Hurricane preparedness is a topic that community nurses should be ready to educate communities on, especially those residing in geographic locations at greatest risk. People living in the nation’s coastal communities, particularly those along the Atlantic and Gulf Coast regions, are at highest risk. In an nutshell, hurricanes are large tropical storms that form over warm ocean waters. A tropical storm becomes a hurricane once its winds reach seventy-four miles per hour. Thankfully, unlike tornadoes, which can strike with little warning, hurricanes are much easier to predict, usually giving residents in high-risk areas time to prepare. It is of best interest to get prepared while the weather is nice outside and well before a threat occurs (American
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I would first start by identifying our emergency evacuation routes, and possible places of shelter either provided by the state, or with local friends and/or relatives. Everyone in my family works, so it is not likely that we are all home at once. Therefore, it would be important to establish a meeting place. It would also be necessary to agree on a form of communication. As Franklin and Feltgen point out, we are very dependent on cell phones, but they are apt to lose power eventually and we would be unable to charge them. In order to conserve power, they suggest we “send a text message, [since] it uses a much smaller bandwidth” and “have a battery powered backup cell-phone charger” (Franklin, …show more content…
The American Public Health Association suggests that we have “a three to five day supply of water and non-perishable food, with one gallon of water stored for each person per day” (APHA, 2017). In my case, my household consists of four people, so I would need twelve gallons of water for a three-day supply. I may even need more if I end up losing power during hot summer months. My family does not have any pets, but for a family that does, it is important for them to prepare enough food and water for the animals too. In addition to food and water, it is important to store other supplies such “a first aid kit, manual can opener, flashlight, batteries, a battery operated radio, clothing and bedding, copies of important documents, hygiene supplies and hand sanitizer, water purifying agents, and needed medical supplies” (APHA, 2017). For my family, the medical supplies would include my parents' daily blood pressure and cholesterol
I would first start by identifying our emergency evacuation routes, and possible places of shelter either provided by the state, or with local friends and/or relatives. Everyone in my family works, so it is not likely that we are all home at once. Therefore, it would be important to establish a meeting place. It would also be necessary to agree on a form of communication. As Franklin and Feltgen point out, we are very dependent on cell phones, but they are apt to lose power eventually and we would be unable to charge them. In order to conserve power, they suggest we “send a text message, [since] it uses a much smaller bandwidth” and “have a battery powered backup cell-phone charger” (Franklin, …show more content…
The American Public Health Association suggests that we have “a three to five day supply of water and non-perishable food, with one gallon of water stored for each person per day” (APHA, 2017). In my case, my household consists of four people, so I would need twelve gallons of water for a three-day supply. I may even need more if I end up losing power during hot summer months. My family does not have any pets, but for a family that does, it is important for them to prepare enough food and water for the animals too. In addition to food and water, it is important to store other supplies such “a first aid kit, manual can opener, flashlight, batteries, a battery operated radio, clothing and bedding, copies of important documents, hygiene supplies and hand sanitizer, water purifying agents, and needed medical supplies” (APHA, 2017). For my family, the medical supplies would include my parents' daily blood pressure and cholesterol