Disaster Relief and the Use of Emergency Shelters

Human beings can never live a life that is devoidEmergency-shelters for areas affected by wild
of any worries or emergency situations. Somefires are quite smaller as compared to other
events destroy the peace and tranquility and putdisaster emergency shelters. The reason behind
humanity on defensive. The biggest example ofthis small scale of operations is that the area that
this natural game is the intensity of naturalcomes under fire is smaller than an area affected
disasters, as they can destroy all the social fabricby floods or earthquakes. Similarly, tornadoes and
of a society. Besides the fatalities and monetarywindstorms do not affect a major chunk of
losses, disasters also put huge strains on thegeography and only affects a small area.
emergency relief workers. In most cases, oneTornadoes only cause damage where the wind
has to deal with millions of displaced persons andfunnel makes the landfall. Emergency-shelters for
have to arrange for their food and shelter.tornadoes are one of the most common ones as
The best possible way of helping these displacedevery house in a tornado-prone area has a small
persons is through the establishment of anemergency-shelter located either in the basement
emergency shelter. These emergency sheltersof the house or in the master bathroom.
are the places where displaced persons are givenThe biggest disasters take place when nuclear or
accommodation, food and medicine. Emergencychemical plants explode, or radioactive materials
shelters remain in the working condition until theseleak into the atmosphere. Nuclear explosion or any
people are transferred to a better location orleakage or disaster in a nuclear facility can
their original dwellings are restored.damage thousands of square kilometres of area.
Floods are one of the worst types of disasterThe affected area in these cases is quite huge,
and local authorities take a number of measuresespecially in the case of nuclear disaster as
to avert major damages. The first line of defenseradiations travel very fast.
against a flood is an immediate evacuation ofEmergency-shelters for nuclear radiation are not
people trapped in the flooded areas. These peoplepresent everywhere. In most cases, major
are later transported to emergency-shelters.metropolitan areas have a concentration of these
In the case of an earthquake, emergency-sheltersshelters due to large population or in areas
can be setup in tents and earthquake-proofsurrounding the nuclear plants. Emergency shelters
buildings. This precaution is necessary as anyfor these nuclear disasters are equipped with
other tremor or major earthquake can destroy aradiation-proof suits and equipment, among other
building. In earthquake prone areas, affectedthings. Similarly, these shelters are located
people are sometimes taken tounderground to avoid exposure to radiations
emergency-shelters that are situated away frompresent in the air. Water filtration facility is also
the affected areas, as roads and otheravailable in these emergency shelters.
infrastructure is badly damaged in most cases.