HOW TO SURVIVE A DUST STORM

You see the cloud rising massively on the horizon, blackening the sky. You have only moments to spare before the dust storm reaches your home.

It’s the beginning of the dust bowl during the dirty thirties, a decade full of drought, scorching temperatures, crop disease, and insect plagues on the prairies. Though crop production is declining, farmers will continue to plant in hopes the worst has passed. The seemingly endless dry spell will eventually force thousands of climate refugees to flee the southern prairies.

The storm hits, and loose topsoil fiercely swirls about. You can barely see the ground at your feet, and you have difficulty breathing. Surviving these regularly occurring dust storms and adjusting to their presence has become a way of life.

1. Take shelter.

2. Put a lamp on the windowsill so your children will

spot the house on their way home from school.

3. Place wet rags or sheets at the bottom of doors and along windowsills.

4. Set the table with dishes upside-down. Store dishes the same way.

5. When outside, cover your face using homemade goggles, a damp kerchief on your nose and mouth, or a veil.

6. When the storm passes, sweep away the piles of dust.