LDS Emergency Preparedness: Natural Disasters

With the earthquakes in Japan and Chile the past few days, I have decided to collect a list of emergency preparedness helps relating to natural disasters.

You could use these links to make handouts for classes, find tips for a Emergency Preparedness corner of a Relief Society Newsletter, collect several for a ward preparedness binder, or print them out for your files.

Stake/Ward Disaster Planning and Best Practices

• CDC.gov has published SNAPS data on each county in the United States. Among the interesting data is a breakdown of residents by religious denomination. Could be useful in determing who to call on or team up with in an emergency.
• FEMA has a great section sharing how people dealt with disasters successfully. Useful reading for stake and local leaders.
• CISCO has an interesting guide that breaks up disaster recovery into stages. Might be helpful reading for developing a stake or regional recovery plan.
• California Department of Farms and Agriculture lists best practices for recovering from a disaster, especially as relates to re-establishing farmland and farm animals.
• University of Colorado's Natural Hazards Center has published a document you can purchase that talks about how to re-establish a community after a disaster.

Coping with a Disaster

• CDC.gov has a good section with mental health resources on helping families cope with a natural disaster.
• Recognizing and Reducing Anxiety in Times of Crisis - helpful reading for church leaders.

Earthquakes

• USGS Prepare Website - The United States Geological Survey is taked with tracking earthquake activity. Their website has a lot of information about preparing for an earthquake and what to do after an earthquake has struck.

Winter Storms

• Weather.com - explains the types of weather storm watches and warnings.
• FEMA.gov has a section with good advice on preparing for winter storms, heavy snow, or very cold temperatures.
• CDC.gov - The Center for Disease Control also has helpful information for winter storms and treating hypothermia and frostbite.
• National Ag Safety - a nice checklist about traveling during a winter storm.
• Edmunds.com tells how to winterize your car.

Extreme Heat / Heat Emergency

• FEMA's website includes information on what to do before, during, a heat emergency.

Fire

• US Fire Administration's website is entirely devote to helping you prepare for a fire in your home, office, school, or property.
• San Diego County has information directed at Wildland fires.

Landslide

• FEMA has a section describing what to do during a landslide or debris flow.
• Redcross.org - has a simple list of things to do after a mudslide.

Volcano

• FEMA's section on surviving a volcanic eruption.

Flood

• Find out if your area is susceptible to flooding - USA

Tornado

• FEMA's section on Tornado preparedness.
• NOAA's Tornado information page includes instructions for developing a Family Disaster Plan
• CDC's section includes information about what to do during a tornado, information on mold damage, cleanup, and instructions on how to re-enter a damaged home.

Hurricane

• CDC.gove's section on Hurricanes has information about gathering an emergency kit and what to do after the storm.

Thunderstorms / Lightning

• FEMA's section talking about these types of storms.
• NOAA has good information about lightning safety and medical treatment of those struck by lightning.

Tsunami

• FEMA has information on Tsunami preparedness.
• Tsunamiready.noaa.gov - find out how to get your coastal ready area for a Tsunami. Includes a movie you could use for a presentation "Tsunami: Know What to Do".