WEATHERING THE STORM SAFEGUARDING YOUR WELL-BEING DURING HURRICANE SEASON.

In the Caribbean, there are three types of head-of-households (HOH) when dealing with hurricanes; they are the folk who are hyper anxious about any high breeze, those who are nonchalant about CAT 4’s at their doorstep, then there are those who understand that the weather context matters, where preparedness and anticipation are the most valued weapons in safeguarding one’s well-being.

Arguably, the most critical time for hurricane preparation is the three-tofour-day period of a storm watch. At this time, the HOH is in position to determine, based on size/ strength of the hurricane and its projected path, ‘can my home withstand a direct hit from this force of nature’? If the answer is ‘no’, then hotel reservations need to be made (if affordable), shelter locations identified or calls to friends/family members outside of the hurricane path. Critical considerations should be, what is the structural integrity of your home, who comprises your household (extremes of age?) and, home location. Is it on the side of a hill prone to mudslides or at the coast, prone to a storm surge?

If the HOH decides it’s an event their home can withstand, or evacuation is impossible They need to enter a mode of assured family survivability and livability until the all-clear is given. A well-prepared HOH will know the possibility of power outage is very high. They will know there is fair probability of not only physical damage but even more likely, emotional damage to your loved ones.

WHAT TO DO WHEN THE ‘YOU KNOW WHAT’ HITS THE FAN

The well-prepared HOH will understand the dynamics and forces at play during a hurricane that cause injury and death are the loss of one’s roof and flooding, either from excessive rain or the storm surge. A potential escape plan, for a worst-case scenario, is critical. Have an understanding with neighbors that your family may need to evacuate to their house in an emergency and extend the plan to them in case the reverse happens.

An important feature of the emergency dash is the presence of ‘THE GO BAG’. This bag would take the form of a weatherproof knapsack that frees up the hands. It would contain important documents like passports, birth/marriage certificates, insurance policies, contact information cash, any medications, first aid kit and some bottled water, a lighter and a utility knife. Of course, ‘THE GO BAG’ plus, would have gone with you if the other previous shelter options were taken.

What types of injuries might you expect during a hurricane. These potential injuries are clearly a function of the severity and exposure to the storm. But in general, they would consist of the type of sharp object lacerations or blunt force trauma, either from objects hitting you or you hitting objects. These injuries all likely to involve bleeding and the primary directive in these emergent situations is to stop the bleeding. Worry about infection later after the all-clear. Reassure the victim and calmy apply pressure to the wound. Distract the victim with appropriate stories and confident humor. If there is a loss of consciousness, check the victim’s pulses in their neck or groin and for normal respiration. Wherever your setting, ask for help from someone more medically qualified than yourself who may know CPR, but if none, the rescue is on you as HOH.

The other type of injury is of the rising water kind. The most obvious is near drowning rescue. Recovery from water inhalation is no joke. It involves a series of complex CPR maneuvers to be effective. Ask for help and defer to someone who has a better knowledge than yourself. The other potential injury that may involve water is just as deadly but not as obvious. Water will conduct electricity from a downed power line indiscriminately. It is your job as HOH to identify a potential hazard and steer your family/neighbors away from this tragedy.

Hope these suggestions help you to get through this and all hurricane seasons but know and understand your best weapons are vigilance, preparedness, and anticipation.

Derek Berry Thorpe MD Dr.Derek Thorpeisanuclearmedicine andfunctionalmedicinephysicianwith postgraduatedegreesfromCornell schoolofMedicineandtheUniversityof Florida