The University of Ottawa’s Guide to… Surviving Superstorms
This past week, Sandy, the largest Atlantic hurricane on record, created a path of destruction and tragedy throughout the Eastern region of the United States and Canada. The previously categorized post-tropical cyclone made landfall at Atlantic City, New Jersey at 8pm ET October 29th. Thankfully, here in Ottawa, we only experienced typical slight rains, but this was not the case for many affected in the East. Sandy has resulted in almost 200 confirmed deaths and over an estimated 50 billion dollars in damages and losses. In order to stay prepared and safe for other late season hurricanes and winter storms, Her Campus uOttawa has assembled a list of important tips for you to survive superstorms!
1. Having a survival kit is essential when living in possible storm affected areas. Make sure to include a mini first aid kit, toiletries, hygiene products, a whistle, and a Swiss Army knife!
2. While fooling around in the dark can be fun, blacked out cities can be dangerous, so make sure to have a flashlight and extra batteries on hand, save the battery of your cellphone that is usually used as a flashlight for emergencies as well as calling family and friends.
3. While your fridge might contain a great stock of juice and beer, water is the most crucial thing for survival, make sure you have at least 4 litres per person, per day.
4. Most major storms will cause power outages so make sure your laptop and smartphone are fully charged in case of emergency.
5. Waiting out a storm can be long and tedious, especially if you are snowed in or have no power for days. In preparation, borrow some books from the library and dig out some board games to play with friends.
6. Make sure you have all the books, articles and instructions you need to work on school work, some professors may not be so understanding about late assignments due to storms.
7. A battery operated or wind up radio can be an important source of information during power outages.
8. A stock of non-perishable food (anything you do not have to put in the fridge/freezer) is necessary when weathering out storms. Make sure you possess a diversity and not just pasta and nutella.
9. Having a ziplock bag with all your important documents and identification is also good to have on hand during potential emergency situations.
10. Finally in the worst-case scenario that you have to evacuate, have an overnight bag or small suitcase packed with some clothes and precious belongings you would not want to be damaged or lost.
If you want more information on being storm smart in Ottawa check out www.emergencymanagementontario.ca, there you can find more tips on how to be prepared for different kinds of emergencies, as well as sign up for red alerts.
Environment Canada is the most reliable for predicting bad weather and should be your primary source for tracking potential superstorms. Here is the link for Ottawa’s weather forecast: http://text.weatheroffice.gc.ca/forecast/city_e.html?on-118&unit=m
If you wish to help the many people affected by Sandy, we recommend donating to the Red Cross at www.redcross.ca!
Take this into consideration and stay alert and safe! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIU0HwKUKzk
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