As one commenter has noted:
Mother Nature, is politically neutral, it cares not what party you belong to. During times of devastation and destruction, it’s up to each and every one of us to help those affected. Put differences aside, the hurt, the pain, the despair, of the loss of life or property, requires compassion.
In you were in its path, I urge you to read Sundance’s post on what to do now.
Another commenter added the following:
rule 450 for “after”
under every pile of debris… every recently hurricane air conditioned roofless structures..inside all vehicles with blasted windows..
there are water moccasins and cotton mouths.
watch where you put your hands.
rule 451 for “after”..
find water… dependable water sources… mains will be broken…do not drink pipe water. locate where water is being distributed and make sure you get cases of it
rule 452 – you are going to get eaten up my mosquitoes..even though it’s hot hot hot hot, wear long sleeves and use repellant.
rule 453 – you are going to get exhausted…take breaks, conserve your energy and sit down and relax frequent
rule 454 – everybody is gonna be a little bit angry and pissed off…avoid confrontations
rule 456 – generators and fuel are gonna get stolen… protect them by chaining them together…I obviously keeping the generators away from where you live and sleep (CO poisoning) and fuel away from generators and other spark sources
rule 457 – at some point, you are gonna want to quit and give up…so, quit and give up two times a day to get it over with, then get back to work
rule 458 – quickly figure out how many people in your immediate area can start working together as a team to solve problems…cooking, getting water and fuel and who can lead and be good decision makers…
rule 459 – help might not come for several days, maybe not at all…it’s up to you to fund help and get it…don’t assume some responder knows your situation…locate help and get it.
rule 460 – of you are okay and in good shape, join with responders to help others…this will give you purpose and meaning in this extraordinary crisis… helping others raises morale… good morale saves the day
rule 461 – start finding and then securing valuables and none replaceable items…like financial documents, insurance paperwork, contact info, wills, cash, jewelry..looters are gonna find then if you leave them behind..get this stuff in a box and secure/secret it away.
rule 462 – if your car is damaged beyond mobility, siphon the fuel out as needed for other uses
rule 463 – make temp repairs to damaged roofs asap. even if it’s just partial…use bed sheets, plastic shower curtains, window curtains, large pieces of flat debris…this way you can dry in at least a part of the house and have dry shelter and protection from the risk of heat exhaustion…
rule 464 – you are without electrical power…so your day night cycle is going to be impacted…go to bed and wake up at the sane time every day to adjust quickly…taking naps during the hottest part of the day is recommended.
rule 465 – keep your socks and underwear clean and dry . ..use rain catch to launder these clothing…getting crotch or foot infections will be a big problem
rule 466 – always a buddy system…no matter what work with and travel with at least one other person…
rule 467 – buckets…find them, collect them, as many as you can find. buckets are essential for so many things
rule 468 – if you don’t know where to go, or your are in a serious problem, you still have options. ask a responder to take you to a recovery site…once there, talk to someone and find out how you can get to a church. churches are better at handling short and long term needs than non profits and state agencies… find a church and ask for help… you’ll find the best help there.
rule 469 – animals will be everywhere… domesticated and wild…they are looking for the same refuges you are counting on. be careful… yesterday’s neighbors dog might bite you if it’s traumatized… on the other hand, most dogs will be eager to have a good human contact… dogs can be very helpful for lots of purposes…just having companionship with an animal can be very helpful…just make sure to protect your food.
rule 470 – always wear shoes and gloves…hand and foot wounds are to be avoided.
rule 471 – you ARE going to run out of toilet paper…now you have to get very creative. be sanitary with your creativity
God Bless America
Remember, we are Americans. We will recover from this natural disaster.