PLANNING FOR DISASTER




PLANNING


If you live in an area that is prone to certain types of natural disaster, planning and preparing for an emergency will help protect you and your family. Take steps to safeguard your home and property. Choose a safe place indoors to take shelter. If hurricanes are a threat, find out where your local shelter is, and assemble essential equipment that may help you survive the aftermath.





Be informed

• Contact your town/city council,TV Radio to find out whether your area is prone to any specific types of disaster. Ask for information about each type.
• If your area is prone to flooding,contact your city/town council to find the height to which a flood could rise.
• Before moving or traveling abroad, find out about potential disaster risks in that area.
• Learn about the effects of disasters that may strike your area.
• Volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur around geological fault lines; both can produce tsunamis.
• Hurricanes mostly affect areas around the Atlantic basin and the Pacific basin, where they are known as tropical cyclones.
• Flooding can occur almost anywhere, although the most serious floods are usually caused by very high tides.
•Wildfires occur in many countries –80 percent are started by humans.
• Extreme cold occurs in much of the Northern Hemisphere but many countries experience freezes in winter.
Reduce risk
• Take steps now to protect your property against natural disasters.
Your home will be less vulnerable if you take sensible precautions and carry out routine building
maintenance.
• Protect your family by coming up with a family disaster plan and making sure that you are all
prepared for evacuation.
• Always keep abreast of the weather situation and local plans regarding shelters and evacuation.
High risk of seismic activity (volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis) High risk of severe climatic conditions (hurricanes, tornadoes, coastal flooding)Areas at risk of extreme cold

PROTECTING YOUR HOME
• Replace cracked or broken slates or tiles on the roof .Check that roof flashings are watertight. If any are loose or damaged, have them repaired or replaced.
• Keep gutters and leaders clear and in good repair.
• If you live in an area prone to tornadoes or hurricanes, install special hurricane shutters.
• Alternatively, install wooden frames on the windows so that you can board them up quickly
• Check and, if necessary, repair any obvious weaknesses, such as cracksin the structure of your house.
• If your area is at risk of flooding, make sure that you have sufficient sandbags to block all potential water entry points, such as externaldoors and vents .
• Ensure that all adults in the home know how to turn off gas, electricity, and water at the main, in case you need to do so quickly.
• Check that you have adequate insurance coverage for damage caused by local disasters.
PROTECTING YOUR POSSESSIONS
• Make sure that shelves are securely fastened to the wall.
• Keep heavier items on lower shelves so that if a disaster occurs and they fall, they are less likely
to injure anyone.
• If flooding is a risk in your area, keep precious items on higher shelves to protect them from water damage. Alternatively, move your most valuable possessions upstairs.
• Bolt tall pieces of furniture, boilers, and other heavy items to
the wall or floor to ensure that they are stable and secure.
• Install additional devices to secure heavy light fixtures to ceilings.
• Keep a supply of bricks that you can use to raise heavy furniture out of reach of flood water.
• Keep a fire extinguisher and blanket to put out minor house fires.
• Remove any diseased or broken tree branches that could be blown about by high winds. Thin out crowded branches to reduce wind resistance.
• If you live in an area that is prone to wildfire, create a safety zone around your home (p.232).
• During heavy wind seasons, bring indoors or move into the garage any garden furniture or
children’s play equipment that is not anchored to the ground.
Cut off any broken branches before high winds rip them off

RESTING PLACE OF PAZHASSIRAJA

In 1980s as a simple boy I also feared our Maths teacher and his punishments with stick. I was a normal student at the Goverment UP school Mananthavady(Board School) .Among our kids there was a belief that if we keep a leaf of Pazhassis tree in our pocket, we won’t get punishments. Believe me it worked well !! And for that reason, I visited first the tomb site which is very close to our primary class. Then it became an obsession. The place is seemed abandoned and scary for children. Only brave kids go there. The place is like woods and lots of greenery around there. There was a big Banyan tree exactly engulfed the tomb which was made up of red laterite blocks which can be seen in a close look only.

I learned to read from this Board School, a gift of Britons to this backward area. The first letters I could read out of school was in the huge wooden display board of archeological department which describes briefly Pazhassis cremation. I still remember the words. It was in Malayalam and reads like:
The brave heart of Kerala, Veera Kerala Varma Pazhzssi Raja is lying here. In 1805 Nov 30 he was killed in the battle with British. And his dead body brought to Mananthavady by Britons in Colonel Baber’s Palanquin and cremated here with all military respects.
On lunch breaks we frequently goes there, sometimes with the free school made pudding with Amrican Wheat – Upma in Malayalam in a plastic cover. We often put some wild flowers in his tomb. We cared to clean the area after lunch and not to make big sounds- as our senior boys always warned- Pazhassi will be Awake from sleep.
The tree was huge.There was a big fissure in the left back side of the Tree and it leads to a small cave like structure in the tomb. One or two boy of 10 years can easily sit inside the cave. We had seen so many small snakes and small creatures around the tomb and cave and nobody dare to go inside except fool enthusiastic like me and my friends. One day, might be in 1983-84-We were exploring the tomb cave. We were sitting inside the cave as I said earlier which is fully covered with the huge tree trunk. I found deep in the mud, remains of two small sword like things inside the inside tomb wall. I took them and examined. One is about 2 feet length, with a handle like sword, too rusty as nearly thin dust. Other one is 1 foot length and seems little thick and like a big knife. As we are not aware of these things we took them to our school and explained to the headmaster Mr. Balakrishanan, about the artifacts. He agreed to keep them in the office. Rest I don’t know. But I strongly believe that some pazhassis followers kept them there.
When I matriculate, and in my early youth, the place is our groups gathering point up to midnights..We saw every portion of society is coming there either to spend an evening or to put flowers in the tomb. We welcomed everyone. The archeological department of local government posted one Manager and one Gardener there. The Gardener was a native of Travencore and seems doesn’t care about his job. We became friends and we couldn’t see the Manager. He used to come once in a month to collect the salary. Government planned to renovate the tomb place and made a small museum and put laterite wall around the tree and planted some local herbs and flowes. But sooner the big tree became dried up within one year and ultimately fell down. Being a nature lover, we feel badly. We the youth made a non governmental organization on environmental issues. We called it Green Lovers and I was the founder Advisor. We decided to plant a same type tree and after long search we got permission and planted the sapling. We put seeds of all available wild trees around the vacant land of the tomb. we also included lots of local seeds of jack fruits, mangoes, figs etc. The Aim is to attract birds and small animals when they give fruits. But thanks to governments decision to renovate again the site, they started work and all our efforts were gone in vain. We also separated in course of time to seek a Job. Today Green lovers attached with Pazhassi Library working outstandingly.

Just down the road to Mananthavady town there was an old building built in 1929 and working as Pazhassi Raja Memorial Library. In 90s I was one of the office bearers. It was demolished and built a new commercial complex with Library. It is now one of the best Libraries in Wayanad. I read several books on local history, though my primary subject in college is Pure science. History became a fascination. I searched William Logan’s Malabar Manual , but I could not read. I read it recently.
Several years later I am posted to Tellichery General Hospital by the government which is near to the British FACTORY. I saw all the places with a different eye. The church, fort and even the playground made me fascination. In mind I want to rewind the process of history. I got several tips from internet and Maps. And name of places. With this aim I wandered in my motorbike to all the historical places like Tellichery, its old city, old buildings. I found in our climate with six month strong rain, the buildings are ruined easily. All the people getting nice money and new structures are rising everywhere. I extended my search to Calicut, Beypore Faroke,Kannur, Darmapatanum, Darmodam, Valapatnam, Mahe, Peria, Kottiyoor etc. most of the route are familiar to me before, because I have to travel these areas with work related trips, for example I can travel Tellichery to Mananthavady (My home) through kathiroor, KOTTAYAM, Kannavam, Kottiyoor, Elapedika, Peria, Palchuram etc, all relevant to history. I visit some of the Nambiars houses and spent time with elders to grasp an idea of old days.
And search now continues.

The word in that board given an Impression of Britons in my child mind and it was shining. That is , This Baber Brought Rajas dead body in His palanquin and buried with respects and customs. I found how these forign people respect even their enemy.