One feature that makes Atlantic beaches so appealing to sun-bathers and shell-seekers is their long, gentle slope, so different from the sharp, dramatic drop-off along much of the Pacific coast. This long gradual elevation means that a person can travel for miles inland and still be less than 10 feet above sea level. During Atlantic…
Category Archives: Flood
When It’s Raining Cats & Dogs – Caring For Pets in an Evacuation
Our pets depend on us for opening the refrigerator, tossing a ball, and love, among other things. They also rely on us to protect them if an emergency requires us to evacuate our homes. Keep in mind that human shelters cannot take animals, and consider how you can protect your best friend if disaster strikes….
The Most Important Emergency Supply
It’s not the first-aid kit. It’s not the roadside flares. It’s not your cellphone. The thing that everyone needs, every day, no matter what, is water. Emergency officials recommend having one gallon of water per person or pet for each day. And they recommend storing enough for three days at a minimum, and up to…
Operation Photo Rescue
When stricken by a fire or flood, there are some things that insurance can replace — our furniture, clothes, and other possessions for example. But heirloom photographs have too often been irretrievably lost. One small group aims to change that. Operation Photo Rescue (OPR) is a volunteer network of professional photojournalists, amateur digital photographers, and…
Natural Disaster or Man-made? Does It Matter?
Tonight I plan to head to the theater to see The Big Uneasy, a documentary by Harry Shearer about Hurricane Katrina, the failure of the levee system, and the inundation of New Orleans. In interviews I have heard Shearer object vigorously (I think the words he used were “…I thought my head would explode”) when…
Protect Your Assets With a Video Home Inventory
Imagine that a fire, flood, hurricane, or tornado struck where you live. What if you had to make an insurance claim for everything in your home? How long would it take you to name the contents of every drawer, every closet, every room? Making a home inventory protects your financial well-being, making it possible to…
Disaster recovery – Is your business ready for the worst?
Do you have a small business? If so, you need to consider the health of your business in a disaster, too. A study by the U.S. Department of Labor found that 93 percent of companies suffering data loss went out of business within five years. In a study of US businesses conducted by the University…
Get out of town!
When should you leave home? In case of fire, mudslide, or rising flood water – whenever there is an immediate threat to your safety – you need to evacuate immediately. After an earthquake, services may be severely disrupted for a week or longer, making evacuation a wise choice. In order to evacuate safely, take these…