Uses of Duct Tape for Survival

Every one of us knows well about the duct tape. It is strong, waterproof and offers great adhesion for any surface it is applied to. These characteristics make this tape a must have in any survival kit.

You may find it interesting that this tape was developed to seal the ammunitions during World War 2. Today, this tape is quite handy for several household tasks which require things to be patched up. However, this tape is capable for much more, including ensuring your survival in the wild.

In this article, we are going to talk about the top uses of duct tape in order to ensure your survival during a number of emergency situations.

Repairing rain gear

As mentioned above, duct tape is waterproof. This ability makes this tape a perfect item to repair the rain gear. All you have to do is to cut piece of tape and apply it on the affected area.

Rope replacement

There are several situations in which you may need a rope. In such situations, you can simply spread out the roll of the tape and twist it to form a makeshift rope.

Patching holes in the canoes

The holes in the canoes or life rafts can result in a person getting drowned in the water. These holes can be patched nicely with the help of duct tape. Rest assured, the life raft or canoe will stay above the water after application of duct tape. And the tape’s ability to be a waterproof tool prevents adhesion from weakening.

Restraining item

Whether the intruders come in your way break into your home, you can use the duct tape to restrain them after overpowering them.

Pandemic seal

A nuclear disaster or a pandemic outbreak can be quite deadly to cause fatalities. You can use duct tape to seal the small openings to make the inside of your home secure from contaminations.

Trail marker

If you are on a trail and you have to cross the woods in your way, you may get concerned about forgetting the way back through those woods. In such scenarios, you can apply small pieces of duct tape on the trees to mark your trail. Make sure that you are using more colorful duct tape.

Food sealant

If your foods are placed in the non-re-sealable food containers, you can consider re-sealing the containers with duct tape. In fact, you can repair the damaged plastic food containers with the help of duct tape.

Making sheath for your knife

A knife without sheath can be quite dangerous. Duct tape can be helpful in making a sheath for your knife. You have to cut two long stripes of duct tape. Roll one strip onto the knife’s blade with the sticky side facing outside. Then, roll the second strip into the first strip which is rolled on the knife. This time, the sticky end should face the inside. That’s the sheath for your knife.

Things You May Want To Know About Disaster Preparedness

Any disaster situation is characterized by its ability to cause destruction to the properties, damages to infrastructures and losses of lives. In such situations, your safety depends heavily on your preparedness for the disaster.

The disaster preparedness can be defined as:

“A continuous cycle of learning, preparing, planning, equipping, training, evaluating, and taking corrective actions in an effort to ensure an individual, group or organization has developed a state of readiness to minimize loss or contain the effects of a disastrous event to life, injury, and property.”

A few other things about disaster preparedness are as under:

• Disaster preparedness refers to the actions that you take in order to prevent any damage which can occur as a result of a disaster situation. This preparedness includes physical preparations (such as stocking up emergency supplies, and following building codes while constructing a new building in order to prevent earthquake damage) and training for emergency actions.
• Disaster preparedness measures are different for different people based on a number of factors. For a private citizen, the disaster preparedness measures may be different from a healthcare worker, an emergency responder, police officer, or a firefighter. Each of these types of people has its own priorities and concerns.
• Disaster preparedness is not a one activity. Rather, it is a set of actions which are meant to ensure safety of a person or group of people during an emergency situation.

Other Disaster-Related Terms

You need to know about several disaster related terms in order to have an understanding about what every term basically refers to.

• You may have heard the term ‘Disaster Prevention’. It mainly refers to the set of activities that you perform to get permanent protection against disasters. It is worth mentioning that these actions do not guarantee complete protection against all of the disasters. However, the risk of loss of life and injuries can be mitigated.
• Another term is the ‘Disaster Relief’. This term refers to the actions performed to reduce the impact of disasters. These actions include rescue, relocation, provision of food and water, preventing illnesses which tend to occur during disaster situations, bringing functionality back to the telecommunication systems, restoring transportation, and emergency health care.
• Disaster Recovery is another common term that needs to be explained briefly. This term refers to the actions performed in a post-disaster scenario. Rebuilding of infrastructures, and health care and rehabilitation are the actions that fall under the category of disaster recovery.
• Disaster Management refers to the strategy of organizing and managing the resources and responsibilities to deal with certain aspects of emergencies.