Solomon Hall
English 1020
April 11, 2019
Dr. Howard
The Life Saving Box
For eons, humanity has pondered the end of the world, and how it would come about. Recently, apocalyptic theories come from zombies, shark tornadoes, and alien attacks. While it is improbable that these apocalyptic situations occur, natural disasters have risen in recent years. The apocalypse is widely described as the final destruction of the world, but in the situation of a natural disaster, the circumstances would be dire, yet temporary. The situation could seem apocalyptic for a short period of time, but eventually order will be restored and times will return to a similar state as before. This differs from what humans normally perceive an apocalyptic situation to be, but it is indeed the most realistic way an apocalyptic situation would occur.
Based on the research recorded by the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters, the amount of flood and storm catastrophes have risen by 7.4 percent in recent decades, and an average of 8.4 percent annually between 2000 and 2007 (Ripley, A. content.time.com). As Zainab Adebayo, from borgenproject.org writes, “There were triple the number of natural disasters between 2000 to 2009 as the number that occurred between 1980 to 1989”(Adebayo). From forest fires on the west coast, to hurricanes on the east coast, and tornadoes in the midwest, and both hurricanes and tornadoes in the south, natural disasters have become increasingly more frequent and powerful. There must be a solution to all of the mayhem that natural disasters cause. Some researchers attribute the rise of natural disasters, and intensity of natural disasters to humans causing climate change. But rather than focusing on the problem with climate change, I will focus on resolving the problem of the amount of damage natural disasters cause.
A natural disaster according to Merriam-Webster online dictionary is, “a sudden and terrible event in nature (such as a hurricane, tornado, or flood) that usually results in serious damage and many deaths”(Merriam-Webster). Natural disasters can happen anywhere and sometimes with no warning, they are extremely dangerous and the destruction can ravage large buildings and vehicles, which can be very costly. There are already certain natural disaster prevention methods today, such as a storm cellar. A storm cellar according to Dictionary.com is, “a cellar or underground chamber for refuge during violent storms.” Storm cellars, while effective in saving lives, are rather expensive and would not be easily accessible to the general public.
My solution is called the life saving box, or LSB. The LSB is a box that will be placed, preferably in every building and home in Montgomery, Alabama. This LSB will contain multiple items that are key to survival in any apocalyptic situation, such as a natural disaster. The items I plan to use include a Gerber axe and hand saw combo, a tractor supply tree spile,Sawyer mini water filtration system, a red cross first aid kit, a Kiefer resuscitation mask, and an Intex Excursion 5 inflatable raft with pump. This project will be easily feasible, and easily installed for most buildings in Montgomery.
In order to put this into effect, it would have to not pass certain codes that the city of Montgomery, Alabama has put in place for our protection. The codes that are currently in place only apply to fire sprinklers, fire extinguishers, and fire alarms (www.firemarshal.alabama.gov). Taking this into consideration, this makes installation and permission to use, a relatively easy process
During a natural disaster, water supplies can be cut of for uncertain periods of time. In countless cases of natural disasters, access to clean drinking water not available or nearly impossible to find. Drinking water can also be contaminated during natural disasters which, when consumed, can cause salmonella and diarrhea (Watson, John et al). Water pipes can also bust during hurricanes, tornadoes, and even when a lighting strike touches the ground during a thunderstorm. If someone is trapped in their house and cannot leave, or if roads are blocked because of wreckage from the disaster after a pipe has busted, that person will not have access to clean water. This issue of a busted pipe is a lot more problematic and common than most would imagine.
The state of Alabama was one of the many victims of a hurricane by the name of Hurricane Ivan. Montgomery was not as affected by the hurricane as the coast of Alabama was, but there was still some flooding. As our climate begins to change, there will be more water on planet earth due to ice caps melting, causing storms to have a significantly higher amount of rainfall. With the added rainfall, most drainage systems will not be able to contain the torrential downpour of a hurricane or thunderstorm, causing them to overflow and flood the Montgomery area. When this happens, it will bring to fruition the concerns of those who have warned us to be prepared. Severe flooding is already affecting countries closer to the equator, but we as Americans are not hearing about it. My LSB will not only bring this problem into the light, but it will help prevent death from occurring from future flooding.
Jobs are a constant issue in today’s politics, not just in Montgomery but all across the country. According to the Bureau of Labor statistics, the unemployment rate is 4.1 percent in Alabama, which is lower than it has been in recent years, but it could most definitely be better. Jobs are not necessarily at a premium right now in montgomery, but if we were to install the LSB into all of the buildings and homes in Montgomery, Alabama, that would take an excruciatingly long period of time. To install something like the LSB, one would need a work force. The city of Montgomery already in one of the largest employers in the city of Montgomery. But if we chose to install the LSB, we could temporarily employ hundreds of people, causing a temporary drop in the unemployment rate.
The first tool I want to walk through is the spile. In week 5 of “The Bachelor” a tool is called a spile is used to extract water from a tree. In the episode, Colton and the girls go to the jungle to go on an adventurous date. On the date they are eventually required to find a clean source of water, and edible food with nutritional value. The girls and Colton are taught how to use a spile by the guide and the way it works is by drawing water out of the sap of trees. This demonstration is presented is season 23 episode 5 at 32:26. A spile is most useful in fall and spring months but can still be used in other months. A spile is relevant to an emergency kit because it will provide clean drinking water when there is no water to drink. Along with the spile there will be a Sawyer mini water filtration system. These systems are portable and relatively cheap, but they only last a short amount of time, which is why the spile is still necessary
The second item in the LSB that I would like to address is the axe. The axe I have chosen to be in this box is a Gerber axe and hand saw combo. This axe and hand saw combo has a sturdy blade and not overly bulky or difficult to carry. The axe is a necessity during an apocalyptic situation or natural disaster because buildings are commonly knocked down, doors are regularly jammed shut, and people are often trapped in rubble, blocked rooms, and confined areas in buildings. The axe is a handy way to break into a locked or jammed door and free people from what traps them. The axe is also very useful for prying things like concrete debris or rubble off of people. Although I do not hope the situation ever calls for it, the axe can also be used as self defense from attackers, and dangerous animals that may be rabid. The hand saw is also a very handy tool to always have because while the axe is used more for hacking, the hand saw is used in situations that require severing. For example, if a tornado struck and someone was trapped under heavy wooden beams, the hand saw and axe combo could be used to cut through the beams and free the person under them.
Thirdly, I want to express my reasoning for placing the Red Cross first aid kit in my LSB. The contaminants of an American Red Cross workplace model first aid kit include one triangular sling/ bandage, one CPR face shield with 2 exam gloves, one Red Cross first aid guide, twenty-five adhesive fabric bandages, ten patch plastic bandages, twenty-five adhesive plastic bandages, ten fingertip fabric bandages, one elastic bandage wrap with two fasteners, twenty alcohol cleansing pads, twenty BZK antiseptic towelettes, ten castile soap towelettes, ten antiseptic hand sanitizer packs, two first aid tape rolls, one conforming gauze roll, one cold pack, four nitrile gloves, two sterile eye pads and one ounce eyewash, ten moleskin (blister prevention), ten First aid/ burn cream packs,one burn gel dressing, ten antibiotic ointment packs, ten sterile pads, one pair of scissors, and one pair of stainless steel tweezers. and ten First aid/ burn cream packs.(Redcross.org) The medical equipment in this first aid kit will prepare its user for the majority of medical emergencies the user may encounter. This first aid kit is made to potentially supply 50 people and comes in a hard plastic case to prevent wear on its contents.(Redcross.org)
Another item in my LSB is the Kiefer resuscitation mask. A resuscitation mask is a mask used during mouth to mouth resuscitation, to aid in better oxygenation results, and to prevent the spreading of human immunodeficiency virus and other diseases from passing from victim to rescuer and vise versa. Mouth to mouth resuscitation should be applied when a victim is unconscious and not breathing or is struggling so much breathing that there is a chance they may go unconscious. My current occupation is working as a lifeguard at the East YMCA of Greater Montgomery, so I have personal experience using a resuscitation mask made by Kiefer water supply. As pool manager Peighton Jolley states, “Kiefer has been supplying the YMCA with resuscitation masks for years and they are a trusted brand in all of our pools in Montgomery.” During a natural disaster such as a hurricane or a severe thunderstorm, there can be detrimental flooding in some areas. This resuscitation mask will give people a sanitary means of giving mouth to mouth resuscitation if there is a drowning victim during a flood or if someone is unconscious and not breathing. As they taught in lifeguard class, giving mouth to mouth resuscitation to someone without a resuscitation mask can result in the passing along of STIs such as HIV, HPV and Hepatitis C.
The last item in the LSB I want to discuss is the Intex Excursion 5 inflatable raft with pump. Forty percent of the 971 deaths from hurricane Katrina were drowning victims (Brunkard,J, et al). This raft comes with a pump, and is quickly and easily inflated. This flotation device may not have been able to save the drowning victims of hurricane Katrina, but we should learn from Katrina and be prepared for flooding like that in the future.
Of course the opposing side will ask questions about the cost of installing LSBs into that many businesses, so I did a little bit of math to help determine the cost of an LSB. The estimated sum is $320.09 per box, but if ordered in bulk, the LSB’s contents could probably be purchased for fifty dollars cheaper than what is shown. The LSB is not extremely expensive but in comparison of the cost of a life, the LSB costs nothing.
When we take a glance at all of the pain and destruction that natural disasters cause and the apocalyptic situation they bring about, it should move us towards action. There is nothing that humans can do to control weather. Most of the time, humans struggle predicting weather accurately and often our weather channels give us a different forecast than what actually happens. So if humans have this much of a struggle predicting weather correctly, and it is a known fact that humans cannot control weather, then there must be some sort of preparation, and prevention program to execute to keep us safe. The LSB is all about saving lives and keeping people safe during perilous situations. Overall, the risk reward of the LSB is in favor. The risk of people with ill intent getting their hands on the LSB is low while the chance of the LSB saving someone’s life in an apocalyptic situation is high. All considered, I think this proposal should be brought to fruition as soon as it can be done.
Adebayo, Zainab. “Are Natural Disasters Getting Worse?” The Borgen Project, 20 Mar. 2018, borgenproject.org/are-natural-disasters-getting-worse/.
Brunkard, Joan, Namalund, Gonza, Ratard, Roald. “Hurricane Katrina Deaths, Louisiana, 2005.” Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Dec. 2008, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18756175.
“Large Workplace First Aid Kit with Plastic Cabinet.” Red Cross Store, www.redcross.org/store/large-workplace-first-aid-kit-with-plastic-cabinet/90663.html?cgid=first-aid-supplies#start=21&cgid=first-aid-supplies.
“Natural Disaster.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster, http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/natural disaster.
Ripley, Amanda. “Why Disasters Are Getting Worse.” Time, Time Inc., 3 Sept. 2008, content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1838400,00.html.
“Storm Cellar.” Dictionary.com, Dictionary.com, www.dictionary.com/browse/storm-cellar.
“The Bachelor”, Ep. 5; “Colton and the Ladies Learn Jungle Survival Skills”. ABC. Feb. 2019. 10 Apr. 2019 <https://abc.go.com/shows/the-bachelor/video/vdka7974715>.
Watson, John T., Michelle Gayer, and Maire A. Connolly. “Epidemics after natural disasters.” Emerging infectious diseases. Jan. 2007. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 10 Apr. 2019 <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2725828/>.
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