If you're from Chennai and you can read this blog, that means you're one of those who probably live in apartments. You are among the luckier Chennaite. And you can help yourself & others. Please take my tips into account. These might help you survive this crisis and enable you to be self-sustaining so that flood relief materials can be directed to those who need them the most.
Flood Survival Tips:
Flood Survival Tips:
- Do not wait for water to rise to leave your floor. Early movers will have time to plan and collect resources to fight this crisis. Immediately go to the top floor flats and request accommodation for everyone in the building. Those of you who are at top floor, please accommodate everyone. Your home has more capacity to shelter others in need than you think AND your heart is bigger.
- Take everyone from your apartment to top floor. Don't leave anyone. Crisis can only be survived in collaboration.
- If flats at top floor are closed and you don't have contact with the flat owners then don't hesitate to break the door-locks. The flat owners will understand this crisis situations.
- Starting from lowest floor, start taking the following items to the top floor-
- Take all food items - veggies, cereals, biscuits, junk food, chocolates, dairy stuff, instant food, tea, coffee, fruits and juices....anything & everything eatable, drinkable and cook-able. This collective food supply can help all your apartment fellows survive for months. This crisis will not stay for long, but it's nice to be proactively prepared.
- Put all these food items in all the buckets available in each flats. Buckets can save you later in many ways. Don't leave even one. Even the toilet bucket is essential.
- Take all the gas cylinders. I know this is tough as lifts don't work. But together you can achieve this.
- Take matchbox, lighters, candles, agarbatti, Diwali diyas, oil of all kinds, camphor and everything ignitable. If you have paperweight stones...take them too as last resort for producing fire.
- Take all bed-sheets, pillows, cushions, curtains, blankets. You might just need all of them while helping others. Pillows and cushions are multipurpose. You might be surprised while using them.
- Take all essential items like torch, battery, ropes, medicines, first-aid-kits, soaps, toothpastes, knives, scissors, hammers, nails, saw, tool-kits, radios, phones, laptops, wireless internet connections, tapes, wires, plastic bags/covers, car/bikes cover, raincoats, umbrellas, needles & threads, plaster of Paris, m-seal, air fresheners, deo, scents etc. Big help in crisis situations. Take these in bed-sheets & bags.
- Also take as many clothes in bed-sheets & bags as possible. These will help - if not for wearing then for burning, sealing or stuffing.
- Got more time? Take books, cartons, wooden items that can be used for sealing the water out and burning as last resort.
- If anyone has sound box and mics with battery... Take that too. Don't forget to take battery from kid's toys.
- Take everything you think as helpful and store at top floor. Try to store things in cupboards, storage beds etc to keep them dry as the top floor can have water leakage problem. If time, space and body-strength permits then bring more storage units from other floor flats. You can also use plastic bags to keep things dry.
- Cook & eat wisely. Do not eat 3 times meal and 2 times snacks. We are in crisis. Eat only to sustain. Give preference to kids and elders. Young people like you can survive on just two times mini-meals and strength of your will-power.
- Save gas. Do not cook time taking dishes. Believe in instant, half cooked and raw food for a change. Do not cook verity food. All can eat survival food. Cook adequate amount for the whole day in one go. Again, save gas.
- Do not take bath from tap water. Nature is giving rain water for that. Let tap water be used for drinking and cooking. Use buckets to get rain water from roof/balcony to bathroom.
- Don't flush toilets either. Save that water. Carry flood water from downstairs for that. You can use rope and bucket to create a well-like structure near your staircase and fetch water using your muscle-power. This personal exercise will keep you physically active, mentality engaged and worry free.
- Use buckets to harvest rain water at roof which can be alternative to drinking, cooking and bathing water. Also good for washing dishes and utensils after food. If tap water stops, use rain water for drinking. Even though rain water is said to be pure, if you are not satisfied then boil this water and use 10 fold cotton cloth (may be bed-sheets) to filter it. The water will become pure enough. Don't over-boil water. Save gas.
- If there is roof leakage then use plaster of Paris and m-seal to stop leakage. If you don't have these things then use buckets to store leaking water. You can also stitch plastic together and save essential items from getting wet. Try to keep floor dry so that everyone doesn't have to sit and sleep on water.
- To stop rain water coming from roof entrance door by building a bar high enough. Use wood, hammer & nails and saw. Seal it with cartons and plastic. Don't block the whole door as you need to get buckets with rain water in and out from that door too.
- To prevent rain water from storing on the roof, break a few holes in roof boundary using hammer and other sharp tools from toolkit. Also try to create a landscape using cartons and other stuff to direct water flow away from roof door and towards boundary holes.
- Use cartons, curtains and plastic bags to stop water from entering flats through windows.
- If toilet starts overflowing, stuff clothes and other hard but unnecessary things into it to seal it. After that, use plastic bags for potty and keep them in the remote corner of roof or bury in earthen pot containing soil. Don't throw potty in flood water. That will cause after-flood hazards and illness.
- Take turns in sleeping. Everyone should not sleep at the same time. People should work and keep watch round the clock. Also, if people change their sleeping cycle, their nature's call time also changes. There won't be rush at toilets in the morning in this way. Sleeping space will also be utilized better.
- Do keep an eye on kids, they might try going downstairs to play or out of curiosity. Don't shout on them. They are innocent and already frightened.
- Use mics for announcing that you can help others if they reach your building. Also, pass on survival tips to other building around you using mic and speaker. If you don't have
- Use ropes to pull floating people up to your roof or balcony.
- Help others. Your food will not get finished if they eat a little.
- If you have an engineer in the apartment, use his/her knowledge of science to generate electricity. Use thunderstorm, wind and water flow for this. I think everyone studied about electricity generation from kite, wind mill and turbine.
- Do not waste laptop battery in watching movies or other entertainments.
- Align buckets on roof to form X or + sign. This will indicate to helicopters with food supply that you are self-sustaining building and you don't need relief materials. Better direct it to those who need it more.
- Be cheerful so that others don't get low. Together you will survive and be proud of it.
We hope the situations better but we have to be equipped for the worst, God forbid.
Please share it so that more and more people know these tips and get benefited.
Please share it so that more and more people know these tips and get benefited.
