The Complete Idiot's Guide to Disaster Preparedness » (Original)

Dr. Maurice A. Ramirez, DO, is the founder and president of the consulting firm High Alert, LLC, dedicated to making individuals, families, businesses, and communities more aware of the need for disaster planning and education.

John Hedtke is an award-winning author who has written about high tech, management, and business topics for over 25 years.

Ready for anything.

Both natural and man-made disasters seem to occur with greater frequency. While these disasters can be devastating, the vast majority of casualties are caused by a lack of preparation. The Complete Idiot's Guide(r) to Disaster Preparedness teaches readers the right steps to prepare the home or office for a disaster, and about issues relating to insurance, evacuation plans, and building an emergency to-go pack.

• By an internationally acknowledged expert author
• Practical, comprehensive, hands-on advice applicable to most disasters
• Meets the demands of a vast and expanding market for this genre

Part 1 Disaster Preparedness: The Basics 1

1 When Needs Exceed Resources 3

Disaster Preparedness: The New CPR 4

Parameters of Disaster 5

Definition of Disaster 6

Definition of Catastrophe 6

Great Disasters in Recent History 7

The Southern California Wildfires 7

The Hundred-Year Flood 8

The Six-Minute Earthquake 9

Fourteen Months of Hurricane Horror 10

Disaster Vulnerability 11

The "Footprint" of Disaster 11

Risk and Outrage 11

Calculating Your Risks 12

All Disasters Are Local 15

Neighbors Helping Neighbors 15

Hand, Heart, and Cross 16

I'm from the Government 16

2 One Size Fits All Disasters 19

Keeping It Simple 20

Preserving the Processes of Life 20

Disaster-Specific Plans 20

Needs-Based Planning 21

Goals of Needs-Based Plans 22

Protect 22

Provide 23

Unite 23

Inform 25

Act 26

Twenty-First-Century Disaster Preparedness 26

Special Preparedness Technology 26

Wireless and Internet Resources 28

Social Networking and Mass Communications 30

3 Packing a Personal Go-Pak 31

What Is a Go-Pak? 32

Safety Supplies 33

Personal Clothing 33

Miscellaneous Items 34

Sustenance Supplies 34

Personal Gear 34

Medications 36

Miscellaneous Items 36

Communication Supplies 37

Information and Important Papers 37

Other Financial Concerns 40

Additional Considerations for Children 40

4 Special Needs 41

Getting Information 42

News 42

Public Warning Systems 42

Kids Can Be Fragile 43

Watch for Behaviors 43

Help Them Process What's Happening 44

Seniors Can Be Fragile, Too 45

Planning's Even More Important! 46

Packing Two Weeks of Meds 46

Caretaking Requirements 47

Service Animals and Pets 47

Food48

Shelter 48

Toys and Supplies 49

Disabilities Can Aftect Your Planning 49

Caretakers 49

Wheelchairs and Other Adaptive Equipment 50

Transportation Needs 50

Planning for Service Animals 51

Dealing with the Homeless 51

5 Safety Isn't Just Good Preparation 53

Sheltering in Place 54

What Shelter Is Right? 54

Food, Water, and Air 55

Building a Safe Room 57

The Evacuation 57

Gassed Up and Ready to Go 58

Map Your Evacuation Routes 58

Shut Down, Lock Up, Get Out 58

Tell People Where You're Going 59

Follow Directions: No Shortcuts! 60

Know Where You're Going 60

Life in the Shelter 60

What to Bring 61

What Not to Bring 61

Getting Along with People 61

Dealing with Boredom 62

Safety in the Shelter 62

Time to Go Home 63

Returning Home 63

Unlock, Unseal, Turn On, Unpack 63

Clean Up and Repair 65

Return to Normal Life 65

6 Preparing Your Business 61

Business Continuity and Beyond 68

Getting Ready for Disaster 69

Creating an All-Hazards Business-Continuity Plan 71

IT Considerations 74

Plan for the Employees, Too 75

Insurance, Assurance, Peace of Mind 76

Part 2 Detailing the Disasters 77

7 Floods 79

What's a Flood? 80

Groundwater 80

Surface Water 80

Surges and Waves 80

When and Where the Waters Rise 82

Flood Seasons 82

Flood Reasons 82

Flood Places and Paces 83

Pre-Season Preparations in Detail 84

Build Up and Build High 84

Levees and Dikes 84

Sandbags 86

Waterproofing 86

First Warning and Tracking the Flood 87

Final Warning and Evacuation Issues 87

Get Out of the Way 87

Grab and Go 88

When the Flood Hits 89

Related Hazards 89

Swift Waters 89

Floating Hazards 90

Shocking Stuff 91

Bad Waters 92

Post Flood Issues 92

Drying Out 92

Cleaning Up 93

Clearing Out 93

8 Hurricanes 95

What Are Hurricanes? 95

Before the Storm 97

Boarding Up 97

Making Your Roof Safe 98

Securing Loose Items 99

Tidying Up Before the Storm 99

Watches and Warnings 100

Listen to News Bulletins 101

Prep Your Pool 101

Prep Your Boat 102

The Final 24 Hours 102

Evacuation Issues 103

Shelter in Place 104

During the Storm 104

Related Hazards 105

Flooding and Storm Surges 105

Tornadoes 106

Lightning 106

Not So Calm After the Storm 106

Storm Damage to Roofs and Houses 107

Drinking Water Safety 108

9 Tornadoes 109

What Is a Tornado? 110

Touring Tornado Alley 112

Storm Shelters and Safe Rooms 113

Warnings 114

Sirens 115

Seconds to Shelter 116

No Time to Evacuate 117

Related Hazards 118

Flying Debris 118

Falling Flotsam 118

Lightning 119

Following the Funnel 119

10 Wildfires 121

What's a Wildfire? 122

Brush Fires 122

Forest Fires 123

Dry in the High Chaparral 123

Before the Blaze 124

Cutting Back Brush 125

Preventive Landscaping 125

What's Wet Doesn't Burn 126

Fireproof Materials on New Construction 126

Smoke Signals 127

Feeling the Heat 129

Stay, Spray, and Pray 129

One Last Pass for Prevention 129

Too Close for Comfort 130

Grab-and-Go Evacuation 131

When Leaving It All Behind 131

Related Hazards 132

Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust 133

A Life in Ashes 133

A Phoenix Rising 134

11 Earthquakes 135

What's an Earthquake? 136

Bump and Grind 136

Mountains from Molehills 136

Liquid Assets 137

Measuring Quakes 137

We're Gonna Rock This Town 138

Batten Down the Hatches 138

Bolts, Straps, and Retrofits 138

Quakeproofing Your Utilities 140

Little or No Warning 141

Seismic Activity or Lack Thereof 141

High-Tech Home Tech 141

Evacuation Issues 142

Finding a Safe Haven 142

The Security of the Street 143

Related Hazards 144

Getting Trapped and Getting Free 145

After the Shock 147

Aftershocks 147

Building Safety 147

Restoring Utilities 148

Drinking Water Safety 148

12 Blizzards 149

What's a Blizzard? 150

Snow 150

Ice 151

Wrapping Up in Cold Weather 151

Insulation 151

Windows 152

Fuel 153

Clothing 154

Weatherize the Car 155

Snow Removal Equipment 156

Winter Weather Warnings 157

Evacuation Issues 157

Sharing Houses 158

Shelters 158

Waiting Too Long 158

Related Hazards 159

Frozen Pipes 159

Frostbite and Cold Injuries 160

Post-Blizzard Issues 161

Digging Out 161

Flooding When It Thaws 162

Ice Damage 162

13 Pandemics 163

What's a Pandemic? 164

The Day the Earth Coughed 165

Not If, but When 165

Not Who, But How Bad 166

Only One Risk Factor: Living on Planet Earth 167

Hygiene and Sanitation Are Key 168

The Danger Is in the Dose 169

An Ounce of Prevention Is Worth a Pound of Tamiflu 170

Flu Shots 170

Hygiene Habits 171

The Real Deal on Drug Therapy 173

Warnings 173

News Reports 173

Public Health Announcements 174

Related Hazards 174

Loss of Public Services 174

Medical Care Shortages 175

Mortuary Care Shortages 175

Social Breakdown 176

Post-Pandemic Issues 177

Reconstitution of the Family 177

Reconstitution of the Community 177

14 Toxic Spills 179

What Is a Toxic Spill? 180

Spills on Water 180

Spills on Land 181

Spills Underground 181

Everytown, USA 182

What's in Your Community? 183

What's Passing Through Your Community? 183

Information is the Only Preparation 183

Warnings 184

Radio and TV 184

Sirens and Alarms 185

When the Alarm Sounds 185

It Is Never Soon Enough 185

Know Where to Go 186

Listen to the Pros 186

Related Hazards 187

Vapors, Clouds, Fogs, and Flows 187

Toxidromes: Signs of Trouble 187

After the Spill 189

Home Decontamination 189

Scrap and Bury-Reclaiming the Land 190

Lingering Medical Effects 190

Part 3 Poster Disaster 191

15 Getting Back to Work 193

Business During a Disaster 194

Safeguarding and Sustaining 195

Ensuring Emotional and Spiritual Comfort 197

Maintaining Interpersonal Connections 198

Building for Tactical and Intellectual Success 198

Restoring the Community 199

Volunteering vs. Business 199

Ethical Business Practices 200

Going from "Free" to "Fee" 201

16 Claiming Your Due-Doing Your Best 203

Information Without Overload 204

FEMA, Forms, and Funds 204

Local Assistance 205

State Assistance 206

Federal Assistance 206

The Disaster Relief Process 207

The Disaster Recovery Center 209

You Paid for It, Now They Should Pay You 209

Documenting for Insurance Claims 210

Mitigating Losses to Maximize Payouts 212

When Friendly Insurance Isn't So Friendly 214

17 If You Failed to Plan 217

Business That Fail to Plan 218

Don't Panic 218

Strategic Thinking 218

Gather Information 219

Use Common Sense 221

Work Smarter, Not Harder 222

Pattern Recognition 223

Heuristic Deduction 223

Don't Wander 224

Short-Term vs. Long-Term 225

Bull's-Eyes, Budgets, and Boundaries 226

Seek Help 227

Mitigate Outrage 227

18 Putting It All Together 229

Practice the Way You Will Play 229

Play the Way You Will Play 231

Appendixes

A Additional Resources 233

B Go-Pak Checklists 249

C Writing Your Family Disaster Plan 253

D Evacuation/Sheltering in Place Checklists 257

Index 261