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Posts Tagged ‘emergency preparedness’
How To Prepare For A Hurricane
Tuesday, September 6th, 2011With Irene still fresh in our minds, much of the East Coast was made very aware of just how unprepared they were for a potential disaster like a direct hit from a hurricane. Hurricanes can cause monumental destruction and just because you live inland from the coast does not mean you are protected. This has been re-discovered in regions like Central/Northwest NJ, Vermont, and NY state. Flooding from a massive influx of rain in these regions resulted in 100 year floods and resulted in severe river flooding, broken dams, and power outages that are still existing now 8 days later! While some headlines in NYC read “Irene, The Great Hurricane Hype”, this is disconnected from the flooding that severely affected over 5 million people inland.
Many of those who are most affected were unfortunately the least prepared and are understanding first hand how some basic supplies and planning could have made this hurricane destruction much more manageable. While I’m hoping many of our readers are very familiar with the basics of disaster and hurricane preparation, I think it is important to revisit this subject. We’re still at the beginning of hurricane season and paying attention to the Atlantic Ocean over the last week, I’m sure this will not be the last of the effects felt on the East Coast.
First and foremost, choose a location that is considered the safest place for when the storm hits. Any location that does not have windows is preferred to protect you and your family from high winds even if that means avoiding the basement so as not be to be exposed to flooding. If your home does not have a safe area, then you should make yourself aware of any emergency shelters near your home. If you have special medical needs or you know of family members or friends that do, please contact the local town and county to set up arrangements.
Critical - Food And Water
You should have enough non-perishable food and water in your home to last the family for at least 2 weeks. Two days before Irene made landfall, many supermarkets were brimming with folks stocking up and laying claim to some of the most valuable items. Rather than waiting for the last minute like the majority of the population did, purchase these items beforehand and choose items that have a long shelf life so that your investment is retained for years to come. The Wise food storage that we carry has a shelf life of 25 years and only requires water prior to consumption.
Having fresh water is also essential and we recommend having at least 1/2 gallon per person per day on hand. A berkey water filter is an inexpensive way to purify any water in or around your home, on the go in case you are forced to evacuate. The filters that come standard with the berkey systems will filter 6000 gallons per set of 2.
Supporting - Essential Supplies
Once you have the food and water straightened out, you’ll need additional basic items like batteries, flashlights, etc. These are vital, especially in the likely event that your power goes out. Here’s a list of some of the top items we recommend:
Shortwave/Weather Radio - For weather status and emergency recovery operations
Batteries - Power devices such as radios and flashlights
Medication for all family members - These sometimes get overlooked, but forgetting a simple item as an inhaler can be very dangerous during stressful times
First aid kit
Flashlights
Cash - Credit cards will not process when power is out.
Toiletries
Clothing
Other Things To Consider For Your Home
Whether your hunkering down at your home or leaving it to fend for itself, you’ll want to make sure it can weather the storm as best as possible. This means boarding up windows, placing sandbags around the home, silicone sealing doors, windows, and crevices that may be prone to floodwaters, and making sure your sump pump (if you have one) is operational. A home generator is also very nice to have in the event of prolonged power outages like many Irene victims are still experiencing. They’ve come down in price and basic ones can be bought for under $500.
Finally, have a plan to take care of your pets. Depending on how many you have, this can become a cumbersome responsibility and should be thought through. One of the easiest options is to ask a friend or relative who is a safer place to watch them during the storm.
Proper preparation for a hurricane is not difficult, is relative inexpensive, and can make all the difference in the event of such a disaster. Don’t hesitate to spend a little time planning today for dangerous events that may take place tomorrow.
How Do Hurricanes Affect Drinking Water?
Wednesday, July 28th, 2010As we all now, a hurricane is like a giant tornado, with winds circulating around a calm center at 75 mph or more. Yet even though we’ve seen the devastation of a hurricane like Katrina, how many of us are fully prepared? Given we’re well into the hurricane season, there’s no better time to discuss the importance of preparing you and your family for the dangers.
2010 Hurricane Season
The hurricane season starts June 1st and ends November 30th, and again this year (2010) the National Hurricane Center has predicted an above average number of storms in the Atlantic. The first, category 2 hurricane Alex, appeared less than a month after the season began. At the rate of one a month, the Atlantic Ocean will surely reach its predicted quota.
Initial fear that Alex would strike Florida proved unfounded. Instead the hurricane moved across the Gulf and slammed into Mexico, leaving several dead and millions of dollars in damage. That was good news for the United States, but of course bad news for Mexico.
However, it was not all good news for the U.S.. The storm hampered cleanup progress of the BP oil disaster that started on April 20th and there is still serious concern that oil could be blown and stretched out across the Gulf of Mexico and it’s beaches over the next couple months. This would obviously make cleanup much more difficult than it already is.
Hurricane Katrina
The destructive power of a hurricane is in the wind, but also in the amount of water it drops. Katrina, for example, dropped 15 inches of rain in some regions in less than a 24 hour period. An inch of rain drops 65,000 tons of water per square mile, and the average hurricane covers 8000 square miles! That much water inevitably has the potential to be very destructive!
Extreme Weather and Our Drinking Water
Why do weather extremes like this affect drinking water? Hurricane rain is not just unadulterated distilled water. It can often contain chemicals similar to acid rain yet also churn up undrinkable salt water from the ocean that causes corrosive damage. This water essentially has a negative impact on any source of drinking water it touches. This is particularly noticeable in rural areas where high volumes of run-off from fields containing fertilizers and other chemicals can quickly contaminate karsts and private wells.
In more populated ares, polluted floodwater is typically an even bigger concern as it mixes and contaminates the water supplies of municipal water systems. Damage to municipal water pipes is often a part of storm destruction, and this means that safe drinking water is unable to get to homes and individuals on that pipeline for days, weeks, and sometimes months.
Make Sure You Are Prepared
Prepare Yourself and Your Family
Knowing all this, how can one be prepared for a possible hurricane disaster? Of course, some parts of a disaster are unavoidable and they must be endured until the crisis is over. But other foreseeable problems can be a part of the preparation. For example, if you live in a flood plain, or along the coasts where hurricanes (or typhoons on the Pacific coast) may occur, it would be wise to stock up on food, clean water or a water filter, and at least a 2 day responder pack for your family. These are just the basics, but every family should begin with this foundation for preparedness. Do you research as many disaster survival companies have just the sort of supplies you would need.
For water security, we recommend purchasing a gravity fed water filter like the Berkey water filter. These are very efficient in removing virtually anything that may threaten your health such as pathogenic bacteria and chemicals. The berkey filter will provide clean drinking and cooking water you could trust for the duration of the disaster that you experience. There is a peace of mind in knowing that you have water security for you and your family in the event of a potential hurricane disaster.
Water Shortage In the Midst of a Flood?
Tuesday, May 18th, 2010As bizarre as it might seem on the surface, recent flooding on the Cumberland River in Tennessee has caused the mayor to ask people to cut their water usage. “If you don’t need a bath, don’t take it,” he pleaded.
The problem is not that the Nashville area is short of water. That is obvious after thirteen inches of rain over the weekend in early May, 2010 as pictures show expensive homes, cars, and property submerged with damage in the billions of dollars. No, the problem is a lack of clean and safe potable water. Often with flooding comes damage to the water distribution piping systems that feed the homes. This includes both city water and well water systems. When disease-infected or contaminated water mixes potable water, the result is of course, unsafe water.
Nashville Neighborhood Under Water
We all know that we are totally dependent on safe water for survival. We can live fifty or sixty days without food, but only a few days without water. Lack of potable water is one of the world’s biggest threats to human health. Everything about the functioning of our bodies requires water; the digestive system, nervous system, reproductive system, etc, and every cell in our bodies contains water.
Therefore, even in prosperous America, a crisis such as the one being experienced in Tennessee demands fresh, clean water for survival. Some residents are relying on whole house filter systems, reverse osmosis, or distillation to provide safe water. However, these systems do not operate when a power source is not available. And in the case of the Nashville flood, many parts of the city and towns have been without power for weeks. During these instances, those with gravity water filters are still able to produce clean purified water.
Flooding in Nashville
A gravity filter such as the Berkey filter works on a simple principle. The water is poured into an upper chamber and cannot get to the bottom chamber without passing through the black berkey filter element. The amazing adsorbing properties of the combination of over 6 different types of filtration media removes heavy metals, chlorine and chlorine compounds, volatile organic compounds, and pathogenic bacteria. In short, the unsafe water poured into the top is rendered safe just seconds later when it reaches the bottom reservoir.
Affected Tennessee residents are facing a long road to recovery and we should support them by any means possible as it will be weeks and months of cleaning up to get their lives back to normal. It’s important that the rest of us take heed to the challenges they are facing and understand that a Berkey water filter means safe drinking water in a crisis such as this.
Emergency Preparedness - Berkey Water Filters to the Rescue
Wednesday, November 12th, 2008For the majority of suburbanites and city dwellers, the food supply rests solely of the effectiveness of large scale farming, transport supply chain systems, and local supermarkets. Rarely nowadays, do we find self sufficient households with the ability to live off the land via their crops, gardens, livestock, and local water sources. Compare this to 100 years ago when self sufficiency was much more prevalent, neighbor could rely upon neighbor to barter and trade for essentials, and the local town store filled in the gaps. Today, our idea of bartering with our neighbors lies more along the lines of borrowing the snow blower for the power washer.
The more our current model of food supply evolves, the more dependent our population becomes. This is a dangerous road we’ve been traveling down for a very long time. The dilemma can be compared to that of raising an animal in the zoo for 10 years and then releasing it into the wild and expecting it to be able to fend for itself. Under those circumstances that animal will not survive, and on many levels the majority of the US population is just as vulnerable. If a natural disaster does strike and our zookeeper can’t tend to us for a few days, where’s our food and water come from? We can’t expect relief organizations to pick up immediately where the zookeeper left off as it takes days and weeks to address those in need.
The percentage of the population that is prepared and has a backup plan is sorely low and is only trending lower due to the nature of our technological pursuits and progression. Due to the fact that you can go weeks without food but only days without water, emergency preparedness begins with potable water. The popularity of Berkey Water Filters stem from the fact that they filter and clean the dirtiest of water using gravity, without the need for electricity. This fact alone speaks volumes as to the inherent value that these systems possess, not to mention the piece of mind it brings to the owner. There’s an argument to be made that a water filter such as the Big Berkey is considered the most, if not one of the most important forms of emergency preparation. Stop and adjust your perspective for a moment and this reality becomes abundantly clear. If we spent just a tenth of the time preparing for a potential emergency that we do preparing for a economic downturn, we’d have a garage stocked full of food, water, supplies, and equipment. Unfortunately, I feel as though we’ve been hypnotized by our own technological advances into a false sense of security. New Orleans residents had the wake up call of a lifetime, and my hope is that the rest of the population is still not sleeping.
Click here for more information on how many berkey filters are needed.
The Thirsty Berkey - For the Love of Clean Water
