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Members of the Oklahoma National Guard’s 63rd Civil Support Team conduct search and rescue operations in Moore, Okla., after the May 20, 2013, tornado. But stories of heroes without uniforms—both during and after the tornado—are also emerging.
by James Hubbard, MD, MPH
I often wonder how I would act in the face of impending danger, even death. None of us can really be sure unless we’ve been through that sort of horror.
The schoolteachers and others who survived the tornado in those now destroyed Moore, Okla., schools know. I can only pray that I could act with some semblance of the bravery and levelheadedness they did when risking their lives for those kids, in the very eye of that terrible storm.
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by James Hubbard, MD, MPH
Springtime. It always reminds me of the cycle of life, rebirth, new beginnings. And, of course, it’s a time to get outside, to hike, camp, play … and spring clean.
This is the first of a two-part true/false spring quiz to help you get you prepared for all of the above. In the comments, let me know how you do!
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by James Hubbard, MD, MPH
Winter can do a number on your skin. Add the cold to the dry air, mix in a little wind, and it can be downright dangerous—potentially life-threatening if you tend to ignore it and don’t properly treat the damage.
How many of us have gone out to play on a cold winter’s day, only to go to bed that night with a red, raw, painful face?
It can be from sunburn or windburn, but usually it’s both. Cracks in the dry skin—even blisters—can occur. If the skin gets infected, that can be dangerous. If you can’t get to a medical facility, it could be even deadly. But there are simple things you can do to prevent this damage. Basically, just keep your skin well-seasoned, like a cast-iron skillet.
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by James Hubbard, MD, MPH
I thought when I moved to Colorado, people would know how to walk in the snow without falling. They’re used to it, right?
Not so. In fact, in every area of the country I’ve practiced, some of the worst breaks, bruises, cuts, and dislocations come from people slipping down in the snow. Sometimes they’re in a hurry, like shopping, or like you would be in an emergency.
Okay, I’ll admit it. Many years ago, I was running to an ambulance, slipped on the one piece of ice still left over from a freeze, and broke my ankle. I wasn’t much help after that.
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On Tuesday, October 30th, an NYPD truck drives through the flood Hurricane Sandy left.
by James Hubbard, MD, MPH
Just because a storm is over doesn’t mean you’re out of danger. Not by a long shot. Even if you’ve done everything right, prepared like a pro, and survived without a scratch, even if the waters have receded, you still need to know what to do after the flood.
Because the dirty floodwater has contaminated anything it’s touched, been sprayed on by the wind, everything. And most floodwater has picked up raw sewage along the way.
It’s like providing sugar water for ants or free alcohol for investment bankers: germs congregate and thrive in this stuff.
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New Orleans about a week after Hurricane Katrina in September 2005.*
by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.
Whether it’s a hurricane, earthquake, or tornado, oftentimes as many people get hurt after the event as during it. Here are a few common injuries and diseases that pose dangers after a natural disaster—some I’ll bet you haven’t thought of.
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by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.
Believe it or not, I grew up in Mississippi and didn’t know what prickly heat was until I started my practice. In medical training we didn’t concern ourselves with such trivialities. But in real life prickly heat, or a heat rash, can be quite an itchy, prickly nuisance. Many people came to see me for this, and I learned how to recognize it pretty fast. And the heat-rash remedies? They haven’t really changed in those thirty years.
So why, in a survival medicine blog, should I even bring it up? Because in summer disaster situations, with less bathing and no air-conditioning, heat rashes are bound to be more common, and more likely to become serious skin infections. They can even make you more prone to heatstroke. Here’s why.
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by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.
Many years ago, before many of you were born, I trained at a large Dallas hospital. In the summers, the ambulances carried tubs of ice, and if they picked up someone with probable heatstroke, they’d start to ice them then and there.
I don’t know if they still do that, but heatstroke continues to be an emergency, killing hundreds each year and leaving many more disabled. And cooling remains the top priority in treatment.
Heatstroke Warning Signs
In order to know what to do, you need to be able to recognize the warning signs of heatstroke (also called sunstroke). With heatstroke your vital organs shut down. Many people even stop sweating. It’s like your body has given up (or burned out).
One of the first organs that shows damage is the brain. Therefore, many of the signs and symptoms of heatstroke are related to brain function, such as:
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by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looked at the period between 1979 and 2003 and found that more people died from heatstroke than from hurricanes, lightning, tornadoes, floods, and earthquakes combined. And most heatstroke deaths are so preventable.
In my last post, I suggested 10 ways to cope with the heat until you can get acclimated. That’s a good start to preventing heatstroke. But some of us are still going to get too hot. The youngest and oldest, the chronically ill, and those who work outside are especially at risk.
To Prevent Heatstroke, You Must … Recognize Heat Exhaustion
The good news is heatstroke doesn’t just come out of the blue. It’s one problem in a spectrum of heat-related illnesses. First comes heat exhaustion. If you heed its warnings and do the right things, you can prevent what’s sure to follow otherwise—the potentially deadly heatstroke.
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by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.
Where I used to live, in Mississippi, it got hot in the summer. Really hot, and humid. Going outside was like entering a sauna. Many of my patients worked outside. Others worked in large metal buildings with no air-conditioning. Each year, I would have to treat several for hyperthermia. The surprising thing, though, was how few.
A big reason is they worked yearlong that way. The seasons change gradually, and their bodies adapted. Even then, though, when it got in the high nineties their bodies needed help. The smart ones had learned the tricks on how to survive the heat.
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