hurricanes and floods - an excerpt from when disaster strikes

7/31/2019 Hurricanes and Floods - An Excerpt from When Disaster Strikes

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Hurricanes and Floods

When a hurricane is approaching, and/or floodwaters are rising, it is the

wrong time to wish you had planned ahead. I strongly suggest that you use

this chapter, along with the first 8 chapters (the core of this book) to help

you plan ahead to cope with hurricanes and floods. When deciding whether

to pack and go (evacuate), or to stay and make a stand, if your life is at stake,

or the lives of your loved ones, it is wiser to err on the side of caution. The vast

majority of nearly 2,000 deaths attributed to Hurricane Katrina could havebeen avoided had those people evacuated ahead of time. Remember, when-

ever there is a hurricane warning, there will be a run on items like matches,

flashlights, candles, plywood, milk, bread, first-aid kits, and generators. The

procrastinators get the dregs of what is left on the shelves after they have been

picked over, which in some cases is nothing of any use in an emergency!

This chapter covers hurricane and flood survival tips, how to improve the

resistance of your home to hurricanes, checklists of items to have on hand

and action items to take care of beforehand, and tips for dealing with theaftermath, including toxic mold (in the case of flooding).

Hurricane and Flood Survival Tips

Here is a list of essential items and tips for surviving a flood or a hurricane:

1. Axe and life preservers. Stash an axe and life preservers in the upper

story, or attic, of your home. Remember, most of the drowning victimsof Hurricane Katrina were people who stayed in their homes and foundthemselves trapped by rising waters with no place to go. Many drowned intheir attics, unable to break through the roof to the outside. A few bucksspent on these items ahead of time could save your life! Having a smallboat on hand, such as an inflatable raft or canoe, is a good idea, but itshouldnt take the place of a life preserver, which will keep you afloat, andyour head above water, even if knocked unconscious.

2. Water is critical.Water is absolutely essential for human survival; it plays

a part in all of the bodys biochemical reactions. You may not believe it,but most of us could survive for several weeks without food, yet a singleday without water in extreme heat can kill a person. Water requirementsvary depending on activity level and temperature. The absolute mini-mum for survival, with little or no activity and cool conditions, is about 1quart of drinking water per day, and 2 quarts of water per day will usually


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272 Specific Disasters and Crises: Preparations and Strategies

sustain moderate activity at an acceptable level of comfort under moder-

ate conditions (you will feel somewhat dehydrated). More than 1 quart ofwater every hour can be required to perform heavy physical labor underextremely hot conditions. Typically allow for at least 1 gallon per personper day, and in desert climates, or hot humid climates, a realistic figure isto allow for 3 gallons per day per person.

3. Fill your bathtub and tape off your toilets.After a major hurricane or floodhits, the public water system may be polluted, or entirely shut down, forweeks. Immediately fill your bathtubs, sinks, and other available containerswith water. This will provide your household with a short-term supply of

clean, potable water. There is a supply of clean, potable water in the toilettanks, hot-water heater, and piping in your house. When you notice thatthe tap water has stopped flowing, conserve the water in your toilet tanks(the tanks, not the bowl, contain potable water) and immediately notify allother occupants to not flush the toilets. Caution:Do not drink the toilettank water if you use an automatic toilet cleaner with blue toilet water.

4. Drain your water heater and pipes.Water heaters are supplied with a ventlocated near the top of the tank and a drain near the bottom of the tank.Open the top vent (pull on the little lever on the spigot) and drain the

tank into containers as needed. If there is dirt and sediment in the watercoming out of the tank, do not discard this water.Simply allowthe sedi-ment to settle and drink the water off the top. Make sure you turn off theelectricity or gas to your water heater before draining or it will be ruined!Crack an upper faucet and open a lower hose bib or faucet to drain a gallonor two of water out of your homes piping.

Several years ago, my friends David and

Nancy flew to the island of Kauai for their

vacation. On the first day of their vacation,

they went for a walk on the beach. As theygazed out to sea, they watched a dark and

sinister looking cloud build and boil on the

horizon. When the waterline receded about

20 feet out to sea, they knew that something

serious was about to hit. They rushed back to

their rented cottage, a mile down the beach

and a few houses back from the shore. By the

time they reached their cottage, the winds

had increased to over 80 miles per hour as

Hurricane Iniki approached the Island. SinceDavid was an employee of the public utility

district in a mountain community, he knew

the importance of preserving a supply of

potable water. Immediately, he filled all the

sinks and bathtubs in the house with water

and instructed the other occupants not to

flush toilets or wash with the stored water.

As the day progressed, winds increased

to an almost unbelievable 175 miles perhour. The terrified occupants crouched in

corners, away from windows, and watched

fearfully as large chunks of the neigh-

boring houses blew by. Their house was

constantly pelted with flying debris and

the roar of the wind was deafening. Hours

later, when the storm cleared, there was

an eerie silence. Downed trees cluttered

the roads, making automotive travel impos-

sible. The stores quickly ran out of food andwater. The water that David had stored in

the bathtubs and sinks provided drinking

water for several households. It took more

than three weeks to res tore electricity and

water to most of the island.


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Hurricanes and Floods 273

5. Water filters and treatment chemicals. I know from experience that afterhaving gone without water for more than a day in extreme heat, mostanyone would willingly drink from the scummiest, most disgustingsource of water, if that was the only available option! If you must evacu-

ate your home, carrying a personal water supply on your back would beextremely difficult (at a gallon per person per day, a family of four wouldgo through 100 pounds of water in three days). Floodwaters are usuallyextremely contaminated with farm waste, human sewage, and indus-trial chemicals, so I highly recommend you purchase a bacteriologicalbackcountry-type water filter that has a carbon core to also remove toxicchemicals, bad tastes, and odors. You can chemically treat surface waterwith household tincture of iodine (5 drops per quart) and pure chlorinebleach (4 drops per quart) and by allowing water to stand for thirty

minutes. See chapter 8 for full water-treatment details and my personalwater-filter recommendations (I design these things for a living, so Iknow what I am talking about). Boiling for just one minute will kill allwaterborne organisms, but will do nothing to remove toxic chemicals,bad tastes, and odors.

6. 72-hour grab-and-go survival kit.Every family should have at least one grab-and-go kit that can be thrown in the car on a moments notice, or carriedon your back, if the need should arise. Grab-and-go kits should providethe basic emergency food, water, shelter, and first-aid supplies that you,

and your family, will need to survive the critical first three days after adisaster. See chapter 2 for a full list of all the supplies I recommend toinclude in a well stocked grab-and-go kit.

7. Store your grab-and-go kits in dry packs.If you live in hurricane country, oran area prone to flooding, I strongly recommend you purchase a dry packfor each of your grab-and-go kits.Dry packs are a special combi-nation backpack and waterproofbag used by river guides. Theyhave removable padded shoulderstraps, are made of extremelytough waterproof material, andare 100 percent sealed againstwater intrusion, so in additionto keeping your stuff dry in adeluge, they can also double asfloatation devices to help keepyou afloat in floodwaters. A dry

pack stocked and ready to go forevery member of your family ischeap insurance if you live in anarea prone to hurricanes and/orfloods! Figure 13-1. A dry pack provides waterproof

storage. Photo courtesy of Eastern Mountain Sports (EMS)


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8. Colloidal silver generator.After a hurricane or flood, homemade colloidalsilver will purify drinking water and will help fight infection and viruseswhen high-tech pharmaceuticals may be unavailable or ineffective. Allhospitals use silver-based ointments to fight infection in severe burn

victims, where traditional antibiotics are simply not enough to fight theinfection over large areas of burned skin. See chapter 6 for more details.

9. Disaster plan. Formulate a disaster plan, including out-of-town contacts(relatives, family, friends, etc.) and a central meeting place where yourfamily should gather if separated and local communications are cut. Whena widespread disaster strikes, you will usually be able to reach friends orfamily outside of the disaster area long before local communications canbe reestablished. See chapter 2 for full details on preparing your familydisaster plan. If you live near a coastal area, make an evacuation plan with

a known destination at least 50 miles inland.

10. Waterproof LED headlamp.I highly recommend that you purchase a water-proof backcountry type headlamp with LED bulbs. Headlamps leave yourhands free to carry things, or work on things. LED bulbs use a fraction ofthe power, are far more shock resistant, and last far longer than traditionallightbulbs, so your batteries (dont forget to stock spares) last many timeslonger. If you had to, you could even swim across a raging river in totaldarkness with your dry bag, a life preserver, and a headlamp.

How to Improve the Hurricane Resistance of Your Home

Here is a list of things you can do to improve the chances that your home

will survive a hurricane in decent shape. These items are best attended to

well ahead of time, since the materials to accomplish many of these tasks are

usually in short supply shortly after a hurricane warning is issued, and these

tasks require careful attention and focus to be properly executed.

Protect your windows, if possible. The best protection is offered by roll-down hurricane shutters that are quite popular in the Caribbean, but anystorm shutters are better than nothing.

Plywood works too, use inch or thicker exterior grade plywood, such asCDX. Mark each plywood storm window covering with an understand-able code so you can use them again the next time a hurricane approaches.A coating of paint will ensure that your plywood shutters survive their timein storage to protect you another day. For a speedy installation, use a cord-less drill to drive deck screws. To ensure that high winds dont suck theplywood right off the screw heads, place wide washers (fender type) underthe heads of each deck screw.

Ensure that your roof is in good shape, with no loose or missing tiles orshingles. Install special hurricane clips on the edges of metal roofing toreduce the likelihood of your roof peeling off in high winds. I suggest you


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enlist a qualified roofing contractor for hurricane-readiness roofing inspec-tions and upgrades.

Caulk all seams on your homes exterior sheeting, and around windows.Winds over 100 mph can drive a lot of water through a tiny crack!

If your home is more than a few years old, check for proper structuralhurricane clips and ties between the roof rafters and the wall framing. Youwill probably need a licensed contractor or home inspector for this job,and a contractor to do the upgrades. For buildings subject to moist saltyair, especially ocean-front homes, inspect your existing hurricane clips andSimpson Strong Ties for corrosion, and replace or upgrade as necessary. Oldhurricane clips that are mostly rusted through will do little to hold downthe roof of your home in ferocious hurricane winds!

Inspect the homes foundation for resistance to erosion from oodwaters,and take erosion control measures if you suspect that the foundation mightbe endangered by floodwaters. Remember, if your foundation fails, yourwhole house goes down!

Keep trees and palm fronds well trimmed, and your property free of clut-ter and loose debris. Remember, a branch, board, or other loose debris canbecome a lethal weapon when driven by 100-plus mph winds!

Review your insurance papers and read the ne print. Floods are not coveredby most homeowners policies unless you have a specific clause or policy forflood insurance. Many Hurricane Katrina victims found out the hard waythat their insurance policies were inadequate!

When a Hurricane Is Closing In . . .

When it looks like a hurricane is headed for your area, here is a checklist of

items that should be attended to:

oMake sure your car is filled with gasoline and your grab-and-go kits arepacked.

oMake sure that rain gutters are clean and windows covered.

oFill all available tubs, basins, and containers with potable drinking water.

oTurn refrigerators and freezers to lowest settings in anticipation of powerfailure. If power fails, eat refrigerated and frozen foods first before movingon to canned and dry foods.

oStay tuned to radio and TV. Also a NOAA weather radio if you have one.

oUnless planning to weather the storm in your home, evacuate early beforeroads are jammed. Stay flexible, not rigid! Storms do not always behaveaccording to what the weatherman predicts, so you may need to changeplans on a moments notice.

oStore lawn furniture and loose yard items in a secure location, before they


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become lethal projectiles! Some people throw lawn furniture into theirswimming pools to be retrieved after the storm passes.

oLet friends and family know your evacuation plans and out-of-towncontacts.

oIf you have a swimming pool, chlorine-shock your pool to protect againstcontamination from debris and flood waters.

oFor insurance purposes, take before pictures of your home and keypossessions.

The Aftermath

After a severe hurricane or flood has struck your area, chances are good thatthe utilities will be down for quite a while, perhaps for several weeks. Here

are some other things you might expect and look out for, as well as action

items to perform in the aftermath of a hurricane:

Until the authorities tell you the tap water is safe, expect that it will havebeen contaminated from floodwaters, so all tap water should be filtered,chemically treated, or boiled before drinking.

Snakes and other wild animals will seek shelter from the storm on higher

ground and may be prevalent or agitated, so be aware! Normally docileanimals may behave in unexpected ways.

Watch for downed power lines. A chain saw is a useful tool to bring alongwhen attempting to drive a car after a major storm with high winds.

Check on your neighbors.

Check for gas leaks and damaged electrical lines. If you smell gas, or suspecta leak, turn the gas off at your meter or fuel tank and call your gas company.Caution:Do not light a match, turn on a light switch, or even a flashlight

in the presence of gas, or an explosion may occur! Take after pictures of damage for insurance purposes.

Open windows and doors for drying out your home to reduce the likelihoodof mold damage.

You can wash furniture and textiles in the sun to kill mold spores usingthe suns ultraviolet rays. Caution: This technique will not save severelymold-damaged items.

Toxic Mold: Floodings Evil Twin

Mold and flooding go hand in hand. Even though it has been more than five

years since Hurricane Katrina struck, there are rows upon rows of abandoned

New Orleans homes that are filled with toxic black mold, rendering them


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unfit for human habitation. In the aftermath of any flood, the presence of

significant visible mold inside a home makes it clear that drastic measures

are mandated, such as the use of a professional mold-remediation team with

respirators and Tyvek protective clothing (including Tyvek booties andhoods). In other cases, mold can be a hidden demon, thriving inside walls

and crawl spaces, devastating occupants lives without leaving obvious clues

as to the cause of their misfortune. This book is not about mold remediation.

However, since floods and toxic mold problems tend to go together, I will

provide you with some basic information to help you understand when your

problem is serious enough that you should seek professional medical help, or

the help of a qualified mold-remediation service.

One of the problems with toxic mold is that it could be harming yourhealth even though you may not see or smell any mold, and that its effects

can creep up on you quite insidiously, just a little bit at a time, until one day

you come to the realization that you feel sick all the time and can no longer

lead a normal life. The symptoms of toxic mold poisoning are quite varied,

and most medical doctors will not recognize these symptoms as being caused

by toxic molds.

Not all molds are equal! Some molds have relatively low toxicity, mean-

ing that you may see and smell obvious signs of a mold infestation, yet ifit is a low-toxicity mold, it might not cause any noticeable negative health

effects. Whereas a super-toxic mold, like the deadly Stachybotrysblack mold,

could be hidden inside your homes walls, or behind the floor boards, not

smell at all moldy, yet be the cause of a catastrophic loss of health. In my

experience, a musty smell means mold, and a moldy smell means lots of

mold. Whether or not your problem is serious depends upon many variables,

such as the type of mold, mold mycotoxin concentrations in household air,

personal sensitivity and/or allergies to molds and mold mycotoxins, rate ofhome ventilation air changes, moisture issues in the home, and so on.

Health Effects of Mold and Other Fungi

Mayo Clinic researchers say they have found the cause of most chronic sinus infec-tionsan immune system response to fungus. They say this discovery opens the door

to the first effective treatment for this problem, the most common chronic disease in the

United States.Science Daily, Mayo Clinic Study Implicates Fungus as Cause ofChronic Sinusitis, Sept. 10, 1999

Many molds, not just black mold, give off a highly toxic substance that can

severely affect your health, particularly in the case of children, seniors, and

anyone with allergies or a compromised immune system. In severe cases,


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black molds have been known to kill healthy soldiers and horses that were

sleeping on straw bedding infected with Stachybotrys. Here is a partial list of

symptoms:

The most common effects are respiratory ailments, including shortness ofbreath, wheezing, chronic sinusitis, and exacerbated asthma. Side effects ofsinus issues include acid reflux and postnasal drip.

Signs of mold-toxin overload often include poor low-contrast visual distinc-tion (which makes night driving difficult), panic attacks, feelings of claus-trophobia, headaches, tremors, seizures, confusion, and the inability toconcentrate.

Migraines and shimmering vision are common effects that my wife and I

have each experienced when we spent too much time in a mold-contami-nated room.

Burning or itchy eyes, dizziness, and/or nausea.

Rashes and/or spontaneous bruises on the skin. Itching, welts, or hives.

Behavior changes, such as restlessness, hypersensitivity, and irritableness.

Low-grade fever (can feel like a u that seems to never go away).

Compromised immune system (a normally healthy person suddenly startscatching everything).

Chronic fatigue and/or hair loss.

Fungi and molds can cause related lung diseases and cancers.

In severe cases, toxic mold poisoning can lead to lung and brain hemorrhag-ing, permanent brain damage, and death.

(Adapted from Michael Pugliese, The Home Owners Guide to Mold, and Gary Rosen

and James Schaller, Your Guide to Mold Toxins)

Caution:When it comes to toxic-mold contamination, your health, home,

and all of your possessions are at stake. Delays could cost you everything youown and even your life.

Dealing with Mold

Any kind of flooding should be dealt with immediately, because mold will

start to grow on wet or moist surfaces in twenty-four to forty-eight hours,

especially in warm climates. Since mold loves to eat/grow on the paper that

covers regular sheetrock, unless it has been specifically treated with chemi-

cals designed to prevent mold growth, water-damaged sheetrock must beremoved and replaced. A small amount of mold growing on the front side

of sheetrock in a bathroom or laundry area, or by a water heater or sink,

could be a sign of a much more serious problem hidden behind the sheet-

rock. If you have any concerns, I suggest that you pull off a small section of


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sheetrock so you can use a mirror to look inside the wall at the sheetrocks

back side.

If your carpets and furniture are wet from flooding, if you find signs of

mold, or feel sick and suspect that mold may be the cause, I suggest thatyou immediately pick up one or two books on this subject and start educat-

ing yourself further on this important topic. Time is of the essence. If your

situation looks at all serious, you should immediately call a certified mold

specialist. When I was living in Hawaii, if I knew then what I know now

about mold, I could have saved me and my family more than $100,000 in

losses, long-term health issues, much heartache, and suffering. When dealing

with all but very small amounts of toxic black molds, such as Stachybotrys,

you should wear a respirator and protective clothing. When in doubt, it isbest to err on the side of caution and bring in a certified mold-remediation

professional.

Mold Tips

In my experience, a person who has been severely sickened by toxic-mold

exposure tends to develop a sensitivity to molds and must be much more

careful about their environment than the average person. We have found

a number of things that seem to improve the environment for the mold-sensitive person over the short term, but we have not found any quick fix

type of mold-remediation actions that works to permanently eliminate mold.

Here are several tips that we learned from personal experience and from the

late Vincent Marinkovich, MD, a renowned mold specialist:

You should eliminate (if possible) and/or encapsulate all active mold insideyour home, including inside wall cavities and basements. Encapsulationshould be with materials specifically designed to encapsulate mold long

term, as mold will often grow through a coat of common paint in just afew months.

Once mold has a hold on your house, all personal items will be contami-nated with mold spores and could recontaminate your home after moldremediation has been completed and you move back into your home.

If you are suffering from mold-related health issues, move out of the home,if at all possible, and leave the mold remediation to someone else. All ofyour personal possessions and furniture from the problem home will be

contaminated with molds, spores, and mycotoxins. Some things can becleaned and decontaminated, but it is sometimes safest and cheapest tosimply purge everything and start over. Hard-surfaced furniture may bewashed with a strong chlorine bleach solution (wear gloves and a paintersrespirator). I have also found that a product called Moldzyme that is quiteeffective for decontaminating hard surfaces, as well as for washing textiles.


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I add a capful of the concentrate to each load of laundry. I have found thatsome items of clothing that gave me a burning reaction did not give me areaction after washing with a capful of Moldzyme. I buy it a quart at a timein concentrated form.

All mold experts stress that moisture control is critical to controlling moldgrowth. If you dont eliminate the source of the moisture, through patch-ing leaks, proper drainage, proper ventilation, and the use of dehumidifierswhen necessary, then the mold will come back. Mold will not usually growin an environment that has less than 47 percent relative humidity.

If you have been in a severely compromised physical condition, it is safest toreplace your personal possessions, mattresses, sofas, and so on. You can buysupertight-weave mold-and-allergen-barrier zippered pillow and mattress

covers for all your pillows, mattresses, and box springs. These covers willprotect new items from contamination, and protect you from older itemsthat are moderately contaminated. Good sources for these items are: http://www.natlallergy.com/ and http://www.allergybuyersclub.com/.

It is important to evaluate the effectiveness of mold remediation withbefore-and-after mold-count measurements in the major rooms in yourhouse, including all rooms where any mold work was done. Theres no pointin moving back in if the house still has high mold counts.

There are different schools of thought on killing and cleaning mold. Some

say that liquid chlorine bleach (always use a respirator and eye/skin protec-tion when cleaning with strong bleach solutions and other toxic chemicals)and fastidious cleaning, including a thorough rinsing, is the best way to killand clean mold without leaving a toxic residue behind that could furthercontribute to the health problems of an already sick person. On the otherhand, Michael Pugliese says he has been called in to perform several moldremediations after his predecessors had relied on bleach and the mold cameback. Pugliese says that bleach is not an adequate mold decontaminant,and will not kill certain highly dangerous black molds. Instead, you should

use EPA-registered treatment from companies such as BBJ EnvironmentalSolutions and Envirocare Corp. to ensure that surfaces are treated with low-toxic solutions to prevent the regrowth of mold at a later date.

You will never get all the mold out of upholstered furniture and wall-to-wallcarpeting, and they should be junked. We got rid of all of our homes wall-to-wall carpeting, and replaced it with hardwood flooring and tile. We havea number of rubber-backed throw rugs that we wash once every other weekwith a capful of Moldzyme in each load of laundry.

When you super-ozone a room or entire house, it will temporarily removemold spores and toxins from the air, but I have never seen it fix the problemlong term. If you can smell ozone, it is harmful to your lungs. If the ozone isnot strong enough to harm your lungs, it will not harm the mold. Use an ozonegenerator, such as ones from Air-Zone, with a built-in timer to allow the ozoneto shut off and dissipate for several hours before reentering the room.


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Some people nd that misting their home regularly with Moldzyme and/or Heartland Microbes (in Sanger, Texas) keeps their mold reactions downto a manageable level.

Refrigerator cooling coils, personal computers with air-cooled cabinets, andother electronic devices with dark, air-cooled chambers will harbor moldspores inside their dusty recesses that you will never be able to entirelyeliminate. If you move out of a home with a severe toxic mold problem,and bring any of these items with you to your new home, you stand a goodchance of infecting your new home with the same toxic molds. However, ifthe new home does not have a moisture problem, and the old one did, thosemold spores may not take hold in the new home.

HEPA-type air lters, such as the ones made by Honeywell and Austin Air,

placed in all rooms and running twenty-four hours a day will drasticallyreduce your airborne mold counts and mold reactions. Using good-qualitypleated filters (not the cheap, see-through type) on a central heating and/orair-conditioning system and running the fan continuously will circulate theair in your house efficiently and clean it at the same time. Note:You shouldreligiously service the pre-filters in HEPA-type air filters and your HVACsystem filters on a regular basis.

Dr. Marinkovich would often start people off on the relatively benign anti-fungal prescription of Nystatin. He custom-formulated a nose spray based

on the heavy-duty prescription antifungal known as Nisoral. He sometimesprescribed Diflucan, but your liver must be monitored when taking oraldoses of heavy antifungal drugs such as Nisoral and Diflucan.

Dr. Marinkovich also recommends a strict anti-yeast diet (there are manybooks on the subject, such as Dr. Crooks The Yeast Connection). Sincemolds and yeasts are related, anti-yeast diets tend to also help the body healmold-related health issues.

Some people have reported excellent results using MMS (see chapter 6) tohelp them recover from mold-related health issues.

There may be another way to detoxify your body from mold neurotoxins.By a stroke of luck, during a Maryland Lakes disaster when fish were dyingand many people were getting sick, Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker stumbled uponan effective pharmaceutical for eliminating many biotoxins from the body.When dozens of people who were sickened by the biotoxins in the locallakes filled Shoemakers Maryland office, he gave cholestyramine (tradename Questran) to an older woman to treat her diarrhea. Not only didher diarrhea disappear, but also most of her neurotoxin symptoms simply

evaporated. Since then, Dr. Shoemaker has treated thousands of patientswith cholestyramine and has found it to be very good at binding and elimi-nating neurotoxins (Rosen and Schaller 2006, 73). My wife was sufferingfrom debilitating daily mold-related migraines. The use of a single dailydose of cholestyramine has made a night-and-day difference, reducing hermigraines from a daily occurrence to rare occasions!

hurricanes and floods - an excerpt from when disaster strikes

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