#disaster advice

[thatdisasterauthor]

Hello!

So i just bought a firesafe, though im in an area much more prone to hurricanes than fires. I was curious if you had opinions on the efficacy of firesafes, and if water safes are even a thing? (I plan on taking the whole thing with if i needed to evacuate ofc but just in case i couldnt)

Thanks so much for all you do!!

Fire safes can be hit or miss. Remember, the ignition point of paper is 451℉, and even just a regular house fire can easily get hotter than that, so if you've got anything paper inside your safe there's a good chance it can still ignite from within from just radiant heat.

It's anecdotal, but I've heard stories that magazines (the good glossy, thick ones) actually don't burn as well because of the way the pages stick together preventing oxygen flow, so they'll singe along the edges but take much longer to burn all the way through. So if you stick important paper documents between the pages (without anything sticking out) sometimes it can help things survive long enough to make it through the fire getting put out? Maybe I'll find some time to test it out myself next summer.

Keeping water out is much easier, in this context. Just look up "dry boxes." You can get them in any outdoor store, usually in the boating section, but they'd work just as well for disaster contexts. I've got a little one I use for my phone and keys when I'm out kayaking. It's not going to be lockable quite like a safe, though I think some do come with holes you could put a regular padlock through. They're usually transparent as well, but that could be fixed with a quick coat of spraypaint if you really needed to.

If you do lose your documents to a disaster, there will be help available to get them replaced. It may not be efficient (especially now that FEMA has been decimated, if you're in the US) but it does exist. If you live in a place that has any sort of official digital ID system, signing up for that can be a helpful way to have some sort of backup for at least one form of ID, which can make the process of getting the rest replaced a little easier (sometimes).

Hope this helps! And thanks for being prepared.

[thatdisasterauthor]

Hi! Hope your day is going well.

I know your disaster expertise is wildfires, but do you know of any good resources for hurricanes by chance? Im moving from the Midwest to the Southeast for work and uh. Hurricanes are a thing lol.

If not, no worries! Thanks for all the general resources youve put together as is, ill definitely be going through those as im unpacking lol

Happy to help!

First thing is, go look up your county's website. Hopefully they will have emergency information there that will be specific to your exact area, things like evacuation routes, safety zones, etc.. If they DON'T have that...call local representatives and complain. Because they should.

Secondly, look up your exact elevation for your place of residence. This is important information to know in terms of storm surge. IT IS NOT A GUARANTEE OF SAFETY THOUGH. Just because your elevation is, say, ten feet and they're predicting a storm surge of five does not mean you are sure to be safe. Conditions can change fast. But it's still good information to have in your pocket. From there, be sure you know where the high spots are around you as well so that if, for any reason, you can't evacuate, you know where nearby MIGHT be safe.

From there, make a plan and make sure everyone in your family knows it. Know your roads, know where to meet if you get separated, know how to contact one another if phones are lost or not working. Practice the drive a few times if you can, especially if you have any young/new drivers in your family.

Have a supply of clean water and food that can be eaten without being cooked, and don't wait until the last minute to get it.

Explore your options for flood insurance and make sure you understand them as best as possible, even as a renter if you are one.

Don't ever drive OR WALK through flood waters. You don't know what is in or under that water.

If you are on medications that you can't go without for any period of time, talk to your doctor about what options might be available during/ahead of a storm so that you aren't trying to figure it out last minute.

Get a NOAA weather radio, preferably one that can be charged either via winding or a solar panel.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaannnnddd...that's all that's coming to mind at the moment. Hope it helps! Congrats on the move.