If your area is prone to floods, you’ll want to prepare ahead so you and your family are as safe as possible should it happen to you.

With the extreme weather conditions that we are seeing today, everybody in our nations (USA as well as Canada) should be prepared for a state of emergency at all times. Strong tropical storms and hurricanes crossing our land often cause flooding, and that is what I’d like to talk about today. Flooding can happen even in areas that are not prone to it.

Top ten things to do to safeguard your home for flash floods:

1. Prevent water from entering your home – If you are expecting heavy rains or storms to hit your locality, particularly if you live in a flood-prone area, you should cover your doors and windows with metal sheets, sandbags, or plywood. You can also use silicone sealant to ensure that water will not enter your home.
2. Shut off your utilities – Turn off all your utilities; gas, electricity and water, at the mains. Also remember to unplug all your electrical appliances and store them high up, on the second floor even.
3. Be mindful of your appliances and furniture – Ensure that your furniture and appliances are kept in high areas or move what you can upstairs. If you do not have an upper floor, just raise such items off the floor on blocks or bricks. Remove carpets, curtains and even internal doors if possible. Store them all in high places to protect them.
4. Don’t forget your important papers, pictures and other personal items. If you can’t get them to an upper floor of your home, put them in sealed bags protected from water.
5. Stabilize all objects outside your house. Rakes, shovels and more should be put away since they can float away and pose danger to others.

More information for you about floods and your safety:

• Information is crucial during situations like these. Keep listening to the radio for announcements and updates.
• Cooperate fully with local authorities and emergency services. If they require you to evacuate, follow them without delay.
• Since electricity will almost certainly be unavailable, ensure you are fully prepared before night fall. It is much more difficult and unsafe to perform tasks or chores in the dark.
• Share any updated information you have with your neighbors, particularly the elderly. If you have room, offer to take them in or help them secure their own homes.
• Stay inside your house. Floodwater can kill, especially if it is raging. Do not attempt to go out. Rapid flowing water that is six inches high could knock you over. Two feet of water could make your car float away.
• Ensure your pets and cars are in a safe and secured location. Once you hear of a flood warning, get to and stay on the second floor of your home.
• There may be objects floating in the water, so do not attempt to swim through raging flood to rescue or retrieve them. You could be swept away, hurt, or knocked over by objects that are in the water.
• Floodwater may also be dirty and contaminated with sewage. I don’t need to tell you what swimming in sewage could do to you, do I?
• River bridges and riverbanks are dangerous places to be near or on during floods. Be sure to steer away from them if possible. There have been many cases where floodwater has destroyed or collapsed a bridge.

Hundreds of people die every year because of fire-related incidents, especially during the winter and/or Christmas season. It is very important for us to be prepared for such emergencies. Each member of our family should know what to do in case of fire. More importantly, all of us need to know what to do to prevent the fire in the first place.

Planning Ahead for A Fire

One of the most important things that parents forget to teach their children is to prepare for an emergency such as fire. Even at a young age, children should already be taught how to prevent fire and what to do in case there is fire.

Fire drills have often been conducted in buildings and schools to help prepare building occupants and students in case of fire, so why can’t you have a fire drill in your home or at the least discuss strategies for escape, prevention, and warning other family members?

The first point of discussion is to check your house for possible fire exits. See if the windows and doors in your house are big and tall enough to be used as possible fire exits. Make a floor plan for each room, ensuring that there are at least two ways to get out of any room to escape fire. In making the floor plan, you need to include crucial details, such as stairs, windows and hallways.

After devising a floor plan, you should meet your children and discuss your fire escape plan. You should also make sure that your family has devised a way of warning other members of fire, such as bells, door tapping, etc. It would be best if each bedroom of your house has a flash light and a bell. Lastly, select a safe place outside the house where everyone will go after escaping the fire.

Preparing your Family for A House Fire

It is wise to act out your evacuation plan with the whole family. Teach your children how to stay close to the ground while escaping and is possible, let them memorize the way. Sometimes, the smoke caused by fire would make it very difficult to see the way, so it would really be wise if you and children know the way by heart.

You and your children should also know that during fire, you should feel the door first before opening it. You should not open the door if it is hot. Instead, find another way you could escape your room or house.

If the clothes of your children or any family member catch fire, tell them to fall to the ground and roll. This will help extinguish the fire.

Making Your House Safe from Fire

Make sure that emergency numbers are placed near telephones. Such numbers should always be accessible and visible so that you can call authorities immediately when a fire breaks out.

You should also ensure that smoke detectors are installed in key places in your house. Once smoke detectors are installed, you should check their batteries once in a while. Usually, the batteries of smoke detectors should be changed yearly.

Place fire extinguishers in key locations. If your house has several floors, ensure that there is at least one fire extinguisher per floor.

It would really be best if smoking is prohibited inside the house because many incidences of fire are caused by improperly discarded cigarettes. However, if smoking cannot be helped, make sure that nobody smokes in the bed. Furthermore, let everyone know how to properly discard cigarette butts.

No matter how many times you have taught your children that matches and lighters are dangerous, some will still play with them. Thus, it is advisable to keep all lighters and matches in places that your children cannot access. If possible, put them in locked drawers or cabinets.

California isn’t the only place whose residents fret over earthquakes (rightly so). People in Mexico, Baguio (Philippines), Indonesia, Japan and other countries have also been victimized by strong earthquakes over the years.

Tragically most people are caught unaware and unprepared. This makes the disaster more disastrous.

Many people living in earthquake-prone areas of the world prefer to live each day as though it may be their last. That doesn’t mean however that the smart ones aren’t prepared for this emergency, just in case, with an escape plan, safety kit and training on emergency preparedness. All parents have a responsibility to teach how to deal with a crisis in every situation to their children.

Have on hand several gallons of water.

Create earthquake packs and emergency kits that contain first aid medicines and supplies as well as emergency ready made food packs.

Flashlights and batteries as well as candles.

If you’ve had any warning or premonition, take everything heavy on the wall of your home, off. It may fall and hurt someone in your family.

During an earthquake – seek refuge from tables that can protect a person from heavy objects that are falling. Some say you should go outside, to an open area that is without danger of falling trees, high rises and power cables.

If you are driving when an earthquake strikes, stay inside your car.

If inside a mall, make sure that yourself and everyone else is away from heavy shelves, plate windows and any other dangerous objects.

If inside a crowded theater or a sports stadium, never run for safety with the crowds. Hundreds of people have died being trampled by the crowds. Just duck under the seat and wait until the stampede clears up.

As stated above, a lot of people get hurt or die because of panic and failure to prepare. It is always helpful to have an emergency earthquake kit, a plan of action, and an escape route at all times.

Survival will always depend on how prepared a person is for emergencies. People who have not prepared for the worse case scenario are the ones who have the tendency to panic. Sad but true, in most cases, those who panic and lose mental clarity and focus become the first victims of any emergency.