BEIRUT: The Civil Defense Tuesday circulated instructions on precautions that should be taken in preparation for earthquakes, days after a series of tremors hit Lebanon, exposing the country’s unpreparedness to face such natural forces.
The guidelines also comprised information on how to behave during and after earthquakes whether indoors, outdoors or in a car.
“Abiding by the principle of prevention and for the sake of public safety, the Directorate General of Civil Defense has placed at the disposal of the public a series of instructions to raise awareness on how to get prepared for potential earthquakes,” a statement said.
Preparatory measures include making sure that heavy objects which might fall and cause injury are strongly fixed; identifying safe spots in the house away from glass windows and doors such as beneath solid tables or next to pillar walls; keeping a first-aid kit at hand and determining safe exits.
If caught by the tremor outdoors, stay away from buildings, trees and power poles, avoid rushing to the seaside, since earthquakes increase risks of tsunamis, and go to heights instead, the guidelines said.
If in a car, drivers should maintain control of their vehicle, park on the right-hand side of the road as quickly as possible, stay far from murals or poles, and avoid accessing bridges or tunnels which might collapse depending on the tremor’s magnitude.
In case of injury or being trapped under the rubble, stay calm and try to draw attention of rescuers by any available means such as knocking on pipelines to guide them towards you.
If unhurt, help evacuate the others or offer assistance to rescue teams, the guideline said, cautioning that highest precautions should be maintained as earthquakes are usually followed by aftershocks.
Advertisement
No comments:
Post a Comment