Louisiana Flooding; How Signs & Posters Can Help Victims, Responders

Once the Floods Hit: American Red Cross Tips for Safety

Severe flooding ravaged the U.S. Gulf Coast this week, causing almost 11,000 people to seek refuge in nearly 50 Red Cross and community shelters throughout Louisiana in the span of three days. The American Red Cross sprang into action and dispatched 60 disaster response vehicles and made 40,000 ready-to-eat meals available to flood victims.

The American Red Cross, the leading humanitarian organization in the U.S., provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and education. They offer these tips to remain safe when heavy rains or rising waters are likely to cause floods:

• Be prepared to evacuate at a moment's notice and heed evacuation orders when given. When a flood or flash flood warning is issued for your area, head for higher ground and stay there
• Stay away from floodwaters
• If you reach a flooded road while driving, turn around and go another way. If caught on a flooded road and waters are rising rapidly, get out of the car quickly and move to higher ground. Most cars can be swept away by less than two feet of moving water
• Keep children out of the water
• Be especially cautious at night when it is harder to recognize flood dangers

How Emergency Teams Can Prepare for Floods with Visual Communication

Floods are the most frequent and most costly natural disasters, and warning residents about their hazards can be critical. State planners, State and Local Emergency Management Agencies, and community emergency teams may need to provide information like where water is deep or may rise quickly, where to go for medical help, and more.

Posters are important to emergency areas for identifying hazards in shelters and camps to ensure safety in unfamiliar environments. They also clearly state rules within camp areas and can point clearly to the cafeteria, restrooms, and medical areas, thereby helping maintain order.

In creating signage for emergencies, Graphic Products has a number of solutions, starting with the Echo. This large-format printer and enlarger can turn a letter-size document into posters up to 36” x 46”, and requires no additional equipment other than an electrical outlet. With Echo, emergency management teams can quickly move from unpacking their equipment to printing vital information, wasting very little time for setup.

Add to this solution the Rhino cold laminator. This requires no power and offers another layer of protection for signs, especially around rain and water.

The DuraLabel Toro is an additional solution for making hazard labels on-the-go. Labels and signs convey essential information, such as locating exits and access routes, and marking fire and electrical hazards. Once made, these labels may then be affixed to a sign or almost any surface. Portable and tough, the Toro is made for printing labels to withstand any environment.

Request a Free Visual Communications Disaster Response Guide

Graphic Products’ Visual Communications Disaster Response Guide helps get state emergency teams prepared and takes the guesswork out of emergency preparedness for responders under extreme conditions.