Recently the term “Shelter in Place” has been used to refer to staying at home or self-quarantining nut the term also has a much more
involved meaning. Some kinds of disasters or attacks may make going outdoors dangerous. Leaving the area might take too long
or put you in harm’s way. In such a case it may be safer for you to stay indoors than to go outside.
“Shelter in place”
means to make a shelter out of the place you are in. It is a way for you to make the building as safe as possible to protect yourself
until help arrives. You should not try to shelter in a vehicle unless you have no other choice. Vehicles are not airtight enough to
give you adequate protection from chemicals, biological hazards or radioactive fallout
Selecting a shelter in place room:
Select a room in your home that you will use to “shelter in place” if necessary. Different
types of disasters have different criteria for the location of this room. Therefore, a good deal of thought should go into this
selection. Basements are a good choice for protection from tornados, hurricanes, radioactive threats and biological threats,
but they are vulnerable to floods and a poor choice for protection against hazardous chemicals and gasses that tend to seek out and
concentrate in low areas. For these types of hazards, a room on an upper floor, near the center of the building would be a more
appropriate choice. For this reason, it may be wise to prepare two shelter-in-place rooms. Preferably, this room(s) should
have an attached bathroom. You will use this room only if you do not have time to evacuate or it’s too dangerous to go outside. You should store a few important items in this room:
- First aid kit
- N95 particle masks.
- Flashlight, battery operated radio and
extra batteries for both
- A working telephone
- Bottled water and some ready-to-eat foods that do not require refrigeration. Do
not drink water from the tap during a hazardous materials emergency. If possible, store at least two weeks of supplies in this
room. More is better.
- Duct tape and scissors
- Towels and plastic sheeting. It is a good idea to cut your plastic sheeting
to size before an emergency. You will use it to seal all doors, windows and vents.
- Extra clothing.
- Blankets or sleeping bags.
- Pet supplies.
You may wish to use your shelter in place room to store the majority of your preparedness supplies as a matter of convenience. However, space limitations may prevent you from doing this. Have at least minimal supplies in this room. If you live in
an area that is susceptible to tornados, hurricane or severe storms; you may wish to construct a “safe room” and combine it with your
shelter in place room. You can learn how to build a safe room to FEMA specifications here.
General Guidelines:
Here are some general guidelines for sheltering in place. Each type of disaster presents specific hazards
so you may need to make adjustments depending on the threat. If you are forced to shelter in place you should:
- Go inside as quickly
as possible. Bring any outdoor pets indoors.
- If there is time, shut and lock all outside doors and windows. Locking them may pull
the door or window tighter and make a better seal. Turn off the air conditioner or heater. Turn off all fans, too. If the threat
is biological and you have a central heating and/or AC system that is equipped with an HEPA filter, leave it on or turn it to the
fan setting. Close the fireplace damper and any other place that air can come in from outside.
- Go in the shelter in place room and
shut the door. Take you printed emergency plans with you. If the threat is biological and you have a portable HEPA filter
system, take it with you and turn it on.
- Turn on the radio. Keep a telephone close at hand, but don’t use it unless there is a serious
emergency.
- Sink and toilet drain traps should have water in them (you can use the sink and toilet as you normally would). If it is
necessary to drink water, drink stored water, not water from the tap.
- Tape plastic over any windows in the room. Use duct tape around the windows and doors and make an unbroken seal. Use the tape over any vents into the room and seal any electrical outlets or other openings. Even though you may have left your HEPA equipped central system running, you should still close and seal the vents to your shelter in place room. Allow the system to filter the rest of the building.
- If the power goes out, use only battery-operated
lights. Oil lamps and lanterns will severely affect the air quality of an enclosed space and could cause death from carbon monoxide
poisoning.
- If you are away from your shelter in place location when an event occurs, follow the instructions of emergency coordinators
to find the nearest shelter. If your children are at school, they will be sheltered there. Unless you are instructed to do so, do
not try to get to the school to bring your children home. Transporting them from the school will put them, and you, at increased risk.
- Listen to the radio for an announcement indicating that it is safe to leave the shelter.
- When you leave the shelter, follow instructions
from local emergency coordinators to avoid any contaminants outside. After you come out of the shelter, emergency coordinators may
have additional instructions on how to make the rest of the building safe again.
Look into each type of threat/disaster for specific
actions to be taken for each threat.
