Disaster Preparedness
Channel: White Star Outdoors
Date: 2019-02-02

Disaster Preparation

1.Building an Emergency Kit

1. First aid kit
2. Battery powered radio
3. Flashlight
4. Extra batteries
5. Emergency whistle
6. Cell phone with charger
7. Cash and small bills
8. A local map with family meeting place identified
9. Food and water with at least 3 days or a week
10.garbage bags
11.dust masks
12.seasonal clothing and footwear
13.prescription medication
14.any other important items unique to your family needs

2. Evacuation Alert vs. Evacuation Order
Evacuation Alert means there's a risk in your area. Be prepared to leave on short notice. 
Evacuation Order means you must leave immediately. 

3. Severe Weather Preparedness
Get prepared now by developing a household plan and building an emergency kit with enough supplies for at least three days.  

- Have a battery-operated radio and listen to your local station for warnings, advice and instructions
- Stow flashlights around the house and remember to have extra batteries on hand in case of power failure. Other safe lighting options include glow sticks, crank-flashlights, headlamps and battery-operated lanterns
- Fireplaces, woodstoves, barbecues and camp stoves can be used for emergency cooking, just don’t use the last two indoors due to the risk of carbon monoxide build-up
- Consider a home generator during extended power outages, as long as it’s used in accordance with manufacturer’s guidelines and never operated indoors
- Inspect your chimney or flue to help prevent structural fires and ensure smoke, carbon monoxide and other potentially harmful gases are properly vented
- Winterize your home by insulating walls and attics, weather-stripping doors and windows, clearing rain gutters and removing tree branches that could fall during strong winds

4. Flood Information for Homeowners and Home Buyers
Find out you area at risk of floods, contact your local government and ask if flood hazard mapping is available. 
1. Put together an emergency kit.
2. Develop a household emergency plan.
3. Connect with your neighbours.
If you are facing imminent flooding, move electrical appliances to upper floors and make sure to anchor fuel supplies, such as oil tanks. 
Gather your grab-and-go kit(s).

1. Follow instructions from local officials via TV, radio or social media.
2. Move to a safe location outside the impacted area.
3. Return home only when authorities say it is safe to do so

5. Landslide Information for Homeowners and Home Buyers
- Contact your local government and ask if landslide hazard and/ or watershed mapping is available for the area, along with slope stability information. 

- Recognize the Danger Signs
Get to know your terrain and waterways. The best way to prepare is to be aware of changes that could signal a landslide. 
Leave the area immediately if you observe the following:
1. A faint rumbling sound that increases in volume
2. Unusual sounds, such as trees cracking or boulders knocking together

6. Tsunami Preparedness
What to do if there is a Tsunami Threat
Earthquakes are often a precursor to a tsunami. If you feel strong shaking, drop, cover and hold on. Then move to higher ground or, in some communities, a pre-identified safe area.

- How Will I know if a Tsunami is coming?

B.C. receives notification of a potential distant tsunami from the U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center.

7. Power Outage Preparedness
Have a battery-operated radio and listen to your local station for warnings, advice and instructions

8 How to Build a Sandbag Dike
It takes two people about one hour to fill and place 100 sandbags, giving you a 1-x-20-foot wall. 

9. Pet Preparedness
During an emergency, you and your animal companion(s) may be on your own for several days, and your pets will be relying on you to help them through it. 

Think ahead – you might need extra supplies based on what type of pet you have: 
• CATS? You’ll need a small container of cat litter and plastic bags 
• DOGS? You’ll need a roll of poop bags 
• REPTILES? You may need a portable battery-operated heat lamp
• BIRDS? You might need cuttlebone and grit

10. Earthquake Preparedness
Any places in the world have the possibilities of earthquakes. By planning ahead and practicing drills, you and your family will know what to do.  
During an earthquake... drop, cover and hold on

If you are inside, stay inside. DO NOT run outside or to other rooms during shaking.
1. DROP down onto your hands and knees (before the earthquake knocks you down). This position protects you from falling, but allows you to still move if necessary.
2. COVER your head and neck (and your entire body if possible) under a sturdy table or desk. If there is no shelter nearby, only then should you get down near an interior wall (or next to low-lying furniture that won't fall on you), and cover your head and neck with your arms and hands.
3. HOLD ON to your shelter (or to your head and neck) until the shaking stops. Be prepared to move with your shelter if the shaking shifts it around.
Credits: PreparedBC