Disaster Shelters

Disaster Shelters come in many shapes and sizes but almost all are exclusively underground and designed to protect the occupants through specific disasters.

They range from a simple underground shed in someone’s back garden to a complex underground facility designed to house and keep safe hundreds of people deep underground.

Of course the more complex and sturdy a shelter is the more protection it will afford its inhabitants so it becomes down to, for many people, how much they can afford to spend on building a shelter adequate for the purpose of survival in any disaster.

One of the disadvantages of shelters is that one has to be close to them to take advantage in the event of a disaster depending on the forewarning of the disaster. If you have a couple of hours warning then you could likely be far away and have no time to return. If it is a 5 or 4 minute warning you need to be less than 4 minutes away from the entrance.

Here are some important points when considering a disaster shelter.

1. Stability. Some companies sell sheds that can be used above ground. These are next to useless in an earthquake, nuclear attack and similar disasters. I have even seen tents being sold as disaster shelters. Shelter from the rain perhaps but certainly not even from a violent storm. A shelter needs to be underground and the further underground it can be built the better. The only doubt is in earthquake country where the ground can warp and so the shelter can be distorted if the earthquake is violent enough and damage to the occupants and contents may occur. In that case being out in the open is probably the best option. Earthquakes are relatively short albeit violent sometimes, and the main issue is destruction that occurs and follows as a result. Strength and durability is important and using the right material to ensure the shelter remains intact during a disaster is important. Japanese building gs, for example, and built with earthquakes in mind so can tolerate a lot of shaking that would destroy other buildings.

2. Sufficient supplies. This includes of course, food, emergency equipment, water and oxygen. Waste disposal facilities and valves to allow used air to escape so the pressure does not build up. It is generally considered that supplies for three months are adequate for most disasters. Also, if one is underground, provision needs to be made for such things as lighting, heating and refrigeration. So electricity is a must for those. Batteries with possibly Solar cells above feeding electricity down to the batteries is feasible. A generator is another option but of course is limited by the amount of fuel that would be available.

3. Communal shelters are often touted as being more economical with the costs shared between the members. All members would need to be within reach so a communal shelter for a street could be a feasible option. The government and large organisations often have large communal disaster shelters for their VIPs and some staff close by, often directly underneath their office and of course military organisations have a number of underground facilities that can be adapted as disaster shelters if needed.

Shelters are commonly available through the internet, even IKEA produces a build your own shelter believe it or not, and prices range from a few hundred up to many hundreds of thousands of dollars. It should be noted that usually the price is broken up into sections. The basic unit has its own price, then there are prices for ‘add-ons’ which of course are essential, such as waste disposal, actual supplies, generators etc. The overall cost, then, is the accumulation of these important add-ons to the basic unit cost. Then, if one’s shelter is going to be underground, there is the cost of the excavation of the ground itself as well as its preparation.

To have an adequate disaster shelter is not going to be a few hundred dollars but more in the region of thousands and, for many people, it is a major investment into the survival of their future.

Image: https://www.google.com.au/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fcdn.cnn.com%2Fcnnnext%2Fdam%2Fassets%2F170307123126-survival-condo-kansas.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2Fstyle%2Farticle%2Fdoomsday-luxury-bunkers%2Findex.html&tbnid=yNA1WROK76oAqM&vet=12ahUKEwjwjeHurdH3AhVc_DgGHcDOAv8QMygWegUIARCCAg..i&docid=j3aH3nX1SKk09M&w=3872&h=2592&q=underground%20disaster%20shelters&hl=en&ved=2ahUKEwjwjeHurdH3AhVc_DgGHcDOAv8QMygWegUIARCCAg

Floods

Flooding is common in many areas of the world. Basically rivers overflow banks and spreads over the land or extremely heavy rainfall over powers the systems designed to carry away water and flooding results. There are many other ways flooding can occur of course.

Usually there is some notice of a flood and time to make preparations for it. Planning in advance if you live in a flood prone area is a must. Usually local communities and governmental bodies have plans of what to do in a flood situation. One should be aware of those by contacting ones local community and relevant governmental bodies. Keeping an eye on the weather for the area is also a good move. Flooding can often be forecast by the weather bureau in your area

Here are some common misconceptions about flooding

It does not flood during a drought.

Flooding can happen anytime. Flash rainfalls can cause a sudden flooding where there has been no water for some time.

For example during the record drought from 1998 to the present day, record rainfall and flooding has occurred in Australia in the Melbourne suburb of Fairfield (December 2003), the Qld Gold Coast (June 2005), Greater Melbourne (Feb 2005), SA Flinders Ranges (January 2007), NSW Central Coast (June 2007), Vic Gippsland (June 2007), Qld Sunshine Coast (August 2007). Further record flooding is possible anywhere in Australia during a drought.

Some people claim that their property has never flooded but of course his does not mean it will not. Complacency is not going to stop a flood if it is determined to happen. It only requires extensive and extraordinary rainfall to cause a flood, even where there has been no recorded history of one before.

Hills and Flooding

It is said that hills do not flood. Well, hills are subject to flooding just as much as lower levels of ground. Creeks, rivers can swell several metres or feet and water can raise up to cover hills also if there is a sufficient volume of water. Water will follow the path of least resistance and running down a hill will find the easiest path. Pipes, sewers, guttering can be overwhelmed by the volume of water and it will overflow these and can flood taking movable objects with it down a hill. In addition property can also be stranded by flood waters surrounding it.

Also being nowhere near a river or creek even is no guarantee of no flooding. Flood means that when a river or creek or flash rain swells the water, this can rise up meters or feet and cover the land for several miles or kilometres around. One does not have to be near a river or creek to experience flooding.

High Flooding

Floods can go higher than we plan for. In Victoria, Australia, the minimum floor level for buildings that are at risk of flooding are arbitrarily set at least 300 millimetres above the 100-year flood level. In some areas, higher freeboards are applied depending on uncertainties and the nature of the floodplain. Floods can go higher than the 100-year flood level. In Australia, the flood planning level is usually defined by the 100-year flood. This is not a flood which happens once every 100 hundred years but one which has a 1 in 100 or 1% chance of occurring in each and every year. In a 70 year lifetime there is a 50/50 chance of a 1 in 100 flood being exceeded at any location.

Levee protection

Levees provide a limited protection dependent solely upon how high the water level rises during a flood and on the volume and spend of the water. Leeves are good for very mild low flooding as they cannot be built sufficiently high enough to keep out all flooding. Many people build leeves on a private basis on their property and expect this to hold off all flooding but this is no guarantee.

Driving during floods

Keep in contact with emergency services, sometimes roads will be closed during a flood. Also most people die in floods when they enter in or try and cross floodwaters. You only need 200mm (8 inches) of fast flowing water to sweep you off your feet or 450mm (18 inches) of still water to float your car. Do not drive or walk through floodwaters. If you must enter floodwaters, wear solid shoes, not thongs or bare feet, and check the depth and current with a stick.

Do not drink and avoid as much as possible contact with contaminated floodwater as it may not be clean and can result in serious illness including gastro-enteritis and hepatitis A.

If you are thinking about using trains or public transport contact the relevant transport and find out if they are running.

What to do in a Flood Situation

Contact the emergency services in your area and find out what the situation is. Is the flooding severe requiring evacuation? If so gather any survival kits, valuables, pets and anything else important and leave the area.

If not stay put and shore up your property with leeves or anything that can prevent the water from flooding your property.

Most people that live in a flood prone area will know what to do. But the above is useful information that anyone can use.

References:

http://www.floodvictoria.vic.gov.au/centric/home.jsp

http://www.floodvictoria.vic.gov.au/centric/faq/common_misconceptions_about_flooding.jsp

Surviving Bushfires

In rural areas bushfires are a real threat, especially in the hot summer months and, while bushfires are a necessary part of the environment to promote new growth, they can easily get out of hand and threaten lives as many people in the rural areas or ‘bush’ will attest.

Here are some tips for coping with a bush fire in your area.

1. In all cases take follow the instructions of the emergency services and fire brigade.

2. Have a bushfire response plan for what to do in the event of a bush fire in your area. Make sure your family are fully aware of the plan and know what to do.

3. Drill the plan or ‘practice’ it so that it becomes second nature and little or no thinking is required when or if it comes time to implement the plan.

4. Ensure you have emergency kits available including first aid and burn salves. If you can get them gas masks are useful for keeping out smoke. More people die from smoke inhalation than from the actual fire.

5. For property ensure there is plenty of water available. Hosing down the building(s) can help to reduce fire damage and heat. Check that your building has sprinklers in working order.

For businesses and farms in the rural area, here are some tips for a useful bushfire response plan

1. Prepare your business premise to reduce fire risk.

2. Make sure there are emergency kits which include first-aid and supplies for up to three days.

3. Ensure the kits are within easy reach and NOT locked up and that employees know where they are.

4. Ensure you have staff that have first-aid qualifications and keep their training up to day as needed.

5. Maintain an easily viewed list of contact details for staff members, including their emergency contact person Also, once you have filled in these documents, store them electronically, e.g. Dropbox.

6. A bushfire response and emergency plan.

7. Regular fire drills, at least once a month, should be undertaken with all personnel in attendance and knowing what their role is.

8. Your plan should also include:

a. Who will be in charge and who is the deputy.

b. The established evacuation routes and assembly points which of course should be drilled so all staff know them.

c. Provision to handle and assist unfamiliar personnel such as tourists, visitors, cultural and linguistic groups.

d. Plan how basic admin will continue, payroll arrangements, especially if people are stood down due to damage and unable to work in an area, leave arrangements, checking the business assets after a fire for insurance and other purposes.

Very often areas prone to bushfires have regular community meetings and it is a good idea to attend those and participate in them.

It is important to stay informed at all times and be prepared!

There are weather apps these days one can have on your phone to alert you of fires and floods in your area.