazon.html) when Kat said, that now she is prepared and can survive in both a desert, and a snow covered mountain. But do we all know what to do when disaster hits?
There are several categories of disasters:
1. Household ones or minor ones, more often referred to as accidents (like a fire in your home, or a car accident)
2. Natural disasters (Tornados, Floods, Earthquakes, Forest Fires, Heat, Hurricane, Landslide, Thunderstorm, Tsunami, Volcano, Winter Storm)
3. Man-created disasters (Chemical Emergencies, Dam Failure, Hazardous Material, Nuclear Power Plant Emergency, Terrorism)
You can find out what to do about the last two kinds here http://www.fema.gov/hazard/types.shtm
Now when dealing with the first one, always have a plan, be prepared.
- If something is happening to your home, make sure you have an escape plan, and don’t forget to take all the important documents with you.
- It’s also useful to take one or two self-defense classes, that are available through a local Martial Arts club (that’s where I took mine). There you can learn how car keys or a cell phone can become a weapon.
- Insure your property against theft or outside damage.
- Try to stay as calm as you can, and encourage other family members to do the same. I know this will be hard to do (my mom is a good example, she panics every time something happens), but try your best, and give them meds if needed!
- And marry a good speller!
