During Natural Disasters and Power Outage Administering First Aid Protection Against Fires Caring

118 Pages·2014·8.58 MB·English

1 During Natural Disasters 4 Administering
and Power Outage First Aid
2 5
During War Emergencies Protection Against Fires
3 6
Protection Against Caring for People with
Acts of Sabotage Special Needs

Your Guide for Emergencies
National Media Council License
510 / 2013
Table of Contents
Preamble 4 Protection Against Fire 101
During Natural Disasters And Power Outages 7 Caring For People With Special Needs 115
During War Emergencies 27 Emergency Kit 120
Protection Against Acts of Sabotage 43 Important Telephone Numbers 124
Administering First Aid 83 Epilogue 125
4 | Your Guide for Emergencies
Preamble
Protection is a set of cognitive principles, values and practices that people resort to when they face hazards
or accidents or when they expect their occurrence. The purpose is to ward off danger or, in case it occurs,
to minimize its intensity and adverse effects.
Effective protection starts with preparedness which constitutes “the most important step towards protection”
as well as the foundation of protective measures which, if applied accurately and consistently, lead to better
protection of both people and property, and hence of the country and its assets.
In this guidebook, we present you with a series of concepts and methods which will help you, in different
cases of emergency, to avoid the dangers that might threaten your own life and safety as well as the life and
safety of your family and environment, or that you might need to address while on the road, at school or at
work.
This guidebook also shows you how to protect your property as well as the individual and collective
property of others, through instructions and advice that correspond to the different types and natures of
hazards likely to occur in times of peace, war, turmoil and disasters.
Additionally, it introduces you to the best and most recent methods of protecting yourself and helping others
through a series of first-aid instructions on how to stop bleeding, treat burns and fractures or resuscitate
cardiac arrest or suffocation sufferers.
This guidebook offers advice on how to ensure personal safety during fires and how to deal with various
building components such as installations and equipment.
You can learn how to deal with emergencies in times of peace, i.e. natural disasters and sudden power
outages, and how to stock up on food supplies.
It also offers instructions on measures that should be taken in times of war to avoid crises, in terms of
consumption levels, blood donation, warnings, shelters and personal defence.
In particular, the guidebook focuses on the importance of a “previously prepared emergency kit”, and helps
you to avoid potential chemical and biological terrorist threats as well as bomb attacks.
Finally, it explains in detail how to care for people with special needs in cases of emergency.
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1 − Natural Disasters And
Power Outages
Lightning 8
Floods 10
Earthquakes And Tremors 12
Tsunami 17
Landslides 21
Power Outages 23
Stocking Up On Basic Food Supplies 24
8 | Your Guide for Emergencies
Lightning
Lightning is a dazzling light that suddenly appears in the sky in turbulent weather. It is a massive natural
electrical discharge resulting from the collision between two clouds, one with negative electric charge and
the other with positive electric charge. The light is followed by a booming sound known as “thunder”.
Together, lightning and thunder form a “thunderbolt”.
Lightning is usually harmless because most of its charges do not reach the Earth. But in some cases, if it is
strong enough, it can uproot a tree, destroy a chimney or even kill a person or an animal.
However, it has been shown that most of those who were struck by lightning were usually taking shelter
under a tree, and this is the most dangerous thing to do when a thunderstorm breaks out because trees and
high-rise buildings actually conduce thunderbolts. Consequently, the roofs of buildings should be equipped
with lightning rods; metal chains that absorb electricity and divert their fatal charges to the centre of the
Earth.
Lightning rods absorb the charges and scatter them peacefully into the ground, away from the building. The
massive energy of a thunderbolt is capable of destroying anything that stands in its way.
|
Natural Disasters And Power Outage 9
How to avoid the risks of lightning
When a thunderstorm is brewing in the area you are in, proceed with caution. Find a safe shelter and avoid
any contact with metallic objects or hiding under trees.
In case you are at home Head inside a building or a vehicle When thunder roars do not...
• Avoid taking a shower, because the • In open spaces or forests, stay on • Use the phone and electric devices
pipelines and bathroom installations lower grounds, for example in a and equipment.
may conduct electricity from place where shrubs grow densely. • Stand under high trees.
lightning. • In open spaces, curl up by crawling • Stay outside or in elevated places.
• Avoid using telephones with cords, on the floor. • Touch metallic objects.
except in case of emergency. • If you happen to be out at sea, head • Get close to metal fences, pipes and
Cordless and cellular phones are to the shore. railways.
safer to use in such conditions. • If you are driving a bicycle,
• Unplug electric devices and motorbike or a golf cart, step away
equipment (such as computers) from it.
from power sources and turn off • If you are gathering with other
your air conditioners because the people, go your separate ways.
energy resulting from lightning can
cause serious damage.
10 | Your Guide for Emergencies
Floods
Floods are a natural phenomenon caused by the rise in the level of watercourses; the faster the water flow,
the greater the floods and vice versa. A flood is the overflowing of a large amount of water beyond its
normal confines over what is normally dry land. Floods can also occur due to the ebb and flow of tides.
Floods are often caused by the following:
• Heavy rainfall.
• Strong thunderstorms and cyclones.
• Dam collapse releasing great quantities of water.
• Sudden rise in sea level as a result of heavy rain or thawing snow on mountain tops, following earthquakes
on land or at sea (tsunami…) or a change in the water pressure at the bottom of the oceans.
Most floods are harmful, because they are potentially damaging to people and property (houses, cattle,
cars...) as well as public utilities (buildings, bridges, tunnels, telephone lines, electrical power...). They also
cause erosion to the upper layer of the soil. Floods often claim many lives due to drowning and electric
shocks or even epidemics and diseases that tend to spread due to the potential pollution of water. Floods
can also lead to severe food shortage, particularly in inaccessible areas besieged by water, or as a result of
the submersion and destruction of crops.
Experts and meteorological centres can predict floods by monitoring the different meteorological fluctuations,
and can consequently issue warnings about possible dangers. However, it is imperative for people to take
individual and collective precautionary measures to avoid any serious consequences. Speedy and efficient
evacuation must be at the forefront of such measures.