How to Manage Mother Nature's Mood Swings

I remember taking my Emergency Preparedness and Wilderness Survival merit badge courses as a young Boy Scout.  I remember the night I had to sleep in a lean-to I built myself, alone in the wilderness, with only a canteen of water, a flashlight, two hard-boiled eggs, and a sleeping bag. I thought that night was never going to end. For one, I had mistakenly used wet pine straw to build the roof of my lean-to, learning later that it only attracts a plethora of creepy crawlers and a gang of granddaddy longlegs.  For someone with extreme arachnophobia, this is one mistake I never made again during my Boy Scout adventures or hiking excursions. I also learned that the basic essentials that are necessary for life to go on are: Food, Water and Shelter.

Thankfully, I have never had to use my wilderness survival skills, but there have been times when my Emergency Preparedness skills have come into play when assisting with tornadoes and flash floods.  I remember the hysteria that surrounded Y2K. I was still in high school. My parents thought it was silly to buy extra water and batteries in case the world's computer systems crashed, leaving all electronic computing frozen until Bill Gates could find a solution. I, on the other hand, stocked my room with these essentials, warning them that they "would be knocking on my door when things turned for the worse." Nothing happened of course, but it was still comforting to go to bed every night knowing that I was prepared for any scenario.

To prepare for an emergency, assemble one or more emergency kits that include enough supplies for at least three days. Think of items that have multiple uses and are long-lasting. Keep a kit prepared at home and also in your car, at work and a portable version for quick and easy transport. These kits will enable anyone to respond and react to an emergency quickly. The emergency kits should be useful in any shelter or during an evacuation.

One excellent preparedness website, ready.gov, has an extremely helpful list of what to put in an emergency kit, fact sheets about several types of disasters and how to prepare for them. Here are suggestions about what to include in an emergency kit.

A basic emergency supply kit should contain:

There are additional items to consider adding to a basic emergency supply kit such as prescription medications and glasses, important family documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification and bank account records in a waterproof, portable container. Other items that might be needed are a fire extinguisher, matches in a waterproof container, feminine supplies and personal hygiene items, mess kits, paper cups, plates and plastic eating utensils and paper towels. Cold weather gear including coats, boots, hats and gloves should also be part of any emergency kit as well, especially if you live in an area that experiences extreme cold temperatures. Cash or traveler's checks should also be included. You can use the Emergency Financial First Aid Kit developed by Citizen Corps to help you organize your financial information. www.citizencorps.gov/

Emergency preparedness kits will be different for every family or individual and one must be built and maintained according to your locale, the amount of dependents in your unit, and the type of potential disasters that occur in your region of the world. The first step is to start building a kit now and have a plan for yourself and/or your family. At Rehabmart, we offer a few basic disaster preparedness kits which include bedding and clothing essentials that are ready to grab and go. These kits work as a wonderful starter kit for your own personalized package for survival and protection. These kits are a great essential to keep in the car, or to give your new high school graduate as they move off to college.

An Extra Tid-Bit For Our Four Legged Family Members

Another big concern during evacuation is always pets. Information provided by the Army sheds some light on what do for our furry family friends. "Bring pets inside immediately and place them in a contained room," he said. "Many times pets run away or hide when they sense danger. Never leave them tied up outside, and remember that pets may experience behavioral changes due to stress." In an evacuation that includes pets, have a carrier ready to go. Take enough supplies and food to last at least three days and a toy to keep the pet occupied. Make sure the carrier is secure and tagged with the pet's name, description and contact details.

If pets are allowed at the shelter, be responsible by cleaning up after them and making sure they are not causing problems. Many shelters do not allow pets. Pets may have to be boarded or placed in a shelter prepared for evacuated pets. But most importantly for our four-legged friends, if you are told to evacuate and are ordered not to bring pets, bring animals inside. Never leave pets outside during an emergency. Leave plenty of food and water for them. Place a notice on the door that pets are inside. List the type and number of animals on the property, your name, phone number and the name and phone number of the pet's veterinarian. Make arrangements for someone to visit the pet until the owner can return.

Keith Higginbotham,
Medical Consumer Writer
and
Hulet Smith, OT
Rehabmart Team Leader & CEO