In the case of a major disaster such as an earthquake, hurricane, tornado, severe weather, or fill in the blank, there is a good chance that for a few days to a week or more, the benefits of civilization as we know it will not be readily available. Being prepared means being able to take care of yourself for however long it takes for help to reach you. Hopefully that just means an extended blackout, but there are some hazards that can kill you. Not just during the event, like drowning in a flood or having a building fall on you. Sometimes you are just in the wrong place and time. I’m talking about deadly hazards that show up after the immediate crisis has passed and that you can avoid. Let’s take a look at a few of them and how NOT to become an obituary after the fact. The idea is not to cover every eventuality, but to get you thinking about what might happen.
Natural gas leak
Any time there is physical damage; there is a chance of a ruptured gas line in or near your home. Inside your home, you can die from the gas replacing the oxygen in the air, or when a leak meets a flame, the results are spectacular but often deadly. If you smell gas, open up every window and door in your home, turn off the gas at the meter with an ordinary wrench, and if possible, alert authorities.
Electrocution
Downed wires are often still live, and high voltage wires can send you to your reward very efficiently. Avoid them at all costs. If you have to move one to rescue a trapped individual or something similar, always use a long wooden pole or stick with absolutely no metal on it.
Carbon Monoxide
Carbon monoxide poisoning is insidious, because it has no smell, and will dispatch you quite peacefully. You go to sleep and just don’t wake up. A CO detector with battery backup is cheap insurance; there is no reason not to have a few around your home. Never use an open flame in an unvented room for heat, charcoal is especially deadly. About the only warning you MIGHT get is a headache or tight feeling about the temples. If this happens, open every window and get everyone out of the house immediately.
Dehydration
It takes weeks to starve to death, but only a few days without water to depart mortality. If you are walking or working in the hot summer sun-like trying to walk several miles to home if roads are impassable-you can become incapacitated in a matter of hours. In your car, always keep a few quarts of water on hand. It might be warm and stale, but it will keep you alive. At home, remember you have several gallons of good water in the toilet tank and hot water heater.
Hypothermia
This is often called “freezing to death”, but most cases occur above freezing, rare cases have even been noted in 60+ degree temps. The two culprits are moisture and wind. If you have to abandon your car or home in a rain or snow storm and get soaked, it is absolutely imperative to get out of the weather and find warmth and dry clothes. A fire and warm food/drink can be lifesavers. This condition is best avoided rather than treated. People with advanced hypothermia need professional medical care ASAP.
Heat Stroke
This is not just getting hot and sweaty. If your bodies’ core temperature reaches 104F, you are in big trouble. Your bodies’ organs, including your brain, literally start cooking. Again, prevention is the key. Be aware of the temperature, wear a hat, and get inside if possible during the hottest part of the day. And if you are sweating profusely and feeling a bit nauseated, finding shade and cooling down becomes an emergency. Staying hydrated is important but not a cure all. Wetting clothing and getting a breeze going over you is effective prevention. (1)
Shock
Whenever the body has sustained an injury, one possible reaction is a dramatic lowering of blood pressure, which results in shock. Even injuries that do not result in blood loss can trigger this reaction. If your patient is pale, has sweaty but cool skin, seems restless, is unconscious, if there is loss of blood, rapid breathing, or vomiting, there is a good chance that shock is present or imminent. Shock can be fatal, and professional medical attention is the best solution-except it may not be available in a disaster. What you can do is lay the patient down, keep them warm but not overheated, elevate their legs unless there is a head/chest wound or an unsplinted broken leg, and keep them calm. Loosen clothing to promote circulation. (2)
Severe allergic reaction
Insect stings and bites, food allergies, even exposure to perfumes and dyes, for most of us not a problem, for some of us an annoyance, for a few of us a matter of life and death from anaphylactic shock. If someone you know and love has a severe allergy, be sure to keep an Epi-pen ™ or two where you can get to it quickly, and know how to use it.
Infection
Wounds that are medically routine in normal situations can become much more dangerous if they become infected, especially if professional medical treatment is not available. Cleaning a wound properly with soap and clean water and applying an antiseptic ointment will head off a lot of problems. If the wound becomes inflamed, applying an antibiotic cream or a silver based gel has been shown to be effective. (3) If you see red lines under the skin moving away from the wound itself, you may have blood poisoning. Finding medical services at this point is a very good idea, as blood infections can be fatal. If emergency care is not available, using old leftover antibiotics that you forgot to throw away is not a course of action that I could recommend, but you might get lucky.
At the hands of another
Of all the dire fates on this list, this one is the least likely, but it is worth including. In a disaster, history has shown that most people pull together, help each other out, and self-police. However, the only thing more dangerous than a criminal is a desperate criminal. Avoid large, unruly crowds, and if you have provisions that others don’t, share if you can, but make yourself less than obvious if you cannot.
References:
(1) http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/heat-stroke/DS01025
(3) http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/459733_10
