Public Health Crises, Natural Disasters, and Nursing: Are You Ready? - University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences

Your brakes. Hot water. The lamp in your living room. There are many things you use everyday without really thinking about it. You take advantage of the fact that these things work 99.9% of the time without your intervention or management. Then there are the things you hope you never need but you trust work if the situation ever arises. Protective dikes which prevent flooding, storm shelters and fire suppression equipment come to mind. When you need these things, you hope and often pray these systems don’t fail.

Fire

Fire suppression equipment is especially important in a place prone to wildfires, like California. The installation of fire hydrants California is important in part because those wildfires threaten lives and do so much property damage annually. Most California wildfires are kept to a size of 10 acres or less because the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection has gotten so adept at fighting them. Recently, they’ve begun using high-tech helicopters in their bid to curb wildfire damage. Scientists are also working on improving a flame-resistant fabric they hope to use in saving the giant redwoods from fire damage.

Tornados and Hurricanes

Depending on the area of the United States in which you live, either of these types of storms could cause major property damage or even loss of life in your neighborhood. Protecting yourself against these types of storms can be a serious concern. Some people install safe rooms in their homes that can serve double duty. Not only can they protect your family in the event of a serious storm, but they can be a place to hide from home invaders. Traditionally, families sheltered in basements or in detached underground rooms specifically set aside for the purpose of riding out bad storms. Today, some companies are marketing above-ground models for sale.

Flooding

Many of us have seen pictures of the damage flooding can inflict on communities. Everything up to a certain height becomes unsalvageable due to water and mud damage. We’ve seen the sandbags people use to attempt to divert water away from different areas. Improvements on the sandbag are finding their way into consumers’ hands. Inflatable shields have become popular. A more recent type of barrier self-inflates on contact with water. It then absorbs the water and turns it into a gel that blocks additional floodwaters.

When natural disasters strike, the innovations in battling them pay off in saving both lives and property.