What to do in an Emergency!

What to do in an Emergency

Some of the following is taken from an article that appeared on the Xtra website March 2010, and gratefully reproduced here. The rest is web researched from various NZ Government and local council sites:

Earthquakes
Tsunami's
Volcanic Eruption
Trapped in a burning building
Plunged into water in your car
Choking while alone
Caught in a rip
Lost in the bush
Emergency plane landing

Some tips from the experts.

Covering your eyes won't help you in a hairy situation, but our emergency game plans will.
Experts say that keeping your cool in an emergency is the single most important factor in your survival. Think of US Airways Flight 1549 making its charmed crash landing on New York's Hudson River last year, thanks to an unbelievably calm pilot (and passengers). Of course, "Keep calm " is easy to say – knowing what to do is another thing. Here, cheat-sheets on how to escape some alarming situations. We hope you'll never have to use them!

Earthquakes

There are 15,000 recorded earthquakes in NZ every year with 100-150 big enough or shallow enough to be felt. While we all have regular earth quake drills with our children (yes, you should be!) have you ever wondered about the impact of a quake on the average house? Check this site www.eq-iq.org.nz and create your own earthquake. You will soon see why it is necessary to secure your furniture to the walls.
Contrary to popular myth, under a table is not the best place to be sheltering from an earthquake. Often tables will collapse and squash flat, not somewhere you should be. The best place to shelter is in a doorway or lying next to a piece of furniture, not under it. If the roof collapses the furniture will compress, but you will be safe in the space created next to it.
When the LA earthquake hit and a lot of carpark buildings and motorways collapsed, most of the survivors were found next to their squashed cars, not in them. So if you are outside or in a building, get next to something solid that will compress, but leave a cavity next to it, such as a car!

Tsunami's

Tsunami are large sea waves caused by earthquakes, undersea landslides, volcanic eruptions or even large objects, such as meteorites, falling into the sea.
They can travel at about 600 km an hour across deep oceans (as fast as some jet planes), and can be 10-30 metres high when they reach land.
In Hawaii the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center detects and warns countries about tsunami that may affect them. However, a tsunami generated close to New Zealand’s coast could arrive so quickly that there is little or no time to warn people.
The risk to New Zealanders is higher than it used to be because more people live near the sea. Previously bare coastline now has houses built close to the water’s edge.

Turn on your radio and follow all instructions.
Take your Getaway Kit with you if you are told to evacuate.
Notify the parents of you care children if they are attending
Leave the area immediately if you are on the beach or near a river when a strong earthquake occurs.
Go at least one kilometre inland or 35 metres above sea level.
Don’t go to a river or beach to watch the waves come in

Volcanic Eruption

There’s a lot of heat just below the surface of New Zealand. Temperature increases between 15 and 25 ºC per kilometre as you go down into the Earth. Volcanism is an expression of this amazing heat energy but it only occurs in certain places, chiefly where there are major weaknesses within the Earth’s crust. New Zealand’s active volcanoes are associated primarily with subduction processes, where oceanic crust is drawn down beneath continental crust. We also have hot-spot related volcanism such as the Auckland volcanic field.

During an Eruption:

Save water in your bath, basin, containers or cylinders at an early stage – supplies may become polluted.
If you use a rainwater collection system for your water supply, disconnect the tank prior to ash falling.
Stay indoors with your pets as much as possible.
If outside, seek shelter (e.g in a car or building)
Wear mask and goggles if you go outside, to keep volcanic ash out of your eyes and lungs.
If you have chronic bronchitis, emphysema or asthma, stay inside and avoid unnecessary exposure to the ash.
Keep gutters and roof clear of ash – heavy deposits can collapse the roof.
Disconnect drainpipes/downspouts from gutters to stop drains clogging, but allowing ash and water to empty from gutters onto the ground.
Take your outdoor clothing off before entering a building – volcanic ash is difficult to get rid of.
Take your Getaway Kit with you if you have to leave. Turn electricity and gas off at the mains.
Notify the parents of you care children if they are attending
Don’t go sightseeing.
Don’t leave home unless advised to by Civil Defence.

Trapped in a burning building

Those annoying fire drills you occasionally have to stumble through at work are no joke: In 2008, 14 people were killed in preventable fires in New Zealand. Fortunately, you can drastically cut your risk of injury or death by following these tips:

Get out as quickly as possible. Cover your nose and mouth with the top of your shirt and breathe as normally as possible – slowly and with control.
Most fire fatalities are due to smoke inhalation. Smoke rises, so crouch down and crawl, or, if it's crowded, stay on your feet but bend over as low as you can.
Stampedes are a common cause of injury in large-building fires, so if you're caught in a crowd, make your way to the edge of the room, corridor or staircase.
For window escapes, sit on the ledge first to ease anxiety about the height. Push off with your hands and keep your body loose. Try to land on your feet but don't lock your knees.
If at home, try the easiest escape route first, then move on to others if that is blocked or inaccessible. (Every Nanny & Educator must have an escape plan displayed, head to fire.org.nz to draw your own house fire escape diagram so you know the best ways to get out in the event of a blaze). Close doors behind you as you go.
No matter what, never ever go back into a building that's on fire. Leave that to the professionals.

Plunged into water in your car

If you end up inside a car during a rising flood or in an accidental plunge, act fast. Cars are fairly airtight, so they may float and buy you a little time.

As soon as you can, before you even take your seatbelt off, lower your electric windows. These are your primary escape route – especially if floodwaters are pushing against the door – and the car will probably short out so they need to be open. The doors should be your back-up route.
If your car becomes completely submerged with you inside it, find a pocket of air (its location will depend on the car's position) and manoeuvre yourself into it.
Keep an Automatic Centre Punch (buy one at an auto parts shop) stashed in your glove box. Use it to break a window.
Once you break free from the car, watch which way the bubbles are going and follow them to the surface.
If you get caught in moving floodwaters, exit right away, entering the water with feet pointing downstream.

Choking while alone

If you're choking on an object or a piece of food, you won't be able to breathe or speak. If you are on your own, try to stay as calm as possible, then attempt to dislodge the item yourself.
Use the Heimlich manoeuvre: Make a fist and push the thumb side of it into your upper abdomen – below the ribcage but above the navel. Take hold of your fist with the other hand and sharply thrust it up into your abdomen. Repeat until the object comes out.
If you're too weak for that, bend over an immovable object such as a chair or railing, and press your upper abdomen against it in a fast, upward thrust. Repeat until the object is dislodged.

Caught in a rip

These strong currents of fast-moving water flow from the beach back out to sea and can sweep you from the shore. New Zealand coastlines are notorious for rips (think Piha Rescue), and drowning is third only to traffic accidents and falls for fatalities – 96 people drowned in 2008 alone. Here, how to cope if a rip carries you away:

Don't panic! "A rip will never drag you under," says surf life saver Donna Wishart. Most drownings occur from people trying to swim against the current, panicking and tiring. Instead, Wishart advises you stay calm, tread water, and indicate for help immediately by sticking a hand in the air.
If you're a reasonable swimmer, once you've got your bearings, start swimming parallel to the shoreline. When you no longer feel drag from the current, swim in towards the shore.
If the drag remains strong, let the current push you past the point where waves break – that's where rips typically end, and it's only a couple of hundred metres from the beach, says Wishart. Then swim back towards the beach.
Rips can be hard to spot. Looking for calm patches in the surf or an area of a different colour are clues. Head to watersafety.org.nz for more info. Oh, and always swim between the flags.

Lost in the bush

The most important step in any bush walk? First: "Phone a friend," says survival instructor Bob Cooper. Let someone know where you're going and when you expect to be back – and make a plan for what to do if you don't show. If no one knows when you're due back, you're in trouble.
"This is really important, but most people don't plan for it," says Cooper: "For example, agree with your friend that if you're not back by a specific time, they'll drive or walk down the track you're supposed to be on, and if you're not there, they should contact the police."

Taking enough water should be a no-brainer. But how you drink it is equally important, says Cooper. "Never sip water. It only goes as far as your tongue and mouth, so you think you're keeping hydrated, but you're not." To stay properly hydrated, drink a cupful of water at a time. Also, pack two clear plastic bags, which you can put over branches of trees to get water.
Carry a survival kit with you that covers other priorities: warmth, shelter, signals and food. For signalling and warmth, take some form of firelighter – flint, lighter or matches. A mirror and whistle are other good signalling options. Also, take a rescue blanket to keep warm – as it's silver on one side it works as a massive signalling device too.
In a clearing, make a large tripod out of sticks and hang things off it, says Cooper. Think loo paper, spare clothing, food wrappers – anything that is bright or will flash. Construct the tripod so that it can also serve as shelter. "If you leave that location, leave the tripod, with an arrow pointing in the direction you're going. "
Build a fire in a spot that won't set nearby trees ablaze. Leave at least 2m clearance around any fire. Stay warm by heating rocks the size of cricket balls in the fire, then burying them in the ground to sleep on. "They'll keep warm for eight hours," Cooper says.

Emergency plane landing

When you board, count the number of rows between your seat and the nearest emergency exit. If the cabin fills with smoke, you'll be able to feel your way to the door.
Read the aircraft safety information card. Then read it again.
Going down? Assume this position: put both hands palms down, one on top of the other, on the back of the seat in front of you. Rest your forehead against them. If there is no seat in front of you or none within reach, put your chest on your thighs and your head between your knees. Cross your arms in front of your shins and grab each ankle. Keep your feet flat on the floor and slightly behind your knees to reduce injury upon impact.
If evacuating, leave all hand luggage behind.
If opening an emergency exit door, brace yourself: they're freaking heavy.

CALM DOWN!

Stifle panic in three easy steps
Follow these tips from Dr Charles Figley, director of the Traumatology Institute at Tulane University, US:

1 TAKE DEEP BREATHS
When you panic, adrenaline rushes through the bloodstream. It initially helps focus the mind, but too much impairs motor skills. Deep breathing increases endorphins, which counteract adrenaline.

2 QUESTION IT
Ask yourself, "What is happening and why?" Fear occupies the right side of the brain, which processes emotions. Asking questions engages the left side of the brain, which is responsible for analytical thinking.

3 TALK TO YOURSELF
Repeat a positive phrase such as: "We're going to be OK." This affirmation will boost your self-confidence and activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which overrides adrenaline-fuelled fear and anxiety.