SOS 1/87: ANTICIPATING AN EMERGENCY SITUATION

ANTICIPATING AN EMERGENCY SITUATION

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Anticipating an emergency situation means first and foremost identifying the risks around us (see Identifying risks near you) and therefore planning alternative scenarios. After an inventory of these risks, it is necessary to study them and evaluate their potential seriousness, and finally decide on the preventive actions to be implemented.

Anticipating is finally taking the necessary precautions to be able to manage a crisis situation in the best possible way. This section therefore aims to inform the citizen on the attitudes to adopt before, during, and after an emergency situation.

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BEFORE AN EMERGENCY SITUATION

Search for information on the risks in your area

Design your personal emergency plan
(update it every year).

Prepare your emergency equipment in case of evacuation.

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DURING AN EMERGENCY

Your most effective action will be to remain permanently informed of the emergency actions taken by the public authorities and to strictly respect the instructions given, in particular to evacuate your home or the disaster area.

Listen permanently to the radio or television, and more particularly to your public service radio.

Be attentive to megaphone messages from any source (land, sea or air).

Be alert for siren messages that may call for evacuation.

Stay where you are until it is safe to do so or you are ordered to evacuate.

Keep your emergency bag (medication, bandages, etc.), belongings (clothes, underwear, car keys) and administrative documents (ID, passport, etc.) close by.

Calmly weigh the advantages and disadvantages, in case you have to evacuate your home alone.

Respect the evacuation order

The evacuation order is given by the authorities only when they have reason to believe that you are in danger. Therefore, you should stay where you are until you are ordered to evacuate or until it is safe to do so.

If you are ordered to evacuate, bring your emergency bag, any medications you need, prescriptions, identification for each family member, copies of essential family documents and a cell phone.

Lock the doors of your home and use the escape routes recommended by the authorities or follow the evacuation routes that you have previously identified.

Follow the lockdown order

If local officials advise you to "shelter-in-place", you must remain inside your home or workplace and protect yourself there.

To best protect yourself, you should:

Close and lock all windows and doors to the outside.

Turn off all fans, heating and air conditioning systems.

Go to an above-ground room, if possible without windows.

Use duct tape to seal doorways and possibly window cracks.

Listen to the radio or watch television regularly until it is announced that the situation has returned to normal or that an evacuation is necessary.

- You can find on this link the attitudes to adopt -
- in case of a major nuclear hazard -
>>> by clicking here <<<

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AFTER AN EMERGENCY SITUATION

It is necessary to be aware of all the damage caused, on a material level, but especially on a human level, and of the dangers still existing following the material damage.

In case of evacuation, return to your home only when the authorities give you permission.

Call the emergency services or a professional to turn on the electricity or gas.

Seek help from your doctor to deal with the emotional and psychological consequences that may occur.
This is especially true for children. Talking about your experience helps you to understand the situation and to find a new balance in your life.

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