As I mentioned in my previous post, the areas to the north and east of me were heavily flooded. A lot of snow over the winter and heavy rains this spring have resulted in a lot of run off from the mountains. It all combined during one deluge in one day. The people of High River still haven't been allowed back into their town and they're getting angry. A few people managed to sneak into their houses (making their way past police barricades) and were promptly electrocuted when they decided to try and turn the lights on in their still flooded homes. There's a reason common sense isn't so common anymore.
Anyway, I'm getting a little off-track here! My intention is to talk about disaster preparedness, not other people's lack of common sense! :)
Disaster can strike in many ways: flooding, tornadoes, earthquakes, fire, etc. The flooding that occurred in Calgary and surrounding areas, happened in under 30 minutes but continued on over a couple of days. People had almost no time to gather their things, run to their cars, and escape the area. Now, imagine being on dialysis and trying to gather up the things you need to survive. Not only are you a human trying to survive, you are a person with a chronic illness trying to survive.
Doubly stressful.
First and foremost, you will need your cycler. If I had 15 minutes to leave my home, that is about the only thing other than my computers, changes of clothes, and phone that I would grab. Everything else is replaceable. I would leave the supplies up to Baxter to deal with. They have warehouses full of stuff; I don't need to be hauling it around in an emergency. Same goes for prescriptions. Everything is on file with your pharmacy or doctor's office. They can take care of your prescriptions.
Insurance papers and pictures of your things. I am a bit OCD, so I have pictures of all my stuff in with my insurance papers. This way, if I lose my house to fire or something, I have a record of all my possessions. Possessions are just things, but I pay insurance so they can be replaced in the event of loss.
STAY ORGANIZED. Keep all your important documents in one place. Preferably in a fire-proof lock box. That's in a perfect world. I have all mine in a Rubbermaid container. But it's still easy to grab, and everything is there.
What's your backup plan? Do you have people you can stay with if you need to get out? Do you have an emergency fund so you can pay for a hotel until you are reimbursed? Do you know your area well enough to take alternate routes out?
Do you have an emergency kit with flashlights, batteries, water, canned food, matches, blankets, etc? When I lived in Japan, I had an emergency kit in case of an earthquake. It had clothes, water, shoes, a flashlight, extra batteries, and food in it. It was always beside my door in case I needed to leave in a hurry.
Do you have enough food and water in your house to survive a power outage? If you're in an area that has ice storms (like southern Ontario), do you have a back up generator?
What would you do about your dialysis in case of a power outage (hint: manual exchanges).
My intent is not to create a sense of fear, but instead a sense of awareness that being prepared is better than panicking. Yes, you will still probably panic, but at least you will be prepared and being on dialysis won't be such a big thing for you or others in the event of an emergency. The better prepared you are, the more in control you will feel.
If I missed anything or you can add anything, please do!
RachelT
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