Storms can cause all sorts of injuries, from deep cuts and broken bones to head trauma and eye damage. High winds, flying debris, flooding, and collapsing structures usually create dangerous situations that lead to both immediate and long-term health problems. If you know how to give fast, effective care for common storm-related injuries, you can reduce complications and maybe even save a life.
After natural disasters, injury patterns tend to follow certain trends. Lacerations and puncture wounds pop up a lot during cleanup, while falls or collapsing structures often cause fractures.
Head and eye injuries happen when debris goes flying. Storm-specific hazards like lightning strikes or flood-related infections need special care.
When you want to help, start with a quick assessment and basic first aid, especially if professional help is slow to arrive. If you know how to manage wounds, stabilize fractures, and respond to life-threatening conditions, you can help your community lower deaths and serious complications during those critical hours after a storm.
Immediate Response and Assessment
Acting fast and staying organized after a storm injury can really cut down on complications. The best care starts with making sure the scene is safe, checking the injured person’s condition, and handling the most urgent medical needs first.
Scene Safety and Triage
Rescuers need to make sure the area is safe from hazards like downed power lines, unstable buildings, floodwaters, or debris. If you enter an unsafe scene, you could end up hurt too and delay care for everyone.
Once the area is safe, start triage—sort injured people based on how severe their injuries are. This lets emergency teams focus on the folks who need help right away.
A basic triage method uses three priority levels:
| Priority | Condition Examples | Action Needed |
|---|---|---|
| Immediate | Severe bleeding, breathing difficulty | Treat at once |
| Delayed | Broken bones, minor burns | Treat after critical cases |
| Minimal | Small cuts, bruises | Treat last or self-care |
Communicate clearly with other responders so nobody gets missed.
Initial Medical Evaluation
After you finish triage, check each person’s basic vital signs: airway, breathing, and circulation (ABC). This helps you spot life-threatening problems that need fixing right away.
Look for visible injuries like bleeding, burns, or fractures. In storms, wounds from dirty debris or water are common and can get infected quickly.
Write down what you notice—like pulse, breathing, or how alert someone is. Even a quick note on your phone or a scrap of paper helps medical teams later.
Prioritizing Life-Threatening Conditions
Some problems need attention before anything else. These include:
- Severe bleeding – Press firmly with a clean cloth or bandage.
- Blocked airway – Clear anything stuck and tilt the head to open the airway.
- No breathing – Start rescue breathing or CPR if you know how.
- Shock – Lay the person flat, keep them warm, and get help fast.
Storm emergencies sometimes bring rapid flooding, electrocution, or crush injuries—these can be deadly if you don’t act quickly. Keep the patient stable until emergency crews arrive, and watch for any changes in their condition.
Treating Lacerations and Wounds
Storms leave behind sharp debris and unstable buildings that cause cuts, scrapes, and deeper wounds. Good care lowers infection risk, stops blood loss, and helps wounds heal faster.
First Aid for Cuts and Abrasions
Wash your hands before touching wounds to avoid adding bacteria. Use gloves if you have them.
Rinse the wound gently with clean running water to get rid of dirt. Use mild soap around the wound, but not inside it.
For small scrapes, dry the spot with a clean cloth and cover it with a sterile bandage. For deeper cuts, keep the wound covered until you can get medical help.
If you see debris stuck in the wound and can’t remove it easily, don’t dig. Get medical help to avoid making things worse.
Managing Bleeding
Press down firmly with a clean cloth, bandage, or gauze. Hold steady pressure for several minutes and try not to peek too soon.
If blood soaks through, just add another layer on top. Raise the injured area above heart level if you can, unless it hurts or makes things worse.
If bleeding won’t stop and you’re trained, use a tourniquet. Note the time and tell responders when they arrive.
Skip makeshift materials that shed fibers. Stick to clean, non-stick dressings to control bleeding and lower infection risk.
Preventing Wound Infections
Dirty water, rusted metal, and contaminated debris make storm wounds prone to infection.
Once bleeding stops, put a thin layer of antibiotic ointment on the wound. Cover it with a sterile, non-stick bandage and change it every day, or whenever it gets wet or dirty.
Watch for infection—redness, swelling, warmth, pain, or pus. Fever is also a warning sign.
If the person hasn’t had a tetanus shot in the last 10 years (or 5 years for dirty wounds), they should get a booster soon. Deep or dirty wounds need quick medical attention.
Managing Fractures and Orthopedic Injuries
Severe storms can cause falls, heavy object impacts, and crush injuries that break bones or hurt joints. Spotting these injuries fast and stabilizing them helps avoid long-term problems.
Identifying Broken Bones
You might notice a fracture if a limb looks bent or deformed. Other signs are swelling, bruising, and sharp pain that gets worse when you move.
Sometimes, the bone breaks through the skin. That’s an open fracture, and it needs urgent care to prevent infection.
Crush injuries can cause numbness, tingling, or loss of movement below the injury. These might mean nerve or blood vessel damage—get help right away.
If you’re not sure if a bone is broken, treat it like it is until a doctor can check.
Immobilization Techniques
Keep the injured area still to prevent more damage. Try to keep the joint above and below the break from moving.
You can make a simple splint with sturdy items like boards, sticks, or rolled-up magazines. Wrap it gently with cloth, gauze, or tape. Don’t make it so tight that it cuts off circulation.
If you suspect a spinal injury, don’t move the person unless you have to. Moving them the wrong way can make things worse.
If swelling is bad, lift the limb a little and put ice (wrapped in cloth) on it for short periods until help arrives.
When to Seek Orthopedic Surgery
Some fractures heal with a cast or brace, but others need surgery. Usually, doctors operate for:
- Open fractures where bone pokes through the skin
- Complex fractures with lots of bone pieces
- Crush injuries that hurt muscles, nerves, or blood vessels
- Joint fractures that mess up alignment or stability
Surgeons might use plates, screws, or rods to hold the bone together. In bad crush injuries, they might also remove damaged tissue to stop infection and restore blood flow.
Waiting too long for surgery can cause permanent problems, pain, or even loss of limb function. Get to the hospital as soon as you can.
Addressing Head Trauma and Eye Injuries
Storms can cause blunt force hits to the head and face—falling debris, strong winds, or flying objects are usually to blame. Some injuries seem minor at first but can go downhill quickly. Acting fast and knowing what to look for can help prevent lasting damage.
Recognizing Signs of Head Trauma
Head trauma often happens when branches fall, buildings collapse, or loose objects hit someone. Injuries can go from mild concussions to serious brain damage.
Watch for:
- Loss of consciousness (even for a moment)
- Confusion or disorientation
- Persistent headache
- Nausea or vomiting
- Unequal pupils or vision changes
- Clear fluid or blood from the nose or ears
If you see any of these, have the person stop all activity and stay still. Don’t move their head or neck unless you have to for safety.
Call emergency services if symptoms are severe or the person gets less responsive. Keep them lying flat with their head supported, but raise it a little if there’s no neck injury and they’re breathing okay.
Don’t give them food, drinks, or medicine unless a doctor says it’s okay. Keep an eye on their breathing and pulse until help shows up.
First Aid for Eye Injuries
Strong winds can blow dust, branches, glass, or metal into the eyes. Injuries might include scratches, bruises, punctures, or chemical exposure.
Here’s what you should do:
- Don’t rub the eye, since that can make things worse.
- Don’t remove objects stuck in the eye—just cover it with a clean, loose dressing.
- Flush with clean water for at least 15 minutes if chemicals are involved.
- Use a cold compress to ease swelling from a bump or blow.
If vision is blurry, pain is bad, or something is stuck, get medical care fast. Remove contact lenses only if they come out easily while flushing.
Keep the person still and shield the eye until help arrives.
Handling Storm-Specific Injuries
Big storms like hurricanes, tornadoes, and tropical cyclones bring their own set of injuries. Collapsed buildings, flying debris, and electrical dangers can turn into emergencies during and after the storm.
Crush Injuries from Structural Collapse
Crush injuries happen when buildings or other structures give way during storms. People might get trapped under debris for a while, which can hurt muscles, nerves, and blood vessels.
If you can, call emergency services before you try to rescue someone. Don’t move big debris without the right gear—it could make things worse.
Once you free the person, check if they’re breathing and have a pulse. Press on any bleeding wounds. Keep the hurt limb still and, if you can, elevated.
Be on the lookout for crush syndrome. Toxins from damaged muscles can cause kidney failure. Signs include swelling, severe pain, and dark urine. Get medical care right away.
Injuries from Flying Debris
Hurricanes, tornadoes, and cyclones can turn loose stuff into flying hazards. Cuts, punctures, and blunt injuries are all too common.
Clean small wounds with clean water or saline. Use disinfected tweezers to remove dirt or small debris. Cover the wound with a sterile dressing.
For deep cuts or heavy bleeding:
- Press firmly with a clean cloth or bandage.
- If bleeding won’t stop, use a tourniquet above the injury.
- Get medical help as soon as possible.
Watch for infection—redness, swelling, or pus. Floodwater makes infection more likely, so keep an eye out. Make sure tetanus shots are current.
Electrical and Lightning Injuries
Floods, downed wires, and lightning strikes can cause serious electrical injuries during storms. Victims might end up with burns, heart problems, or nerve damage.
Safety first—don’t go near someone until you know the electrical source is off. For lightning, approach only after the storm passes or the victim isn’t touching the source anymore.
Check for breathing and a pulse. Start CPR if you need to. Cover burns with a clean, dry cloth. Don’t put ointments on burns or pop blisters.
Electrical injuries can hurt the inside of the body even if the outside looks okay. Even if someone seems alright, get them checked by a doctor as soon as possible.
Long-Term Care and Public Health Considerations
Storm injuries can cause problems long after the initial event. Older adults, people with chronic illnesses, and folks in long-term care facilities face higher risks of complications—both physical and mental. Reliable communication and strong public health efforts are key to preventing unnecessary deaths and hospital stays.
Monitoring for Complications
After storms, wounds and fractures can get worse if people don’t get timely follow-up care. Infections often crop up when injuries stay exposed to floodwater or debris.
Long-term care facilities need to watch residents closely for early signs of sepsis, pneumonia, or declining mobility. Staff should jot down changes every day and let medical providers know about any concerns as soon as possible.
High-risk groups include:
- People with diabetes or vascular disease
- Residents with weakened immune systems
- Individuals with limited mobility who can’t check their own injuries
Public health agencies sometimes step in by sending mobile clinics or offering telemedicine support when local health services aren’t available. This helps avoid unnecessary transfers, which can add stress and risk for patients.
Mental Health and Community Support
Survivors often deal with stress, anxiety, or depression after big storms. For folks living in nursing homes or assisted living, disruptions in their routines might make dementia symptoms worse or spark new behavioral issues.
Facilities should offer structured activities and chances for social time to help bring back some normalcy. Counseling, whether face-to-face or through secure video calls, can give people a safe space to talk about trauma and grief.
Community networks really matter here. Local volunteers, faith-based groups, and neighborhood organizations can drop off supplies, check in on people who feel isolated, and link them up with mental health resources. This kind of teamwork supports both emotional recovery and physical health.
Role of Internet and Communication in Recovery
Reliable internet and phone service really matter for coordinating care, reporting health concerns, and calling for emergency help.
When long-term care settings lose communication, staff may struggle to get medical help quickly, and evacuation plans can get messy fast.
Facilities should keep backup communication methods, like satellite phones or two-way radios, ready in case the main networks go down.
Public health agencies often jump on online platforms to share updates about service availability, shelter locations, or tips for disease prevention.
Residents can use video calls to connect with family, which honestly helps fight off isolation and lifts spirits during long recovery periods.