How to protect your family from environmental danger?
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
There are many environmental disasters that can happen, including floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, and more, that can put your family in danger. While you cannot stop these disasters from happening, there are several things that you can do to help to ensure that you and your family are safe.
Flooding concerns
No matter where you live, you can experience a flood. You can live miles away from water, and the right storm could come along and drop many inches of rain which will, in turn, cause a significant flooding risk. If you live near water already, you are at significant risk for a flooding event. There are several things that you can do to ensure that your home is ready for a flood.
- Barrier protection: Consider getting a flood protection barrier to go across your doors to help prevent floodwater from entering in.
- Raise your home: If you are in a flood zone, consider raising your home beyond flood level.
- Flood insurance: Flood insurance will help you get reimbursed if your home is flooded and damage occurs.
- Having an escape plan: If your home starts to flood, everyone in your home should know what the plan of escape is and where you will go. This will help to ensure that everyone is safe.
Hurricane concerns
Hurricanes do not just affect the coast. Some hurricanes can come in and affect many miles inland. For example, Hurricane Hugo came in and did damage all the way in Charlotte, NC. It is important to have a plan for hurricanes. Hurricanes will cause significant flooding, wind damage, and power outages.
- Have a generator: Having a generator can help you to power your electrical items if the power grid goes down during a hurricane. Make sure that you only operate the generator outdoors.
- Know the evacuation route: If a strong hurricane looks to hit your area, your best course of action is to evacuate. Knowing the evacuation routes will help to keep you and your family safe.
- Being aware: You will want to make sure that you pay attention to the forecast track of the storm and get weather updates from your local weather station. This will help you to make plans on what you should do during a hurricane.
Fire concerns
Over the years, there has been an increased number of wildfires that have taken people’s homes. There are several things that you can do in order to protect your family in case of a wildfire.
- Paying attention to the fire: If you know there is a wildfire near your home, you will want to pay attention to what it is doing. Monitor the fire frequently, and if they order evacuations, you will want to leave immediately.
- Have a plan in place for family members and animals: Having a plan on how you will load up animals and people to evacuate is imperative. You may want to practice this frequently if you live in an area prone to wildfires.
- Clear out leaves and other debris: If you have a lot of debris in your yard like leaves, dead shrubs, underbrush, and more, do your best to clear it. This will help the fire have nothing to feed on and may save your house.
Earthquake concerns
Earthquakes can happen anywhere in the world, and unfortunately, you will not have any warning when it occurs. There are some things that you can do to be prepared.
- Have an earthquake kit: An earthquake kit can help you to have everything you need. Consider having emergency water, food, medicines, and more in your earthquake kit.
- Practice safety: Look for earthquake safety instructions online and practice that. Getting under tables and in doorways may help you to survive an earthquake.
- Look for help: If you are in a severe earthquake, make sure that you and your family are alright and then find help.
Knowing how to stay safe during an environmental crisis is important. If you or members of your family panic, it can lead to devastating consequences. Try to keep everyone calm and work on doing things that need to be done. Follow the tips above for each disaster, and you should be able to get your family through these issues safely.