Steps to Take After a Hurricane

What to Do After a Hurricane

MAKE SURE THE STORM IS REALLY OVER

- Remain indoors until an official "all clear" is given.

SAFETY (see also Food Safety below)

- INITIALLY, USE PHONES ONLY FOR EMERGENCIES. Local lines will be jammed. Let those with life-threatening emergencies use the phones first.

- Give First Aid and assist in rescue efforts.

- Do not touch fallen or low-hanging wires of any kind under any circumstances. Stay away from puddles with wires in/near them. Do not touch trees or other objects in contact with power lines.

- Warn your children about broken glass, sharp metal, stray animals, and other outdoor dangers. Do NOT go barefoot or wade in puddles!

- Aggressively clean all cuts or scrapes – the risk of infection is high. Don’t clean anything with tap water – it may be polluted.

- Don’t attempt to drive for a few days. Roads will be a flooded, blocked, washed-out, undermined, or needed by emergency vehicles. If away from home, you might not be allowed to return. Police may erect road blocks and deny all access or require identification to enter a neighborhood.

- Don’t light candles or use anything with a flame. There may be gas leaks.

- Don’t turn on the electricity – you may short out appliances that are still wet and cause a fire.

- Expect an invasion of vermin (rats & snakes) and insects within a few days.

PLAN TO REUNITE AND SHARE STATUS

Implement your family plan on how to unite separated members. Suggestions:

- Leave messages with a designated person outside the emergency area.

- Have a secret place near your house to leave a written message (in a water proof bag). “Had to flee, will be at Uncle Joe’s, 914-555-5555”.

- Use email, Facebook, texting, and cell phones when power is available

- Notify the local police and Red Cross if you are separated so the family knows you are alive.

- Don’t forget to include grandparents and other concerned relatives in the plan. They will be worried about you and want to know where you are.

- Let your Bishopric know where you are located and your status. If you cannot reach them by phone, try email or create a news item on the Ward web site at www.lds.org. The news item will not go public; it is reviewed by the Ward Website Administrator first.

PLAN RESPONSIBILITIES & STAY INFORMED

- Make a plan with your family, friends, and neighbors assigning specific responsibilities to each person. Keep every person busy with something useful. Don’t forget to assign childcare to someone.

- Another important task is damage assessment. Take photos before you begin cleaning up to use in your insurance claim. Create an inventory of damages.

- Listen to local radio stations for public announcements.

MENTAL HEALTH

- Stress, anxiety, panic, anger, sadness, and depression are all normal following an emergency. Get plenty of sleep and watch for signs of emotional breakdown in family members. Children and older adults are of special concern in the aftermath of disasters.

- Acknowledging feelings helps with recovery. Pray together and emphasize the positive. Count your blessings and utilize your strengths.

- Contact your church leader, voluntary agencies, or professional counselors for counseling. Additionally, FEMA and state and local governments of the affected area may provide crisis counseling assistance.

FOOD SAFETY
from http://www.fda.gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/ucm076993.htm

Hurricanes, especially if accompanied by a tidal surge or flooding, can contaminate the public water supply and anything the flood waters touched.

- Do not eat any food that may have come into contact with flood water. If in doubt, throw it out.

- Do not eat food packed in plastic, paper, cardboard, cloth, and similar containers that have been water damaged.

- Discard food and beverage containers with screw-caps, snap lids, crimped caps (soda bottles), twist caps, flip tops, and home canned foods, if they have come in contact with flood water. These containers cannot be disinfected.

- Undamaged foods in all-metal cans or retort pouches can be saved if you remove the labels, thoroughly wash the cans, rinse them, and then disinfect them with a sanitizing solution consisting of 1 tablespoon of bleach per gallon of potable water. Re-label containers with contents and expiration date with a marker.

WATER SAFETY

- If you don't have bottled water, then boil water to make it safe. If the water is cloudy, filter it through clean cloths or allow it to settle, and draw off the clear water for boiling. Boil the water for one minute, let it cool, and store it in clean containers with covers.

- If you can't boil water, disinfect it using household bleach. Filter if cloudy and then add 1/8 teaspoon (or 8 drops) of regular, unscented, liquid household bleach for each gallon of water. Stir it well and let it stand for 30 minutes before using.

- Do not use well water that has been flooded. Have the water tested before using.

CLEAN-UP

- Wear protective clothing, such as gloves and boots, to avoid skin contact with raw sewage and other contaminants.

- Open windows and doors to ventilate and dry your home.

- Shovel as much mud and debris as possible out of the building, then hose it down, inside and out. The walls, floors and any other parts of the building that have been flooded should be washed and disinfected.

- Drain the basement no more than one foot per day to minimize further damage. Groundwater outside creates enormous inward pressure on basement walls and floors.

- Throw away flooded items that cannot be washed and disinfected (such as mattresses, carpeting, carpet padding, rugs, upholstered furniture, cosmetics, stuffed animals, baby toys, pillows, foam-rubber items, books, wall coverings, drywall, insulation, and most paper products).

- Discard wooden cutting boards, wooden dishes and utensils, plastic utensils, baby bottle nipples, and pacifiers that have come into contact with flood water. These items cannot be safely cleaned.

- Thoroughly wash metal pans, ceramic dishes, and utensils (including can openers) with soap and water, using hot water if available. Rinse, and then sanitize them by boiling in clean water or immersing them for 15 min. in a solution of 1 tablespoon of unscented, liquid chlorine bleach per gallon of drinking water (or the cleanest, clearest water available).

- Thoroughly wash countertops and all surfaces with soap and water, using hot water if available. Rinse, and then sanitize by applying a solution of 1 tablespoon of unscented, liquid chlorine bleach per gallon of drinking water (or the cleanest, clearest water available). Allow to air dry.

- Carefully clean corners, cracks and crevices, door handles, and door seals, in rooms that have been affected by flood water.

- Discard refrigerators that have been submerged in flood water, or if enough moisture was present from liquefied food items to reach the insulation inside the equipment.

- Run your dishwasher, empty through three complete cycles to flush the water lines and assure that they are cleaned internally before washing equipment and utensils in it.

- Discard all ice in ice machines; clean and sanitize (1 tablespoon of bleach per gallon of potable water) the interior surfaces; run the ice through 3 cycles; and discard ice with each cycle.

- Replace all ice machine filters and beverage dispenser filters and flush all water lines for 10 to 15 minutes.

REFRIGERATOR
- Without power, a refrigerator will keep food cold for about 4 hours if it is unopened. A full freezer will keep the temperature for approximately 48 hours (24 hours if it is half full) if the door remains closed.

- Fifty pounds of dry ice should hold an 18-cubic foot fully-stocked freezer cold for two days.

- Once the power is restored, use a thermometer to check the freezer. If the freezer thermometer reads 40° F or below, the food is safe and may be refrozen. Otherwise check each frozen package of food - it’s safe if it still contains ice crystals. You can't rely on appearance or odor.

- Refrigerated food should be safe as long as the power was out for no more than 4 hours. Discard any perishable food (such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs or leftovers) that has been above 40° F for two hours or more. Perishable foods that are not kept adequately refrigerated or frozen may cause illness if consumed, even when they are thoroughly cooked.

Bottom Line

For more information see www.fema.gov/rebuild/