Recently there was a massive fire at hazardous waste disposal plant near my home. Fortunately my family was too far away to be in any danger from the fire, and the pollutants (mainly because it rained, and that took the chemicals out of the air. However, I do know people who were evacuated from their homes as a result of this incident. It is important to be prepared for such an event in your area. Here are four things you should do to prepare for this type of emergency.
1) First you need to find out if this could happen to you. You can call your local government office to find out if there is a chemical plant, or hazardous waste collection plant near you. This will increase your chances of having a similar situation. If you have a high risk of a disaster you may consider purchasing gas masks for your family. You do need to be area that chemical disasters can happen on the road as well, so you should be prepared.
2) You should have an evacuation plan. If you are asked to conduct a voluntary evacuation, I would recommend doing so. In this case police officers went from door to door at 2:00 a.m. having people evacuate. Leave your house quickly, and follow the evacuation route as instructed by the police officers or on television. If you have an emergency kit ready, you can just grab it and go.
3) You should be aware of your surroundings, and the dangers that it causes. In this case the danger were chemicals that were in the air. People were asked to turn off their air conditioners in their homes and cars. This helped to limit the exposure to the chemicals. You do not want to drive towards the disaster, but away from it. Follow the instructions, because wind affects the areas that are in danger.
4) When you receive the all clear to go home you may do so. If you receive any specific cleaning instructions you should follow them. You may want to consider having an expert come and test your home for safety. One gymnastics club in the area had the gym tested before they reopened. They have not reopened due to the high levels of dangerous chemicals inside the gym.
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