The past century has us witnessing a lot of horrifying natural disasters. While in the past two decades the death toll has been lower than those recorded throughout the 1900s, the effects of lives and damage to property in the past decades have been incredibly high. To date, the most expensive natural disaster is the 2011 Tōhoku Earthquake and Tsunami that lost Japan $300 billion in damages. Hurricane Harvey of 2017 is considered the most expensive natural disaster to occurin America, costing about $190 billion in damages.
Even with these numbers, scientist and meteorologist continue to warn us that disasters will only get worse with climate change. Most hit areas have been the southern part of the US and the Caribbean, with earthquakes plaguing both South America and Asia. While these events, once they hit, are beyond human control, the question as to what more people can do in the wake of a natural disaster still gets asked.
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Evacuate
Natural disasters are not created equal. Some come with an advanced warning while others take place in an instant. However, in the case where there has been a prior warning, the best course of action is an evacuation. There is nothing more worth protecting than life. A fear of not being able to get tax amnesty or having to pay extra to travel out of town are smaller concerns when equated to the human life.
The best course of action is to heed the warning of local authorities and leave the area as in the case during a hurricane. Doing so also reduces the risk that volunteers and rescue personnel face when responding to distress calls from people who did not evacuate or were unable to do so in time.
Prepare supplies and gear
Whether evacuating or weathering the storm, the other measure a person can take is stock up on supplies. That ought to be done once the warning is issued to avoid the last-minute rush where things are often out of stock due to increased demand. If you live in an area prone to disasters, then it is essential to have a kit that will help you survive and wait out the event.
Create an emergency plan
At the top of the list, preparedness is the best way to increase your chances of surviving or weathering a natural disaster. Allocate time and resources to learn all the tricks and tips for survival because when disaster hits, you won’t have time to check out online tutorials. Whether it is taking classes or immersing as much knowledge as you can to ensure that you and your family are well prepared. In doing so, there will be less panic, and equally, increase your chances of coming out better than if you were ill prepared.
