How To Shelter In Place
How to Shelter in Place
Posted by Rachel Murphy
How to Shelter in Place The appropriate steps depend on the emergency situation. If you hear a warning signal, listen to local radio or television stations for further information. You will be told what to do, including where to find the nearest shelter if you are away from your "shelter-in-place" location.
HOME If you are told to "shelter-in-place," act quickly. Follow the instructions of local authorities. In general:
1. Bring children and pets indoors immediately. If your children are at school, do not try to bring them home unless told to. The school will shelter them.
2. Close and lock all outside doors and windows. Locking may provide a tighter seal.
3. If you are told there is danger of explosion, close the window shades, blinds or curtains.
4. Turn off the heating, ventilation or air conditioning system. Turn off all fans, including bathroom fans operated by the light switch.
5. Close the fireplace or wood stove damper.
6. Get your disaster supplies kit and make sure the radio is working.
7. Take everyone, including pets, into an interior room with no or few windows and shut the door.
8. If you have pets, prepare a place for them to relieve themselves where you are taking shelter. Pets should not go outside during a chemical or radiation emergency because it is harmful to them and they may track contaminants into your shelter. The Humane Society of the United States
9. suggests that you have plenty of plastic bags and newspapers, as well as containers and cleaning supplies, to help deal with pet waste.
10. If you are instructed to seal the room, use duct tape and plastic sheeting, such as heavy-duty plastic garbage bags, to seal all cracks around the door into the room. Tape plastic over any windows. Tape over any vents and seal electrical outlets and other openings. As much as possible, reduce the flow of air into the room.
11. Call your emergency contact and keep the phone handy in case you need to report a life-threatening condition. Otherwise stay off the phone, so that the lines will be available for use by emergency responders.
12. Keep listening to your radio or television until you are told all is safe or you are told to evacuate. Do not evacuate unless instructed to do so.
13. When you are told that the emergency is over, open windows and doors, turn on ventilation systems and go outside until the building's air has been exchanged with the now clean outdoor air. Follow any special instructions given by emergency authorities to avoid chemical or radiological contaminants outdoors.
—in your vehicle If you are very close to home, your workplace or a public building, go there immediately and go inside. Follow the "shelter-in-place" recommendations for that location.
1. If you are unable to get indoors quickly and safely, then pull over to the side of the road. Stop your vehicle in the safest place possible. If it is sunny outside, it is preferable to stop under a bridge or in a shady spot to avoid being overheated.
2. Turn off the engine.
3. Close windows and vents.
4. If possible, seal the heating, ventilating and air conditioning vents with duct tape or anything else you may have available.
5. Listen to the radio periodically for updated advice and instructions. (Modern car radios consume very little battery power and should not affect your ability to start your car later.)
6. Stay where you are until you are told it is safe to get back on the road. Be aware that some roads may be closed or traffic detoured. Follow the directions of law enforcement officials.
—at work Check with your workplace to learn their plans for dealing with a hazardous materials emergency. Their "shelter-in-place" plans should include the following:
1. Employers should close the office, making any customers, clients or visitors in the building aware that they need to stay until the emergency is over. Close and lock all windows, exterior doors and any other openings to the outside.
2. A knowledgeable person should use the building's mechanical systems to turn off all heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems. The systems that automatically provide for exchange of inside air with outside air, in particular, need to be turned off, sealed or disabled.
3. Unless there is an imminent threat, employers should ask employees, customers, clients and visitors to call their emergency contacts to let them know where they are and that they are safe.
4. If time permits and it is not possible for a person to monitor the telephone, turn on call-forwarding or alternative telephone answering systems or services. If the business has voicemail or an automated attendant, it should be switched to a recording that indicates that the business is closed and that staff and visitors are remaining in the building until authorities advise it is safe to leave.
5. If you are told there is danger of explosion, close any window shades, blinds or curtains near your workspace.
6. Take your workplace disaster supplies kits and go to your pre-determined 7 8 sheltering room(s) and, when everyone is in, shut and lock the doors. Turn on the radios or TVs. If instructed to do so by officials, use duct tape and plastic sheeting, such as heavy-duty plastic garbage bags, to seal all cracks around the door(s) and any vents into the room. Seal any windows and/or vents with sheets of plastic and duct tape. As much as possible, reduce the flow of air into the room.
9. One person per room should write down the names of everyone in the room. Call your business-designated emergency contact to report who is in the room with you and their affiliation with your business (employee, visitor, client, customer).
10. Keep listening to the radio or watching TV for updates until you are told all is safe or you are told to evacuate.
11. When you are told that all is safe, open windows and doors, turn on heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems and go outside until the building's air has been exchanged with the now-clean outdoor air. Follow any special instructions given by emergency authorities to avoid chemical or radiological contaminants outdoors.
—at day-care centers and schools Check with the school or day-care center to learn their plans for dealing with a hazardous materials emergency. Their "shelter-in-place" plans should include the following:
1. Close the school. Activate the school's emergency plan. Follow reverse evacuation procedures to bring students, faculty and staff indoors.
2. If visitors are in the building, provide for their safety by asking them to stay.
3. Ideally, have access to the school-wide public address system in the room where the top school official takes shelter.
4. Have at least one telephone line under the school's listed telephone number in one of the shelter rooms available for a designated person to answer the calls of concerned parents. If time permits, it is not possible for a person to monitor the telephone and the school has voicemail or an automated attendant, change the recording to indicate that the school is closed and that students and staff are remaining in the building until authorities say it is safe to leave.
5. Have all children, staff and visitors take shelter in pre-selected rooms that have phone access and stored disaster supplies kits and, preferably, access to a bathroom. Shut the doors.
6. Have all shelter rooms closed. Lock all windows, exterior doors and any other openings to the outside.
7. If told there is danger of explosion, make sure window
shades, blinds or curtains are
closed.
8. Turn off heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems. Systems that automatically provide for exchange of inside air with outside air must be turned off, sealed or disabled.
9. If instructed by officials, use duct tape and plastic sheeting to seal all cracks around the door(s), windows and vents into the room. As much as possible, reduce the flow of air into the room.
10. If children have cell phones, allow them to use them to call a parent or guardian to let them know that they have been asked to remain in school until further notice and that they are safe. This may reduce the potential number of incoming calls.
11. One teacher or staff member in each room should write down the names of everyone in the room and call the school's designated emergency contact to report who is in that room.
12. Everyone should stay in the room until school officials, via the public address system, announce that all is safe or say everyone must evacuate.
13. Once the word has been given that all is safe, everyone should go outside when the building's ventilation systems are turned back on. Follow any special instructions given by emergency authorities to avoid chemical and radiological contaminants outdoors.
__________________________
*an interior room
The room should have ten square feet of floor space per person in order to provide sufficient air to prevent carbon dioxide buildup for five hours. In this room, you should store scissors, plastic sheeting pre-cut to fit over any windows or vents and rolls of duct tape to secure the plastic. Access to a water supply is desirable, as is a working hard-wired telephone. Don't rely on cell phones because cellular telephone circuits may be overwhelmed or damaged during an emergency. Also, a power failure will render most cordless phones inoperable.
How to Store One Weeks Emergency Survival Food
By Terria Fleming, eHow User
Honey is a good survival food
One weeks worth of food can be a real lifesaver in certain emergency situations. If you want the peace of mind that comes from having enough easy to prepare food in your house to get you through the first few days after a natural disaster eme...rgency, such as an earthquake or a hurricane, then read on.
Read more: How to Store One Weeks Emergency Survival Food | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_2276352_one-weeks-emergency-survival-food.html#ixzz1JFU7HBd7Instructions
things you'll need:
- food
- money to buy the food
- a container for storing one weeks food
-
- 1
No one likes to think that they will be involved in a natural disaster emergency situation, but hurricanes, windstorms, tornadoes, and floods happen. Having a one week survival food supply can help to ease your worries. This food storage plan is for one week, but you could always add to it, and have a plan to store enough food for two weeks, or one month, or even longer.
So, the first thing you need to do is to decide to do it. Then make a list of all the food to put into your one week emergency food storage.
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canned food is handy
For emergency disaster situations, canned and dehydrated foods are probably best. Canned foods can be eaten without heating them if need be, just in case you have no way to cook.
Once you've made your list or gotten some idea of the canned or dehydrated foods you need, then go to the grocery store with list in hand and purchase enough for one week, of each item on your list.
I can't tell you exactly what to buy, all families are different, and prefer different foods so that part is up to you to determine.
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canned salmon can be tasty
Below you'll find some ideas for the kinds of foods that are good to store. Purchase enough for your family for one weeks worth of meals. Since each family is different, in size and in eating habits, I won't suggest how many items, but you should have a pretty good idea of how much your family would eat in one week.
Good survival food suggestions:
canned brown bread or pilot bread.
Canned butter and/or cooking oil.
Canned vegetables, for a week, and canned fruit, for a week. Assorted, and get what your family likes and eats.
Canned pinto beans or baked beans are good too.
Canned tuna, canned salmon, sardines, etc.
evaporated or dried milk
oatmeal
hard candies
peanut butter
jam, jelly, and/or honey
salt and pepper
tea and/or coffee
sugar and/or honey
and don't forget to store enough water for drinking for a week too.After buying the food you need for your one week emergency food storage plan then store it properly in dry, cool, areas that don't get flooded (as in basements) or too hot (like attics). A pantry is perfect but if you don't have one, use a part of one of a closet.
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Don't forget to put in a can opener, and eating utensils and dishes. You can't make use of the canned food you've stored for emergencies if you can't open the cans.
- 5
Store your one week supply of emergency food in whatever container it will fit in. Container ideas include using a brand new metal garbage can with a tight-fitting lid, or a large plastic container with lid.
Label this food storage container, and place it in the area of your house most likely to survive a disaster, or where you can most easily get to it when you need it. - 6
Every six months to a year, rotate your food supplies in the emergency food supply container, removing the older foods, and replacing them with newer food supplies. Then use the older foods in your regular meals.
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Tips & Warnings
-
A can opener is very important, don't forget to include it in your one week emergency supply food storage container. It's really hard to open cans without one. Especially vital if you need to leave your house with your one week food storage, for whatever reason. In the heat of the moment it is all too easy to forget vital items, so prepare and have them already inside your one week emergency food supply container.
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Don't panic, preparation can help to make a hard situation easier.
Shelters and Solar Flares
Pulled from a thread: http://www.december212012.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=275
1. Concrete. This is what the bomb shelters of the 50's and sixties were made from. Concrete and steel reinforcement are what the majority of the Government facilities are made out of. Concrete depending upon thickness and iron support rods would do for nuclear strikes..., most storms,civil unrest and a host of other things. Buried deep enough it could protect against raging fires and maybe a solar flare. Concrete is among the cheapest building materials for shelters. Down side- Under a Noah's Ark type flood, you'd drown. Concrete doesn't do too well when twisted by earth quakes either.
2. Fiberglass. Radius Manufacturing swears by shelters made of fiberglass. They can be made to withstand water at most depths, nuclear fallout and winds, fire, civil unrest, storms of all kinds, and Noah's flood. Down side- These shelters ready made are real expensive. The Cat 25 model for example is over a quarter of a million dollars. They don't bury them deep enough to protect from a solar flare and if they did the weight of the earth would probably crush them. I have no idea how they would do in an earth quake but I have my doubts.
3. Steel tubes. They are a little cheaper when bought pre-manufactured and they aren't too difficult to build yourself. They can be buried deeper than most shelters, thus adding that extra protection from solar flares as well as the usual nuclear, storms, fallout, winds of fire etc. There are a couple of companies out there making tubes from steel culvert pipe. Unfortunately, since we've shipped our steel making to China, steel culverts have gone up. Buy a steel pipe, weld 1/4 inch plates on the ends, put on a blast door and you are ready to go. Since culvert pipe can twist and bend some without breaking, it might not be too bad as earth quake protection either.
4. Steel Freight shipping storage units. These are among the cheapest way to go. They are made for stacking on top of each other so one could make multi-living apartment arrangements. From what I have seen though, I would use a great deal of steel welded reinforcement if you plan to bury them very deep. The companies selling them as already made shelter units are not burying them any deeper than with a standard back hoe so they would do for the nuclear blast but might be questionable for the extreme heat generated by nuclear winds or a solar flare. Steel can twist somewhat with earth quakes. The storage containers are not sealed and water proofed but could be sealed and waterproofed without too much effort. One small company out there DOES have units for sale which are sealed and waterproofed.
5. Tanks. Steel tanks are made for being underground. They can be modified for use as a shelter with very little effort. They are more likely to be shifted around by an earth quake than crushed or twisted. They can be buried deep and protect against most events. They can be underwater forever as long as there is an air source for breathing.
6. Berm Shelters. Berm shelters are generally larger than Pipe or tank shelters and are more traditional in construction. Most of them have a basic shape of an old aircraft hanger covered by earth. Usually one end is exposed and the rest goes back into a hill underground. As long as the exposed area is heavily fortified and has a blast door, most Berms of this type are good for most scenarios. Completely buried berm units are also possible. Radius sells both types. One unit they have houses up to 400 people. Of course it cost a few million dollars too. Write them a check and tell them not to cash it until 2013!
7 Buried buses. Take a school bus(an old one 600-850 dollars). Take out the windows. Put steel plates where the windows were. Get rid of the motor and axles. Dig a hole. Put the bus in. Fill the sides around the bus in and cover the roof with fortified water proof cement. Bury the bus. Don't forget the entrance way and blast door at the surface! There you have a shelter. The ARK II Community in Canada buried tons of buses so see their web site.
8. Dig a hole, Make braces with 4x4's or six by sixes. Cover the whole thing with plastic sheeting and metal siding. Bury shallow but at least 4 feet of dirt. No one knows where it is for off the grid living, it is a good place to store food and ammo against marauders and will probably suffice if a nuclear blast is far enough away until the rads are at a safe enough level to come out of the hole. Lots of down sides and scenarios it won't protect against but hey it does offer some protection from some events.
Building a primitive survival shelter
by Laura Gunionhttp://www.natureskills.com/primitive_shelter.html First published in Foxprint, Winter 2003.
This idea may indeed seem crazy and a bit daunting to many of us. However, with a couple of hours, proper materials and the right mindset, constructing and sleeping in a primitive survival shelter can be a life-changing experience. Although there are many types of group and individual primitive shelters, at Wilderness Awareness School, we often begin by teaching our students how to make individual debris huts. These structures are fairly easy to construct and can be a warm, dry place to spend the night. First of all, location is key. Aside from the normal criteria which includes avoiding low spots, steering clear of standing dead trees, etc….proximity to materials can save a lot of time and energy. Take the time to find a spot that feels right. For construction, the first thing you’ll need is a strong ridegepole that is at least a little taller than you are with your arm stretched above your head. You’ll also need something for one end of the ridgepole to securely rest on—a stump, boulder, fork of a tree, some kind of prop. The other end rests on the ground. At the high end, the ridgepole should be at about hip height. Once your ridgepole is in place, you’ll need ribbing. Lean the ribs against the ridgepole fairly close together leaving a door at the high end. Once ribs are in place, crawl inside feet first checking to see that you have a little room to move, but that it is still snug and cozy. If your survival shelter is too big, you will have trouble staying warm. Imagine you are making a sleeping bag out of natural materials! Drawings by Laura Next, add a layer of lattice, something to act as a net to hold debris in place when it is piled on next. Brush and twiggy branches may work well. The debris that you have available can help determine how small the spaces in your lattice can be. The structure is now in place and it is time for the essential component of insulation. Get ready to shuffle your feet or make yourself a rake and start gathering debris! For good insulation, you’ll want material that can trap air. Obviously, dry material is optimal. Pile on your leaves, ferns, grass, or other available debris. Keep piling, keep piling, go for TWO FEET THICK or more if you might get rained on. Be sure to close up the door area so that you have just enough room to squeeze in without disturbing the structure. Crawl in to see how your cocoon feels. Finish up your insulation by adding some small branches that will hold the debris in case of wind, maintaining as much loft as possible. Now that the outer layer is complete, it is time to stuff your primitive survival shelter with dry soft debris. If you only have wet leaves, use them anyway, you may get wet, but you can still be warm. Once your shelter is full of debris, wiggle in to compress a space for your body. Add more debris as needed, and don’t forget the foot area! Fill up the spaces if you are concerned about being cold. Before you crawl in for the night in your primitive shelter, gather a pile of leaves near the door so that you can close yourself in most of the way. Aside from having a great story to tell your grandkids one day, spending a night in a primitive shelter is an opportunity to overcome fears and gain feelings of freedom and confidence. Pushing our mental and physical comfort edges also brings us chances to find greater comfort and appreciation in our daily lives. HAPPY BUILDING AND SWEET DREAMS! Laura Gunion is an instructor for the Wilderness Awareness Community School, an experiential teen program that covers many outdoor skills inclusing primitive survival shelters, firemaking, and more.
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How to Build an Emergency Underground Shelter
By Rachel Aenne, eHow Contributor
updated: August 05, 2010
Emergency underground shelters can protect your family from storms.
...An emergency underground shelter can help you and your family survive a natural or man-made disaster. Your underground shelter can be used as protection from a tornado, hurricane or other natural disaster. If your shelter is properly stocked with food, water, bedding materials and first-aid equipment, your family's chances of survival during a disaster will be high. Your shelter can also double as a root cellar for food storage.
Instructions
things you'll need:
- Graph paper
- Pencil
- Shovel
- Pickaxe
- Treated posts, 4 by 4
- Concrete mix
- PVC water barrier
- Metal pegs
- Cinder blocks
- Cinder block mortar
- Patio stones
- Jigsaw
- Wood screws
- Steel plates
- Drill
- Heavy-duty nuts and bolts
- Wide steel washers
- Wrench
- Prefabricated steel door
-
- 1
Draw a design for your shelter using the graph paper. Plan a floor, roof, heavy-duty door, staircase and sturdy walls. Fully underground shelters will require a powered air ventilation system, which could be powered by a generator if necessary but may eventually fail in the event of an extended emergency.
- 2
Contact local utility companies. Determine the location of power, gas and water lines. Mark out the location of your shelter.
- 3
Shovel out an area in the shape you want shelter. Use a pickax to break up the earth as needed. Include a rough ramp shape leading into the hole, which is where you will build your stairway. Use a ladder entry if space is an issue.
- 4
Dig holes around the perimeter of the shelter for 4 by 4 posts. Position the post holes away from the edges of the shelter hole, leaving room for cinder blocks on the outside of the posts. Insert treated 4 by 4 posts. Support them with 2 by 4 temporary supports. Mix concrete and pour into the post holes. Follow package directions. Let the concrete set. Fix a PVC water barrier to the outside and bottom of the holes using metal pegs.
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Follow manufacturer directions to mix the cinder block mortar. Construct the outer wall so that the blocks aren't stacked directly above one another, just how the bricks in buildings are laid in a varied pattern. Stacking in a staggered or varied pattern will add strength and security to the walls. Build the walls of the stairway or ladder entrance.
- 6
Use patio stones to floor the shelter. Chisel away chunks as necessary to get a snug fit between the patio stones and walls. Use the cinder block mortar to fill gaps in the floor. Allow to dry per mortar directions. Use patio stones to make stairs. Break, stack and mortar patio stones into the desired shape.
- 7
Secure cross beams to the support posts using a mortise and tenon joint system. Use a jigsaw to cut a peg and socket shape in the beams and supporting posts. Use wood screws to fix the beams in place.
- 8
Cover the roof with steel plates. Use a drill with a heavy bit and heavy-duty nuts and bolts to join the steep plates to the posts and cross beams. Use wide steel washers. Tighten the bolts with a wrench.
- 9
Install a prefabricated heavy-duty steel door. If needed, install a ladder. If your shelter is fully underground, install a prefabricated ventilation system. If your shelter is not fully underground, install prefabricated heavy-duty vents along the exposed side walls.
- 1
- Bomb and Storm Shelterswww.severeweatherpods.com
Deep Earth, Storm, Bomb, Survival Call Toll Free 1-800-955-6273
Tips & Warnings
-
Follow local building codes.
-
Choose dense, high-quality treated wood for posts and cross beams to add strength to your shelter.
-
Stock your shelter with seating, cots, bedding materials, food and water supplies, first aid equipment and an emergency kit.
-
Don't construct underground shelters on a flood plain. Consult local authorities if you aren't sure if your area is prone to flooding.
References
- Online Tips: How to Build a Storm Shelter
- FEMA: Building a Safe Room for Your Home or Business
Read more: How to Build an Emergency Underground Shelter | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_6821654_build-emergency-underground-shelter.html#ixzz1JFVkKWLd
How to build a wood burning heater for nearly free!
How do I Stock the Proper Disaster Survival Supplies?
By Marcy Burlock, eHow Contributor
updated: August 23, 2010
During a disaster, you need to have an emergency survival kit ready.
...Emergencies happen at a moment's notice, and you must be prepared for the chance one will occur. Preparing emergency survival kits before a disaster enables you to better protect your family, as well as allows you to become mobile quickly if the need arises. Your emergency supply kits should include enough food, water and medical supplies to last at least two weeks. Store the kits in readily accessible areas at home and work and include one for your car in case you are stranded.
Instructions
-
- 1
Bottled water, at least 1 gallon per person is recommended per day.
Prepare 1 gallon of water per person per day for at least two weeks. Pick commercially bottled water and don't open until ready to drink. If you prepare your own water, pick food-grade water storage containers from army surplus or camping stores. You can also fill 2-liter plastic pop bottles washed thoroughly.
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Canned foods enough for two weeks per person is recommended.
Stock canned foods that need little to no water to prepare. Pick foods that need no refrigeration and contain little salt to make you thirsty. Protein bars, salt-free crackers and dried fruit can be used as they have long shelf lives. Place these into plastic easy-to-carry containers.
- 3
Stock up on medications for at least a month.
Stock up on at least one month worth of medications. During a disaster, medical facilities and hospitals devote time and energy to seriously injured people and you may not have access to fulfilling your prescriptions.
- 4
A first aid kit should be included in your emergency survival kit.
Stock a first aid kit with bandages, antibiotic ointment, rubbing alcohol, rubber gloves, cleansing moist towelettes, cold packs, pain reliever and a thermometer into a sealed container.
- 5
Personal hygiene items like toothpaste need to be included in your kit.
Stock hygiene products like toothpaste, toothbrush, respiratory masks, hand sanitizer, toilet paper, tissues, garbage bags and ties into your kit.
- 6
Add a flashlight to your emergency survival kit.
Add waterproof matches in a waterproof container. Place a flashlight with extra batteries for illumination.
- 7
Include a battery-powered radio in your kit.
Place a battery-powered radio, cooking utensils, whistle, knife, light sticks, extra clothing and wrench or pliers into your kit.
- 8
Photocopies of credit cards, bank cards and other documentation is required.
Stock infant supplies, pet supplies, extra cash, photocopies of identification of each family member, sleeping bags and warm blankets, copies of credit cards and bank cards, plus other important documentation.
- 9
Place your survival kit into a backpack, duffel bag or trash can.
Store your survival kit in a cool, dry place. Place your boxed and canned foods in a tightly sealed metal or plastic container to extend shelf life and keep them from pests. Replace food when it goes bad and throw out any bent or bloated cans and boxes. Change stored water every six months. Keep the kit in a duffel bag, trash can or backpack
- 1
Tips & Warnings
-
Keep an eye on your survival kit and replace any items that expire or turn bad.
-
Leave the kit where you can quickly reach it in the event you must evacuate.
References
- Federal Emergency Management Agency: Are You Ready? Assemble a Disaster Supplies Kit
- Mayo Clinic: Survival Kit: Stock Up on Essentials for a Disaster
Read more: How do I Stock the Proper Disaster Survival Supplies? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_6876036_do-proper-disaster-survival-supplies_.html#ixzz1JFUUdyrx
