What Other Emergencies Are Possible In Your Area?

The best way to prepare for whatever specific emergencies you may be susceptible to is to research a little bit about your area. To do this, look up what disasters have happened in your city and surrounding areas in the past, and then look up what may happen in your area based on the experts. In addition, you will want to consider and prepare for emergencies that can happen in any area, such as an active shooter, a home fire, and household chemical emergencies and more.

How Do I Begin to Plan For More Potential Disasters?

First, research the most likely emergencies in your area. Second, rank them based on the likelihood of them happening. Third, under each emergency category, create a plan specific for the disaster. For each of these plans, consider what financial, physical, and emotional losses these could bring and plan accordingly. As you carefully sort through possibilities, you will be better prepared when the moment of stress and emergency actually comes. Even mentally running through an event once will help you react more intentionally and with less panic. Below is a list of the most possible disasters for which you should consider preparing. Instead of letting this list overwhelm you, simply pick a few that seem most likely, think through them, create a plan, and work from there.

POTENTIAL EMERGENCIES

Although we can’t walk through each of these emergencies, some of the most commonly occurring emergencies are discussed below. According to Ready.gov, you should prepare for the following:

ACTIVE SHOOTER

If you come in contact with an active shooter, you want to 1. run, 2. hide, or 3. fight. Running away is your safest bet. Before anything else, you want to get away from the shooter if possible, leaving behind any belongings. Call 911 as soon as you are safe. If running is not possible, hide. Get out of the shooter’s view, and keep quiet. Remember to silence your electronics, lock and block doors, and hide with only yourself or one other person  If these two options are not possible, you will need to fight. Create a plan with others to ambush or distract the shooter, and be prepared to cause severe or lethal injury to the shooter.

CHEMICAL EMERGENCIES

A chemical attack is the release of a poisonous vapor, aerosol, liquid, or solid that has a toxic effect on people, animals, or plants. An attack of this kind could come without warning. People may react to a chemical attack by experiencing difficulty breathing, eye irritation, loss of coordination, nausea, or burning in the nose, throat, and lungs. In addition, if you see a group of dead insects of birds, this also may be indicative of a chemical emergency. To prepare for an emergency of this kind, you will want to build an emergency supply kit including duct tape, scissors, and plastic to cover doors, windows, and vents. In addition, you will want to create a family emergency plan that outlines what you will do in a chemical emergency and where you will meet. After you have a sense that you may be in a chemical attack, try quickly to find where the chemical is coming from, and take immediate action to get away from that source. Get out of the building or area and avoid contaminated areas, if possible. If you are not able to do this, you will want to move as far away from the source and immediately shelter in place. In order to shelter in place, close all doors and windows. Turn off ventilation, and seal the room in which you are sheltering with duct tape and plastic sheeting. In addition, turn off ventilation that could potentially cycle contaminated air to you. Listen to the radio for when you are clear to exit the building and contact medical professionals quickly when it is free to exit.

EARTHQUAKES

Earthquakes are one of the most common types of natural disasters. Your number one goal in the case of an earthquake is to protect yourself. Do not run outside or stand in a doorway. Instead, if you are in bed, turn over, face down, and cover your head and neck with a pillow. If you are driving, pull to the side of the road. If you are outdoors, stay away from buildings. The three basic steps to remember for keeping safe during an earthquake is to 1. stop, 2. drop, and 3. hold on. Try to burrow under a table or desk if possible, and hold onto whatever you are hiding underneath.

HOME FIRES

Since fires spread surprisingly quickly and are incredibly deadly, acting immediately in the case of a home fire is critical. Make sure that the fire alarms in your house are functioning and up-to-date. Create a plan with your family on what to do in the case of a home fire and practice it twice per year to ensure that all of you are prepared. In the case of a fire, drop to the ground and army crawl under the smoke. Touch the door and doorknob lightly before opening it. If it is hot, use another exit, if possible. If you choose to open a door, do so slowly and carefully. If you are unable to get to someone needing assistance, or you have a pet trapped in the home, tell the fire department immediately once outside instead of going after the person or pet yourself. If your clothing catches fire, stop, drop, and roll.

POWER OUTAGE

Chances are, you will experience a few power outages in your life. As a few basic tips, keep your refrigerator and freezer closed except to get the necessary food, as this will save energy and keep the food cool. Use generators outdoors and away from windows, and disconnect appliances to avoid damage from electrical surges. Try to have a few things in place before the power outage, such as a generator, battery-operated flashlights, and battery-operated medical devices.

SNOW STORMS & EXTREME COLD

Most everyone will experience a snowstorm at some point in their lives. The most important things to remember during snowstorms or extremely cold weather are to stay off the roads if possible and keep warm and dry. Having protective gear to keep warm is essential during extremely cold weather. You will want to keep dry at all costs, by wearing waterproof clothing and changing quickly when you do get wet. You will want to stay indoors if possible. If you do have to drive, drive slowly and carefully. Put your car into 4-wheel drive and put chains on your tires to lower your risk of sliding on the icy roads.

THUNDERSTORMS & LIGHTNING

When you hear thunder, go inside, as a general rule. Unplug appliances during a thunder and lightning storm, and avoid using landlines or turning on running water. If you are unable to reach a sturdy building, take shelter in a sturdy car, but avoid touching any metal. Immediately evacuate any pool or other body of water if you are swimming or boating, and find a building or a car under which to find shelter.

CONCLUSION

Being prepared for what emergencies are most likely to happen in your lifetime can be the difference between life and death. Keeping up-to-date on your emergency preparedness plans as an individual and a family is a critical component of any preparedness scenario. Aside from the previously scenarios, here is the rest of potential disasters we should prepare for. This list is given to us by Ready.gov.  

• Attacks in public places
• Avalanche
• Bioterrorism
• Cybersecurity
• Drought
• Explosions
• Extreme heat
• Floods
• Hazardous material incidents
• Household chemical emergencies
• Hurricanes
• Landslides & debris flow
• Nuclear explosion
• Pandemic
• Radiological dispersion device
• Severe weather
• Space weather
• Tornadoes
• Tsunamis
• Volcanoes
• Wildfires

The other day my daughter and I caught a cute little garter snake in our front yard. When I was trying to get her to hold it, she asked me if it was poisonous.  I told her it wasn’t poisonous, and that if it did bite her it wouldn’t hurt. That’s what I was taught growing up, so it had to be true, right? That night I found myself fact checking what I had told her. I wanted to make sure I was telling her the truth. I also wanted to be able to teach her how to identify venomous snakes so there was no doubt about it in the future. *Pro Tip: If you’re wanting to pick up a snake but are questioning if it’s venomous, it’s best to just leave it alone.

How to tell if a snake is venomous

According to SnakeRemoval.com, there are 3 common traits most venomous snakes have:

1. It is a big, fat snake (quite common to see these types of snakes in the United States versus other regions of the world)
2. The snake has a rattle at the end of the tail
3. It has elliptical pupils (Please don’t get close enough to figure this one out)

Can you tell if a snake is poisonous by its color?

When it comes to identifying snakes, it is important to know the snakes native to the area you are in. There are over 600 species of venomous snakes in the world, but only 200 of them are deemed deadly to humans. That being said, there are only four types of venomous snakes in the U.S. Each type contains many subspecies with size and color variations. This is to help them blend into their environment and become camouflage for their own protection. Trying to identify a snake using color alone would be very difficult to do with any amount of accuracy. For example, venomous coral snakes and non-venomous scarlet king snakes both have a banded pattern of yellow, brown and black. The difference between the two types is that the red bands touch the yellow bands on a coral snake whereas red bands touch the black bands on scarlet king snakes. Aside from this example, there is really no way to be absolutely positive if a snake is venomous by color alone.

Common venomous snakes in the United States

Poisonous snakes in the United States are classified as pit vipers, which include most species of rattlesnakes. All snakes have heads that appear to be somewhat triangular, so it’s best to not try and tell if a snake is poisonous just by looking at its head. Pit vipers are the most common snake in North America. A pit viper classification means the snake has heat-sensing pits under their eyes. The head will have a triangular shape and their eyes look like slits. Vipers will have fangs, which have venom sacks attached to them.

What to do if you see a snake

Encountering a snake in the wild is something you do need to be aware of as some are very dangerous. Always do research before a trip to know what snakes are native to the area, and which ones you need to watch for.

• What to do if you encounter a snake

• • If you see a snake, DO NOT pick it up. DO NOT poke at it with a stick. Freeze and slowly start backing away from the snake. Certain species of snakes will play dead but will strike when you are close. Don’t take the risk. Just leave it alone.
  • A snake is less likely to strike if they do not view you as a threat. Make sure you are not cornering the snake. Always give the snake a way out.
  • If a snake is coiled up, or you hear a rattle or puffing noise, proceed with caution. This usually means it’s ready to strike. Slowly back up until you are a safe distance away from the snake. This should settle it down and if you are lucky, it will slither away.

*Pro Tip: Do not step over fallen logs if you cannot see the other side. Snakes tend to hide in fallen logs, or near the log. Wear thick boots when you are in the wild as they can protect you in the event you encounter a deadly snake and get bitten.  

What to do if you’re bitten by a venomous snake

The good news for those in North America is that most of the snakes you see aren’t poisonous. The main snakes to watch out for are the coral snake, water moccasin, copperhead, and rattlesnake. If you encounter one, and you are on the unfortunate end of their bite, use these tips as soon as possible.

• Handling a snake bite
  1. Before you do anything else, call 911.
  2. Move a safe distance away from the snake and remain calm! Remind yourself that the chances of dying from a snake bite are close to none. Thanks to modern medicine in the United States, only one in 50 million people die from snake bites every year.
  3. DO NOT run or get your heart rate up. The faster your heart beats, the faster the venom will travel through your body.
  4. Remove tight clothing around the bite before your body starts to swell as it fights the venom.
  5. Position yourself to have the bite below the level of your heart so the venom doesn’t travel to your heart faster than it needs to.
  6. Clean the wound with fresh water, but do not flush it. Cover the wound and get medical attention immediately.

*Pro Tip: Do NOT use a tourniquet, apply ice, cut the wound, or attempt to suck out the poison. DO NOT try to capture the snake, focus on remembering the color, shape, and size so you can tell your doctor.

What is the difference between a poisonous snake and a venomous snake?

The common vernacular for a snake that has venom is a “poisonous snake”. After doing this research I’ve found that we’ve been saying it wrong this whole time.

• A poisonous snake is a snake that will hurt you only if you eat it.
• A venomous snake is a snake that has venom and can hurt you through a bite.

Can you eat snakes?

The simple answer is yes. The vast majority of snake species are edible, regardless of whether they are venomous or not. A word of caution, snakes can eat rodents that could be poisoned with a toxic substance and that can pass to humans.  Most snakes taste like chicken, right? I’ve had snake a few times in my life and from what I can tell, they all taste like chicken. I don’t think it’s a bad thing to eat snake. Especially if you’re in a survival situation. Before you jump in and just start killing yourself some snakes for dinner, please be aware of your local and state laws. If you’re interested in cooking up some snake for your next family party, I’d recommend checking out this article called “How to Cook A Snake in 8 Easy Steps“. What is the most venomous snake in the world?

• The Fierce Snake or Inland Taipan is the most venomous of any snake in the world. A single bite could kill 100 people!
• Here’s a comprehensive, visual list of the most venomous snakes.

What is the most venomous snake in North America?

• To find which snakes are in your area of North America, use this interactive North American snakes.
• The cottonmouth, commonly known as the water moccasin, is the most dangerous snake in North America.

What venomous snakes are in my state?

• Here is a venomous snake list for each state to help you know what snakes are native in your region.

Snakes are often portrayed in popular culture as one of the scariest, most dangerous reptiles. There is a lot of misinformation about snakes, so it is important to know what type of snake you are dealing with. I cannot stress enough the importance of knowing the native snakes in your area so you are aware of what types of snakes you could encounter. Conclusion So, is the garter snake venomous? After doing all of this research we find that the garter snake is indeed NOT venomous. Garter snakes are one of the most common snakes in Northern America. Many people love having garter snakes in the neighborhood as they do a great job ridding homes of other pests like mice. Still, use caution when handling any snake, but now you know that these little guys won’t kill you.

Knowing what to do and where to go during an emergency can determine how well you recover once it’s over. Individuals with disabilities and other access and functional needs can prepare for an emergency by being informed, making a communications plan, and building an emergency kit.

Being Informed

Start to prepare for an emergency by knowing what types of emergencies are common in your area. You should also gather the contact information for your local emergency management agencies and keep them in your emergency kit.

In some areas, the local emergency management offices have registries for people with disabilities. Sometimes the registries are only used for emergency planning information and sometimes they are used to provide specific help in emergencies. Be sure to know what your local agency offers and what you can expect when you join their registry.

Make Your Communications Plan

Disasters can cut off your communication with your family, friends, and coworkers. Have a few backup methods for contacting your support group in case of an emergency. It’s also good to let everyone in your network know how you plan to evacuate and where you will go.

It’s good to have a close friend or relative who lives nearby with a key to your home. Make sure they know where to find your emergency supplies. Teach friends and family how to use any ambulatory or medical equipment you use. If applicable, you should teach them how to use any lifesaving equipment or medicines as well.

Build an Emergency Kit

Every emergency kit should start with the most basic necessities. It should include food, water, air filtration, and first aid. You should plan to survive on your emergency kit for three days without assistance. You will also want to make sure your kit is portable and can be taken with you quickly if needed.

It is crucial to include enough supplies for all your medical needs in your kit. You will also want to include copies of your medical records, account numbers, family records, social security numbers, and other important documents in a waterproof container.