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Safety Precautions

If you have warning that a disaster is going to hit, there are several things you need to do. If you have propane gas cylinders in your home, remove them and make sure they are all turned off. Turning off the water supply, electric supply, gas supply, and oil burners may save both your house and possibly your life. Do you know where the main taps for these are and how to shut them off? Ask your plumber and oil or gas supplier to show you. Don’t be embarrassed to ask; these things have gotten so complicated many people don’t know where they are.

If you have time, tie down large moveable objects, like picnic tables and chairs. It’s always a good idea to put boards over windows to protect them. If you don’t have boards, make a huge “X” across the window with duct tape to contain flying glass if a tree branch or something else hits it.

Emergency Kit

After a hurricane, tornado, or flood, you could be stranded in your house without electricity for days. Having an emergency kit is essential. The kit should be kept in an easy-access area, and should be checked regularly to be sure that batteries still work and medicines and supplies are still within the use-by dates. Any time you use this kit, you need to replace whatever is used up.

Here’s a commonsense emergency kit checklist:

❏ Battery-powered radio with local radio frequencies marked. A radio with solar cell capability and or a wind-up handle is an excellent choice. Check it from time to time to make sure it still works.

❏ Several high-powered flashlights.

❏ Candles: get plenty of them and be sure you have fireproof containers to light them in. The last thing you want is a secondary fire started from a tipped-over candle!

❏ Matches or other fire lighters. Be sure they are in a waterproof zipper-top bag.

❏ Spare batteries, also in a waterproof bag.

❏ First-aid kit.

❏ Common over-the-counter medicines such as Benadryl or other allergy medications in the event of a bee sting, etc.; anti-inflammatories such as aspirin, also good to keep on hand for heart conditions; antibiotics if possible.

❏ A copy of your up-to-date emergency phone list, laminated if possible. Include the numbers of relatives and friends.

❏ Two-way walkie-talkie radios can be very useful (don’t overlook spare batteries for these also).

Codex Cues

Allicin, the active ingredient in garlic, is one of the best antimicrobials around. It kills bacteria, fungi, and viruses. Keep some concentrated garlic oil capsules in your emergency kit and replace them when you replace other medicines. You can swallow the capsules to fight colds and infections. You can also use a pin to pop the capsule and squeeze the garlic oil directly onto a bacterial or fungal skin infection. Be prepared, it may sting!

In addition to an emergency kit, there are other things you’ll want to have readily available. Keep a supply of bottled drinks and water. Water can be kept safely in gallon-size or larger containers. You can put a few drops of bleach in the water to stop the growth of algae or bacteria. (Don’t worry about the ill effects of a few drops of bleach in a gallon of water; your water authority puts a lot more than that into the municipal water supply.) You should still replace the water often. Be sure to consider water needs for sanitation as well as drinking.

You’ll also want canned foods (don’t forget the hand-operated can opener!), nonperishable foods, and staples such as beans, rice, flour, powdered milk, and sugar. Think about a supply of firewood, cooking pots, and toiletries. Be sure you have an extra supply of needed medications. Also, keep some bleach on hand for disinfecting items and water.

If you own a generator, be sure to test it regularly, place it safely outside while in use, and store petroleum in a safe place, well away from living quarters. Remember, your gas will only last so long.

You’ll need some basic materials like ground sheets, plastic ties, rope, string, duct tape, heavy-gauge chain, a handsaw,