Seven tips on how to survive natural disasters.
We live in a time when natural disasters occur more and more often
and get more and more devastating.
Many of us believe we should blame the human race for that.
Whether it's true or not, we all want to know how to survive when those disasters happen.
Brightside has put together a list of survival tips that can save your life in an emergency.
Counting down from number 7.
Hurricane.
Devastating hurricane sweep through the world
particularly in the Caribbean and southern US more and more often in the recent years.
The best place to hide during a hurricane is a secure basement, a closet or a bathroom with no windows.
It is also a good idea to get under a solid piece of furniture to save yourself from a collapsing roof.
A must-have device to have with you in this situation is a weather radio running on batteries.
It will give you evacuation orders or instructions on how to survive in your shelter
and update you on the weather situation as you wait for the all-clear signal.
Protect your house to be on the safe side,
install shutters and panels on your doors and windows and secure the roof.
If a hurricane starts while you're driving,
leave your vehicle and find a building to shelter in or a ditch.
Stopping in an overpass will not save you.
If your home is a trailer and there is enough time to flee to a safe area, do it.
Do not stay in the trailer, hoping it will withstand the storm.
Number 6:
Tornado.
Tornado swirl at the speed of 300 miles per hour and ruin everything in their way.
Once you hear a tornado warning and notice the skies getting darker and darker
and the barometric pressure drop.
It's time to get into a sturdy shelter.
Again, it's a good idea to take a weather radio with you.
An underground shelter or a room on the lowest floor is the best place to hide.
Stay in the middle of the room as debris mostly heads for the corners,
protect your head with sofa cushions or your arms.
If a tornado starts when you're in a public building, follow the same rules.
You want to stay as low as possible.
Avoid windows and open spaces such as auditoriums, gyms and large hallways.
Desks and benches can give you some extra protection if you get under them.
It is impossible to outrun a tornado.
It can easily lift up your car and driving in weather conditions it brings won't be fast anyway.
If you don't have enough time to drive to the nearest shelter,
stop your car in an open area with no trees or objects that can crash down on it.
Get out of the car and hide in a ditch or lie flat on the ground protecting your head with your arms.
Be careful and wait for the tornado to pass.
Leave the damaged building as soon as you are informed, it's safe outside.
Number 5:
Tsunami.
Gigantic ocean waves caused by earthquakes and underwater landslides are called tsunamis
and they are up to no good.
They obviously arise in coastal areas.
No matter if you live in one of those or stay there on vacation.
Do not wait for any instructions once you feel an earthquake.
Immediately escape to a higher lying area.
Tsunamis are so fast, they hit the coast minutes after the earthquake.
Remember that tall buildings including hotels right in the beach area can provide an excellent shelter.
In case of tsunami finds you at sea, stay there instead of going back to the coast,
it won't be a safe haven.
If you live in an area with a high tsunami risk,
it is a good idea to discuss an evacuation plan with your friends and family.
Think of a place where you can all escape in case of disaster.
Number 4:
Flood.
Floods occur more often than any other natural disasters
and change the landscape dramatically.
Remember New Orleans, Houston and other low-lying areas,
they're usually caused by intense rainfalls which can be long or even very short.
Don't try to be the bravest person around and stay in your house once you hear the evacuation warning.
Leave for safer higher grounds with your important papers in a waterproof container.
If a flash flood gives you no time to evacuate and the water is all around you,
don't try to swim across it.
A river with debris in it is way stronger than you.
Worst-case scenario when there is no other way but move in the water.
Try swimming on your back with your arms behind to steer.
Number 3:
Avalanche.
An avalanche can hit when you are enjoying Alpine Skiing in a dreamlike location.
It is very fast and devastating, burying everything in its way under tons of snow.
When an avalanche starts, try to move to the side of the slope as fast as you can.
There will be more snow in the center of the flow.
To move faster, drop any heavy equipment you have on you.
If you can't escape it, try using a sturdy tree to keep you above the snow.
Don't let yourself sink.
Kick your feet and arms as if you were swimming in the snow heading uphill.
In case you get buried in the snow, dig an air pocket for you to be able to keep breathing.
Wait for the rescue team to find you and don't waste your energy shouting or aggressively digging the snow
unless you can hear them close to you.
Number 2:
Wildfire.
Wildfires both natural and man-made, spread at an amazing speed and destroy everything in their way.
If you find yourself in a wildfire area, it is critically important to ensure that you can breathe.
If you fail to do it, you can pass out in the midst of a danger zone.
Use a wet cloth to cover your nose and mouth and escape to safety.
Upwind of the fire and in a treeless and bushless area is the safest place you can go.
The best option is to find any building to hide out.
Remember to leave its doors unlock so that the firefighters can save you if it comes to that.
If there are no buildings but there is water next to you, get in it.
If you can get in a vehicle and drive away from the wildfire, do it.
It will give you more chances to save yourself than running away obviously.
Even when the smoke gets so thick, it is impossible to drive, do not leave the vehicle.
Number 1:
Earthquake.
There are some areas in the world which are more prone to an earthquake than others.
You most likely know if you live in one of those areas.
John Anderson and Yuichiro Miura of the University of Nevada singled at the top American states,
where earthquakes take place most often.
They are Alaska, California and Nevada.
However, earthquakes of higher or lower severity can happen just about anywhere.
You might not be heard by the earth shaking itself but by the things that fall on you.
Make sure your TV set and bookshelves are secure on the walls.
Heavy furniture also has to stand firmly on the ground.
Picture frames and mirrors do not belong right over your head.
If an earthquake starts when you are inside, stay where you were.
Experts say that during an earthquake, you must drop to the floor.
Get underneath a table.
Cover your neck and head with one hand and hold on with the other.
Your entire body must be under a table.
Don't try to run out of the building.
The exterior of a building is one of the most dangerous places.
If you don't have any tables, try to get as low as possible.
Protect your head and neck with your hands.
If you are outside when disaster starts, stay in an open area, away from anything that can fall on you.
Some rules are universal for most natural disasters.
A national campaign called ready was started in the United States to inform the population
on how to get ready for and survive in different emergency situations.
It recommends having a basic survival kit to provide you with the most important things just in case.
Remember you will need to have enough food, water and other supplies
for at least 72 hours after the disaster.
Other supplies include a battery-powered weather radio, flashlight, first-aid kit, a whistle, a dust mask,
personal sanitation items such as moist towelettes, pliers, can opener for food, maps of your area
and an emergency cell phone with backup batteries.
We hope you will never have to follow any of these rules,
but if it happens, you will know what to do.
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Remember, life is better on the bright side.