Ben Rock for National Health Care for the Homeless Council

SEVERE WEATHER SURVIVAL TIPS How to stay safe during extreme heat when you live outdoors WHAT WILL YOU DO IN A WEATHER EMERGENCY?

IF YOU ARE OUTDOORS, • •

• •

•

Spend the warmest part of the day in public buildings such as day shelters, libraries, shopping malls, and other community facilities.

Drink plenty of water, even if you do not feel thirsty. Talk to your doctor before drinking a lot of water if you have epilepsy or heart, kidney, or liver disease; are on fluid-­‐restricted diets; or have a problem with fluid retention.

Don’t drink caffeine and alcoholic beverages; these can make you dehydrated.

Dress in loose-­‐fitting, lightweight, and light-­‐colored clothes that cover as much skin as possible. Avoid dark colors because they absorb the sun’s rays.

Protect your face and head by wearing a wide-­‐brimmed hat, like a baseball cap.

REMEMBER •

Heat kills by pushing the body beyond its limits. In extreme heat and high humidity, the body must work extra hard to maintain a normal temperature.

FIRST AID DURING EXTREME HEAT HEAT CRAMPS SYMPTOMS • Painful spasms, usually in leg and abdominal muscles • Heavy sweating

FIRST AID • Get to a cooler location.

• Lightly stretch and gently massage the affected muscles to relieve spasms.

• Take sips of up to a half glass of cool water every 15 minutes.

(Do not drink liquids with caffeine or alcohol.)

• Stop drinking liquids, if nauseated.

FIRST AID DURING EXTREME HEAT HEAT EXHAUSTION SYMPTOMS • Heavy sweating, but skin may be cool, pale, or flushed • Weak pulse • Normal body temperature is possible but will likely rise • Fainting or dizziness, nausea, vomiting, exhaustion, and headaches are possible

FIRST AID • Lie down in a cool place and elevate your feet.

• Loosen or remove excess clothing. Apply cool, wet clothes, if possible.

• Fan yourself or move to air-­‐conditioned place.

• Take sips of water. Be sure to drink the water slowly.

• Drink one-­‐half glass of cool water every 15 minutes. Stop drinking water if nauseated.

• Seek immediate medical attention if vomiting occurs.

HEATSTROKE (a severe medical emergency) SYMPTOMS • High body temperature (104+) • Hot, red, dry skin. Your skin may not be dry if you have been exercising.

• Rapid, weak pulse • Rapid, shallow breathing • Possbile unconsciousness

FIRST AID • Have someone call 9-­‐1-­‐1. Get a hospital immediately. Do not wait to get help.

• Ask someone to help you move to a cooler environment.

• Remove clothing and, if possible, put a wet sheet or wet T-­‐ shirts on top of you.

This initiative is made possible by grant number U30CS09746 from the Health Resources and Services Administration, Bureau of Primary Health Care. Its contents do not necessarily represent the official views of HRSA.

SEVERE WEATHER SURVIVAL TIPS

How to stay safe during extreme cold when you live outdoors WHAT WILL YOU DO IN SEVERE WEATHER?

IF YOU ARE OUTDOORS •

• • •

Wear several layers of loose-­‐fitting, lightweight, warm clothing instead of just one layer of heavy clothing.

Wear a warm hat. Up to 50% of your body heat can be lost through an uncovered head.

Cover your mouth with a scarf to protect your lungs.

Keep dry.

SLEEP INSIDE AT NIGHT! IF YOU MUST SLEEP OUTDOORS, FOLLOW THESE TIPS • • • • • • • •

Find a place to sleep that is out of the wind.

Wear as much clothing as possible, especially around your core (stomach, back and chest).

Make sure your clothing is loose.

Put something under your sleeping bag to prevent ground moisture from seeping in.

If your sleeping bag is too big, fill up empty space with extra clothes or newspaper.

Keep your face outside your sleeping bag so that the moisture from your breathing does not get into the bag. Wear a warm hat and scarf to keep your head and neck warm.

Avoid drinking a lot of fluid at night, so you won’t have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

If you can, eat a big dinner with lots of calories. Calories are a unit of heat. Keep a snack with you for the middle of the night, so if you do wake up cold, you can replace lost calories.

Don’t drink alcohol. Alcohol slows down your circulation and can cause you to lose body heat, especially in your hands and feet.

REMEMBER • •

You can get hypothermia even when it is not very cold. Other aspects of the weather, such as wind and moisture can cause the body to lose heat.

You have a higher risk of developing hypothermia when you use alcohol, nicotine, street drugs, and some medications.

FIRST AID DURING EXTREME COLD FROSTBITE SYMPTOMS • Skin looks white or greyish-­‐yellow, is very cold, and has a hard or waxy feel • Skin may also itch, burn, or feel numb • Deep frostbite can cause blistering or hardening • As the area thaws, the flesh becomes red and painful

FIRST AID • If you’re outside, warm your frostbitten hands by tucking them into your armpits. Protect your face, nose, or ears by covering the area with dry, gloved hands. Don’t rub the affected area and never rub snow on frostbitten skin.

• Get out of the cold. Once you’re indoors, remove wet clothes.

• Do not walk on frostbitten feet or toes.

• If there’s any chance the affected areas will freeze again, don’t thaw them. If they’re already thawed, wrap them up so that they don’t become frozen again.

• Get emergency medical help. If numbness or pain remains during warming or if blisters develop, seek medical attention.

HYPOTHERMIA (a severe medical emergency) SYMPTOMS • Shivering • Slowed speech • Slow breathing • Cold, pale skin • Loss of coordination • Tired feeling • Confusion or memory loss

FIRST AID • Have someone call 9-­‐1-­‐1. Get to a hospital immediately. Delay can be fatal.

• Ask someone to help you move to a warmer place. Remove wet clothing and cover yourself with dry clothing. Be sure to keep the chest area warm. Do not apply direct heat to the body. Do not rub or massage the body.

• Do not drink alcohol.

This initiative is made possible by grant number U30CS09746 from the Health Resources and Services Administration, Bureau of Primary Health Care. Its contents do not necessarily represent the official views of HRSA.

SEVERE WEATHER SURVIVAL TIPS How to stay safe during a tornado when you live outdoors WHAT WILL YOU DO IN SEVERE WEATHER?

THE BEST THING TO DO IS FIND SHELTER • • • •

Go to the closest public building.

Stay on the lowest level (a basement is best, especially in abandoned buildings).

Go to the center of the room, away from any windows, doors, and corners.

Get under a sturdy table and use your arms to protect your head and neck.

IF YOU CAN’T GET TO SHELTER • • • •

Lie flat in a nearby ditch or depression and cover your head with your hands. Don’t get in a ditch if is near water, because it could flood.

Do NOT get under an overpass or bridge—these become wind tunnels, and you can be sucked out.

Stay out of cars, trucks, and other vehicles.

Watch out for flying debris.

SIGNS OF A TORNADO Dark‚ greenish sky

Large‚ dark‚ low-lying cloud Large hail (ocassionally)

Rotating clouds

REMEMBER • • • •

Tornado winds can reach 300 miles per hour.

Every state is at some risk of tornadoes.

Occasionally, tornadoes develop so rapidly that little, if any, warning is possible.

Before a tornado hits, the wind may die down and the air may become very still.

This initiative is made possible by grant number U30CS09746 from the Health Resources and Services Administration, Bureau of Primary Health Care. Its contents do not necessarily represent the official views of HRSA.

SEVERE WEATHER SURVIVAL TIPS How to stay safe during a flood when you live outdoors WHAT WILL YOU DO IN SEVERE WEATHER?

IF YOU ARE OUTDOORS • • •

• •

Move to higher ground.

Be aware of streams, drainage channels, canyons, and other areas known to flood suddenly.

Do NOT walk through moving water; six inches of moving water can make you fall. Walk where the water is not moving. Use a stick to check the firmness of the ground in front of you.

Do not get in a vehicle if it is in floodwater.

Do not camp along streams, rivers, or creeks during heavy rain or when it has been raining for a long time.

REMEMBER • •

Tropical storms and hurricanes, spring thaw, heavy rain, and failed levees and dams can cause floods.

A flood can develop slowly or within minutes with no visible sign of rain.

When camping outdoors during rainy weather‚ always stay above the flood plain - the area along a stream or river that is likely to flood.

Flood Plain

This initiative is made possible by grant number U30CS09746 from the Health Resources and Services Administration, Bureau of Primary Health Care. Its contents do not necessarily represent the official views of HRSA.

SEVERE WEATHER SURVIVAL TIPS How to stay safe during a hurricane when you live outdoors WHAT WILL YOU DO IN SEVERE WEATHER?

TRY TO FIND SHELTER • • • • •

Weather stations will alert you when a hurricane is coming. If you know a hurricane is coming, find shelter as soon as possible.

Go to the closest public building.

Stay on the lowest level (a basement is best).

Go to the center of the room, away from any windows, doors, and corners.

Get under a sturdy table and use your arms to protect your head and neck.

IF YOU ARE OUTDOORS • • • •

Try to find shelter in a stable building. Being inside a temporary structure like a tent can be especially dangerous.

Get away from any coastal areas, floodplains, rivers, or inland waterways.

Do not be fooled if things calm down. It could be the eye of the storm, and winds will pick up again.

Along with tornadoes and excessive rainfall, hurricanes can cause floods and trigger landslides.

Areas Most Affected by Hurricanes

REMEMBER • •

Hurricanes can cause catastrophic damage along coastlines and several hundred miles inland.

Hurricanes can produce winds exceeding 155 miles per hour

WATCH OR WARNING? WHICH IS WHICH? •

•

During a Hurricane Watch, a hurricane is possible within 48 hours. Seek shelter in a stable building where you can access updated weather information.

During a Hurricane Warning, a hurricane is expected within 36 hours. If advised to evacuate, do so immediately.

This initiative is made possible by grant number U30CS09746 from the Health Resources and Services Administration, Bureau of Primary Health Care. Its contents do not necessarily represent the official views of HRSA.

NATURAL DISASTER SURVIVAL TIPS How to stay safe during a landslide when you live outdoors WHAT WILL YOU DO IN A NATURAL DISASTER?

PRECAUTIONS TO TAKE WHEN CAMPING • • •

Avoid camping near steep slopes, close to mountain edges, near drainage ways, or along natural erosion valleys.

Become familiar with the land around you. Slopes where debris flows have occurred in the past are likely to experience them in the future.

Be aware of dead trees that have started to fall but are held in place by other trees. There’s a reason some people call these “widow makers.”

LANDSLIDE WARNING SIGNS • • • •

Changes in the land such as patterns of storm-­‐water drainage on slopes, land movement, small slides, and leaning trees.

Slowly developing, widening cracks appear on the ground, in paved areas, or on the walls of nearby buildings.

Bulging ground appearing at the base of a slope.

A faint rumbling sound that gets louder.

IF YOU ARE CAUGHT IN A LANDSLIDE Move away from the path of landslide as quickly as possible. If escape is not possible, curl into a tight ball and protect your head.

REMEMBER • • •

Landslides occur in all U.S. states and territories and can be caused by many things including earthquakes, storms, volcanic eruptions, fire, and manmade changes to the land.

A landslide can happen quickly, often with little notice.

A landslide can travel several miles from its source, growing in size as it picks up trees, boulders, cars, and other materials.

This initiative is made possible by grant number U30CS09746 from the Health Resources and Services Administration, Bureau of Primary Health Care. Its contents do not necessarily represent the official views of HRSA.

NATURAL DISASTER SURVIVAL TIPS How to stay safe during a wildfire when you live outdoors WHAT WILL YOU DO IN A NATURAL DISASTER?

PRECAUTIONS TO TAKE WHEN CAMPING • • •

Create a 30-­‐ to 100-­‐foot safety zone around your sleeping area. Clear all flammable leaves, branches, and rubbish.

Do not build a camp fire when it is very dry outside.

If you build a camp fire, follow these steps:

1. Dig a pit that is at least 15 feet away from your tent, shrubs, and trees (beware of low-­‐hanging branches overhead).

2. Dig a one-­‐foot-­‐deep pit in the dirt. Circle the pit with rocks.

3. Clear away all flammable leaves, branches, and rubbish within 10 feet of the campfire pit.

4. When putting out the fire, wait for the wood to burn to ash, if possible, and then pour lots of water on the fire until the hissing sound stops. If you do not have water, use dirt.

15 ft.

15 ft.

30 - 100 ft.

30 - 100 ft.

IF YOU ARE CAUGHT IN A WILDFIRE •

If a road is nearby, lie face down along the road. Try to cover yourself with something to protect against the fire’s heat. If in the backcountry, seek a depression without leaves or other flammable materials. Lie face down in the depression and cover yourself.

REMEMBER •

While lightning causes some wildfires, people are to blame for most wildfires.

This initiative is made possible by grant number U30CS09746 from the Health Resources and Services Administration, Bureau of Primary Health Care. Its contents do not necessarily represent the official views of HRSA.

NATURAL DISASTER SURVIVAL TIPS

How to stay safe during an earthquake when you live outdoors WHAT WILL YOU DO IN A NATURAL DISASTER?

IF YOU ARE INDOORS •

• • •

Drop to the ground; take cover by getting under a table or desk and hold on until the shaking stops. If there isn’t a table or desk near you, cover your face and head with your arms and crouch in an inside corner of the building.

Stay away from glass, windows, outside doors and walls, and anything that could fall.

Don’t stand under a doorway unless you know it is strongly supported.

Stay inside. Do not exit a building while it is shaking.

IF YOU ARE OUTDOORS • •

Stay outside; don’t try to run into a building.

Move away from buildings, streetlights, and utility wires.

IF YOU ARE TRAPPED UNDER DEBRIS • • •

Do not light a match or ignite a lighter because there might be a gas leak nearby.

Don’t not move around or kick up dust. Cover your mouth with a handkerchief or clothing so you don’t breathe in dust.

Tap on a pipe or wall so rescuers can find you. Only shout as a last resort. Shouting can cause you to inhale harmful amounts of dust.

This initiative is made possible by grant number U30CS09746 from the Health Resources and Services Administration, Bureau of Primary Health Care. Its contents do not necessarily represent the official views of HRSA.