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Emergency Recovery
There are many different emergency situations a Householder or Business owner can face.
With some forethought and a little proactive thinking, if the worst does happen you can be prepared and deal with your problems in a calm, organised way. It is a good idea to keep, in a handy place, a list of useful numbers and contact details for various emergency services, relatives and insurance companies etc.
HOME Emergency contacts pdf
BUSINESS Emergency contacts pdf
Flooding
If you are not sure if you are at risk of flooding The Environment Agency web-site will enable you to check your locality. Having a flood plan in place will enable you to react correctly when you think trouble is looming. Again The Environment Agency has useful leaflets to download, which will help you to plan what to do before a flood and after.
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/subjects/flood
Obviously prevention is better than cure, but water will always find its way through all but the very best defences, so if you know you live in an area prone to flooding, it is a good idea to be ready for the inevitable and have a water pump standing by.
There are several types of pump, each designed with specific problems in mind. Flood water can be divided into three basic categories, with pumps to suit:
Clean water- rain water, floods from burst pipes etc - No suspended solids Gray water - Mildly polluted water from baths, sinks, washing machines etc - With some, small suspended solids. Salt water will probably fall into this category, but you will need a specialist corrosion-proof pump. Black water - Sewage etc
If there is no electrical supply, there are two alternatives. A petrol powered pump or to buy a generator to run an electric pump. The generator option probably offers the most flexibility as it can also be used to power other tools and equipment while you are waiting for your electricity supply to be restored.
If it is raining heavily, while you are trying to stop your property being flooded, you should try to keep warm and dry. Protective, waterproof clothing and footwear should be bought in advance, ready for an emergency.
Once the water has receded, you’ll need to think about drying out your property. A dehumidifier will extract water vapour from damp air, speeding up the drying process. Blower/dryers are also available which speed up drying of carpets, walls and furnishings.
Care should be taken if you suspect that the water was contaminated with sewage, protective footwear and rubber gloves should be worn and any contaminated furnishings disposed of.
Power Cuts
Power cuts can occur for a number of reasons - Flooding or overhead lines being brought down etc. and may happen at any time. It’s always a good idea to keep a torch where you know it is for these emergencies and a battery powered radio, so you can listen to local radio announcements.
Your first course of action, if the lights go out, is to check your fuse-board - you may be lucky and find it’s just a tripped circuit breaker or blown fuse! Then check with the neighbours, if their power is off too, you now know you should put your emergency plan into action. Your local energy supplier should be able to give you an idea of how long the power will be off for.
When the power goes off you should switch off and un-plug all electrical appliances, but leave one light on, so you know when the supply is restored. Try to keep fridge and freezer doors shut, keep the contents fresh/frozen for as long as possible.
A generator can get you through these periods without electricity, but you have to choose the correct model carefully, to be sure it will be powerful enough for your needs. A generator’s power output is usually given in Watts (w) or Kilo Volt Amps (KVA).
Many appliances which you are likely to use with a generator - water pumps, for example, will require up to three times their operating power on start-up. The generator you choose should be capable of providing this initial burst of power, or you will risk damaging the generator, the pump or both. Think about what you will need to run as an absolute minimum - just the fridge freezer and maybe the central heating pump, do you have a gas cooker or multi-fuel stove you cook on? Can you use candles, torches and lanterns for lighting?
Wind Damage
There seem to be more and more strong winds these days and there always seem to stories in the news about trees and branches coming down and damaging houses and cars.
If you are faced with a fallen tree or branch, there are a number of ways of cutting the timber up into manageable pieces, so it can be moved.
A bow saw is probably the cheapest way to deal with the problem and will be fine if you only have a couple of small branches to cut, but to save your time and energy, the real answer is a chain saw. These may be powered by either electricity or petrol. Obviously electric chain saws have their limitations; they have to be used near to mains power, that’s assuming there is some! Petrol powered chain saws tend to be more powerful and consequently have longer Bars (saw length), enabling them to cut larger logs. Due to the exposed nature of the actual saw chain and the amount of wood chippings produced, full safety equipment should always be worn when using chain saws. Missing roof tiles can be another consequence of strong winds, a tarpaulin can be a temporary solution to keeping the elements out until the roofer can get round.
Fire
Fire is probably the one emergency situation we can do the most to help avoid. That way we will hopefully not have to deal with the consequences.
The first thing you should think about is what you can do to avoid a fire apart from all the basics, checking your electrical installation is up-to date and not having anything flammable near to a source of ignition. Strategically placed smoke alarms can also provide vital extra minutes warning, if a fire does break out.
In the case of oil leaks or spills, there are kits available to minimise the risk of spilt oil being ignited.
The next thing to think about is what to do if a fire does break out. In a domestic situation a small powder fire extinguisher and/or a fire blanket in the kitchen, is probably the best solution. In commercial premises the requirements are laid down by law, regarding the size, type and placement of extinguishers and blankets.
USEFUL WEB SITES
Red Cross - Prepare for the unexpected
Environment Agency - Flood Map
Direct Gov - Fire prevention
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