Floods 2

Key concepts

Floods; unnatural disasters; safety checklists; recovery procedures; literary criticism

Attention Conservation Notice

A continuation of Note 00006; grimly accurate; bureaucratically thorough; contains tedious, gritty minutiae about one of life's worst experiences

Sources

University of Minnesota Extension Service Home Page

Links

(((My comments are in triple parentheses == bruces)))

Safety Rules and Recovery Procedures After a Natural

Disaster

• 1. See that your family is safe from flood crests, fire, or falling buildings.
• 2. Cooperate fully with local authorities, rescue squads, and local Red Cross chapters.
• 3. Help locate shelter, food, clothing, transportation, medical supplies, and medical help for victims.
• 4. Obey health regulations for personal and community protection against disease epidemics. Report any violations.

(((The problem of looters rarely receives mention, even though

looters are omnipresent in post-disaster situations. (The most eager and immediate looters are children.) It is simply *assumed* that all citizens are cooperative, fully socialized, responsible Samaritans. Until #4 that is, when they are suddenly urged to become vigilant informants against health violators. Such is life when authority breaks down == full of upbeat

pretense.)))

• 5. If premises have been flooded, flush plumbing fixtures with buckets of water to be sure they are open. Have health authorities inspect sanitary disposal systems. Water may have backed up into the septic tank, which in turn backs up into the plumbing system. This could be a health hazard.

(((The gush of one's own sewage is one of many small humiliations; but fail to deal with this, and you risk dysentery or worse.)))

• 6. Do not use water from private supply until health authorities have tested it. Boil drinking water 10 minutes or chlorinate by adding 1 teaspoon chlorine bleach per gallon of water.
• 7. Do not use food that has come in to contact with flood waters. Some foods can be salvaged if properly packaged. Consult local health officials if in doubt.

(((Good advice. Now imagine yourself in a situation where these "health authorities" and "local health officials" are corrupt, absent, drowned, or simply nonexistent. Though CO2 is mostly an industrial G7 emanation, the effects are worst in areas where the world remains most nearly natural.)))

• 8. Sanitize dishes, cooking utensils, and food preparation areas before using them. (((A Belle Epoque sees no difficulty in *finding* food after a disaster.)))
• 9. When entering damaged buildings, use flashlights only, not matches, torches, or any open flame. Watch for nails, splinters, holes in walls or floors, wet or falling plaster, undermined foundations, and gas leaks.
• 10. Do not use electrical system until it has been checked by an electrician. (((Presumably electricians are thick on the ground in your area.)))
• 11. Wait until any flood waters are below basement level before trying to drain or pump the basement. (((Health hazards, bad water and personal ruination don't make people any brighter.)))
• 12. Start clean-up as soon as possible. Thoroughly dry and clean house before trying to live in it. Delay permanent repairs until buildings are thoroughly dry. ((("Demand the Impossible" == Situationist International)))
• 13. Control rodents and insects. (((Before they control you.)))
• 14. Remove sediment from heaters, flues, and motors before using them. To speed drying, start stoves and furnaces as soon as they have been checked for safety. (((Removing sediment from a motor must be an interesting process, especially in a design world where more and more big- ticket items are impossible to open or service.)))
• 15. Take all furniture and rugs outdoors to dry. ((( A handy

practice for those nonexistent looters.)))

• 16. Dry and air bedding, clothing, and rugs as soon as possible to prevent mildew.
• 17. Set priorities. Accomplish most important tasks first, and avoid physical over-exertion. (((It's very human to "set priorities" as task number 17, when you're already worn out from labor.)))
• 18. Be sure children are safe and are being cared for at all times. Never leave young children alone or allow than to play in damaged buildings or areas that might be unsafe. (((The rain falls on young and old alike, but surely the author of this superior injunction has never taken charge of young children. A wrecked house is the very definition of attractive nuisance, and there's no better time to escape your parents than when they're losing everything they own.)))
• 19. Give special attention to cleaning children's toys, cribs, playpens, and play equipment. Boil any items, for 10 minutes, that a toddler or baby might put in his mouth. Discard stuffed toys, plastic toys, waterlogged toys, and non-cleanable toys. (((A plethora of Freudian trauma here as parents ritually destroy the child's most prized possessions.)))
• 20. Keep chemicals used for disinfecting, and poisons used for insect and rodent control, out of the reach of children. (((You may be in a major disaster, but that doesn't make you bulletproof to life's many other smaller hazards. In fact, you are worse off now, because you have no attention to spare.)))
• 21. Wear protective clothing on legs, arms, feet, and hands while cleaning up debris. Wear rubber gloves while scrubbing flood-damaged interiors and furniture. (((And since we'll be spending weeks on end in garb like this, it's time for the Viridian couturier to make post-disaster clothing that *looks and feels better.*)))