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Shelter |
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Shelter
living during an emergency |
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Taking shelter is critical in times of disaster. This may mean taking immediate shelter in a basement during a tornado warning, staying inside an enclosed structure while a chemical cloud passes, or staying at home during a severe storm for several days without electricity, water and other basic services. These are all examples of "shelter in place." For more specific information on this topic download the Shelter in Place (Refuges en el Lugar) brochure, and keep it in a convenient place in your home or office. This brochure requires a Acrobat Reader free from Adobe. In many emergencies the American Red Cross, assisted by community and other disaster relief groups, will work with local authorities to set up public shelters in schools, municipal buildings and |
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| churches. They often provide water, food, medicine and basic sanitary facilities. But you should plan to have your own supplies as well ‑ especially water. See the Checklist for more details. | |
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Shelter living during an emergency |
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1. Stay in your shelter until local authorities tell you it is permissible or advisable to leave. The length of your stay can range from a few days to as long as two weeks. 2. Smoking should be restricted to well‑ventilated areas. Smoking creates a fire hazard and discomfort for non‑smokers. 3. Cooperate with shelter managers and others staying in the shelter. Living with many people in a confined space can be difficult and unpleasant. 4. Maintain a 24‑hour communications and safety watch. Take turns listening for important radio information. Watch for fires. 5. People may need to use improvised, emergency toilets if the water supply has been cut off. This kind of toilet consists of any water container with a snug‑fitting cover. 
| Use a garbage container, pail
or bucket. If the container is small, keep a large container (also with a
cover) available for waste disposal. Line both containers with plastic bags.
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After each use, pour or
sprinkle a small amount of regular household disinfectant, such as chlorine
bleach, into the container to reduce odors and germs. |
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1. Water is critical for
survival. Save it for drinking and medical emergencies. |
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| Allow
people to drink according to their need. Each person's need will vary
depending on age, physical activity, physical condition and time of year. | |
The
average person should drink
between two and two‑and‑one half quarts of water or other
liquids per day, but many people need more. Plan to need one gallon of water
per person per day. Under no circumstances should individuals drink less
then one quart of water each day. It is better to use whatever water is
available, in the hope of finding more, than it is to deprive people of what
they need for survival, by rationing it. |
2. In addition to water stored in containers, try other sources:
Ice
cubes, milk, soft drinks, fruit and vegetable juices.
Water
in the hot water tank (20 to 60 gallons).
Water
in the flush tanks (not the bowls) of home toilets.
3. If local authorities advise it, turn off the main water valves in your home. This prevents water from draining away, in case of break and loss of pressure in the water mains.
Even
with the main valve closed, all the pipes in a house are still full of
water.
To
use this water, turn on the faucet at the highest
point in your house (which lets air into the system). Then draw water,
as needed, from the faucet located at the lowest
point in your house.
4. First drink water that you know is uncontaminated. If necessary, suspicious water, such as cloudy water from regular faucets or muddy water from a nearby stream or pond, can be used after it has been purified. If water purification is not possible, put off drinking suspicious water as long as possible, but do not become dehydrated.
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1. In addition to having a bad odor and taste, contaminated water can contain microorganisms that cause diseases such as dysentery, cholera, typhoid and hepatitis. You should therefore purify all water of uncertain purity before using it for drinking, food preparation or hygiene. 2. There are many ways to purify water. None are perfect. Often the best solution is a combination of methods. Before purifying, let any suspended particles settle to the bottom, or strain them through layers of clean cloth. 3. Following are four purification methods. The first three methods boiling, chlorination and purification tablets ‑ will kill microbes but will not remove other contaminants such as heavy metals, salts, most other chemicals and radioactive fallout. The final method distillation ‑ will remove microbes as well as other contaminants including radioactive fallout. Boiling is the safest method of purifying water.
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water to a rolling boil for 10 minutes, keeping in mind that some water will
evaporate. Let the water cool before drinking. | |
Boiled
water will taste better if you put oxygen back into it by pouring it back
and forth between two containers. This will also improve the taste of stored
water. |
Chlorination uses liquid chlorine bleach to kill microorganisms.
Use
liquid bleach that contains 5.25 percent sodium hypochlorite and no soap.
Some containers warn, "Not For Personal Use." You can disregard
these warnings if the label states sodium hypochlorite as the only active
ingredient and if you use only the small quantities in these instructions.
Add
two drops of bleach per quart of water (four drops if the water is cloudy),
stir and let stand for 30 minutes. If the water does not taste and smell of
chlorine at that point, add an other dose and let stand another 15 minutes.
If
you do not have a dropper, use a spoon and a square‑ended strip of
paper or thin cloth about 1 /4 inch by 2 inches. Put the strip in the spoon
with an end hanging down about 1 /2 inch below the scoop of the spoon. Place
bleach in the spoon and carefully tip it. Drops the size of those from a
medicine dropper will drip off the end of the strip.
Purification tablets release chlorine or iodine. They are inexpensive and available at most sporting goods stores and some drugstores. Follow the package directions. Usually one tablet is enough for one quart of water. Double the dose for cloudy water.
Distillation involves boiling water and then collecting the vapor that condenses back to water. The condensed vapor may include salt or other impurities.
Fill
a pot halfway with water.
Tie
a cup to the handle on the pot's lid so that the cup will hang
right‑side‑up when the lid is upside‑down (make sure the
cup is not dangling into the water).
Boil
the water for 20 minutes. The water that drips from the lid into the cup is
distilled.
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1. Carefully ration
everyone's food except that of children and pregnant women. Most people in
shelter can get along with about half as much food as usual and can survive
without food at all for several days, if necessary. 2. If your water supply is
limited try to avoid foods that are high in fat and protein, since they will
make you thirsty. Try to eat salt‑free crackers, whole grain cereals and
canned foods with high liquid content. 3. It is especially
important to be sanitary in storing, handling and eating food.
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food in covered containers. | |
Keep
cooking and eating utensils clean. |
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Keep
all garbage in a closed container and dispose of it outside the home when it
is safe to go outside. If possible, bury it. Avoid letting garbage or trash
accumulate inside the shelter, both for fire and sanitation reasons. |
4. For emergency cooking you can use a fireplace or heat food with candle
warmers, chafing dishes and fondue pots. Charcoal grills and camps stoves are
for outdoor use only.
5. Canned food can be eaten
right out of the can without warming. If you heat it in the can, be sure to open
the can and remove the label first.
Do
not eat from cans that have tops that are swollen even though the product
may look and smell normal. A swollen can may be evidence of the growth of a
bacteria that produces a deadly toxin.
Do
not eat food from cans where the contents have leaked out, as evidenced by
dried food on the outside of the can or stained labels.
Any food which looks or smells abnormal, even if in a normal appearing can, should not be consumed.
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