Your Guide To Emergency Preparedness For Apartment Dwellers In Carmel
When you reside in an apartment, you follow general safety measures every day, like locking up when you depart. But you may not give as much consideration to larger-scale hazards like natural disasters. Storms, fires, and more can strike with hardly any warning and cause widespread devastation. While apartment buildings are constructed to stand up to natural elements, you still have to protect yourself. Use this guide to find out more about emergency preparedness for apartment dwellers in Carmel and feel more confident where you reside.
Prepare Yourself For Anything With An Apartment Emergency Kit
Whether you need to shelter where you are or evacuate rapidly, having a well-prepared apartment emergency kit in your Carmel abode will make any emergency more manageable. Determine an area in your apartment to store a go-bag and additional emergency supplies like the following:
- Flashlights
- Extra batteries
- Weather radio
- First aid kit and essential medications
- Power bank or wireless charger
- Three days of water and non-perishable food
- Supportive shoes and extra clothes
- Child necessities
- Extra blankets
- Copies of important documents in a sealed, waterproof bag
How To Prepare For An Apartment Fire In Carmel
With a great number of Residents in the same structure, apartment fires can become extremely deadly. Being ready enhances your chances of survival.
Your community maintenance staff should veify that fire extinguishers and smoke alarms are functional in all apartments. Do not deactivate these. Abide by community fire rules and don’t use open flames indoors. Avoid keeping things in hallways that could injure people during an evacuation. Design an escape plan for everybody in your apartment.
If a small fire breaks out in your apartment, follow basic guidelines for extinguishing it with a fire extinguisher or water. When dealing with, employ the extinguisher, baking soda, or salt.
Evacuate immediately if a fire spreads. Take the stairs and the closest exit and get away from the structure before dialing 911. Never prop open doors; they can let in drafts that accelerate the fire. Refrain from going back inside to retrieve belongings or others.
How To Shelter In Your Apartment During A Strong Storm
The Midwest often gets numerous tornadoes each year. Intense thunderstorms and powerful winds can also be life-threatening. You likely learned at a young age to seek shelter in a cellar, but what do you do during a tornado in an apartment in Carmel?
The safest spots for apartment dwellers are
- The lowest floor of an underground parking garage
- The ground floor of your building, and away from windows
- A bottom-floor neighbor’s apartment
- Interior halls or stairwells without windows
- An interior room or closet of your apartment
- Below a solid table
- In the bathtub with a thick blanket for protection
Wear a bicycle helmet, hard hat, or pillow on your head. Don’t stand close to windows or beside heavy objects that may fall on you.
If your building suffers serious damage from heavy storms, evacuate as safely as possible. As you exit, watch out for downed power lines and gas leaks. Walk or drive to a secure location.
Staying Safe In Your Apartment During Winter Weather
Winter storms can quickly turn a lovely winter landscape into a hazardous situation. Watch weather forecasts throughout the season and be ready for inclement weather before it comes. Don’t stress yourself out, but stock up on necessities before a blizzard arrives and have a strategy for staying warm in your apartment. Keep water dripping from your faucets to help prevent pipes from freezing.
Dial your emergency maintenance hotline right away if your furnace fails or you experience a burst pipe during cold weather. If you lose heat and power during storm, follow these guidelines:
- Stay inside
- Dress in layers of warm clothes and cover yourself in blankets
- Keep an eye on vulnerable individuals for hypothermia or frostbite
Do not use fuel-powered appliances in your apartment to keep warm. They emit hazardous gases that accumulate inside.
Surviving A Power Outage At Your Apartment In Carmel
We all face a power outage on occasion. Under most circumstances, your local energy company will bring back power within a few hours. With that being said, a large enough natural disaster might leave you without electricity for several days or longer.
Your emergency supplies can help you get through a power outage. But, the situation can become dangerous if you don’t have air conditioning or heat during harsh temperatures. If this happens, vulnerable individuals should move to somewhere with power.
Abide By These Cooking And Food Safety Tips
Beware of spoiled food. When losing power, resist opening your fridge and freezer. As a general rule, food stays safe in an unopened refrigerator for up to 4 hours and a freezer for 24-48 hours after losing power. If you can locate a cooler with ice, utilize it to preserve essential food over the first day of a blackout.
Use these suggestions if you leave home during a power failure at your apartment in Carmel:
- Turn off any appliances that may have been on
- Ask neighbors to notify you when power is back on
- Be alert to downed electrical lines as you exit and call the power company to report any
What To Do If Your Apartment Floods In Carmel
If you reside close to a river or flood zone, you might encounter flooding after heavy rain or if a dam breaks. Watch the news for updates and heed issued warnings. If you need to evacuate, adhere to these steps:
- Disconnect all electrical appliances that are still dry.
- Rapidly gather necessary items or retrieve your emergency go-bag.
- Move essentials and precious items to higher areas.
- Proceed to a safe locale on higher ground.
- Never drive through flooded areas or step into floodwaters.
In a worst-case scenario during heavy flooding, do everything necessary to make your way to the uppermost floor of your building or the roof.
What To Do If There’s An Earthquake In Your Apartment
Although the Midwest isn’t well known for earthquakes, we experience a little rattle now and then! It doesn’t hurt to understand what to do if you have an earthquake in your apartment in Carmel, just in case.
As a preparation, place large or heavy possessions on lower shelves. Refrain from hanging anything weighty over your bed or seating. Fasten tall items like bookshelves to walls.
As soon as you notice the first tremors of an earthquake, go to the floor and crawl to a door frame, against an interior wall or below a solid furnishing. Avoid light fixtures, windows, exterior doors, or anything that might fall. Cover your head with one hand and grab onto anything stable with the other. If you’re able to grab a pillow, get it above your head.
Once you believe the trembling has ceased, assess yourself and other occupants for injuries. Pay attention to the local news for directions and prepare yourself for aftershocks. Survey your nearby surroundings for risks like fire, broken power lines, or gas leaks. Put out fires and disable the gas and power if you it’s possible to do so without putting yourself at risk. If you spot damage to your building, evacuate as cautiously and quickly as possible.
Other Emergency Preparedness Recommendations For Apartment Residents In Carmel
An emergency can occur at any moment. A few more recommendations can help you deal with the unforeseen and stay protected:
- Rely on neighbors. Become familiar with others in your building so you’re aware who might be home if disaster strikes. Chat about what supplies, secure shelter spots, or expertise you can use in emergencies.
- Always carry renters’ insurance.
- Do not use an elevator to evacuate during a dangerous situation.
- Have a safe spot to bring pets if you must evacuate to a temporary shelter.
- If an emergency makes your building unlivable, await communication from property employees before re-entering.
- Utilize a battery-powered radio or smartphone to locate local resources if you have to evacuate.
Your Well-Being And Comfort Come First At Lakeside Apartments
We can’t change the weather, but we can give you an incredible apartment lifestyle in Carmel! Lakeside Apartments is known for our fantastic location, sought-after amenities, spacious floor plans, and friendly team. Arrange a tour today and talk with one of our leasing agents about making Lakeside your future home.