Safe and worry-free, with emergency preparedness in place: everyone is their own "superhero"!

Review expert: Luo Huachun, editor-in-chief of "Cities and Disaster Reduction"

May 12 this year is the 16th National Disaster Prevention and Reduction Day in my country. The theme is "Everyone pays attention to safety and everyone knows how to respond to emergencies - focusing on improving grassroots disaster prevention and risk avoidance capabilities."

Do you know the origin of National Disaster Prevention and Reduction Day? What does the icon of National Disaster Prevention and Reduction Day mean? When a disaster strikes, how should we respond?

1

Why should we establish the “National Disaster Prevention and Reduction Day”?

On May 12, 2008, a magnitude 8.0 earthquake struck Wenchuan County, Sichuan Province, China, causing heavy casualties and property losses, shocking the world. One of the reasons for such heavy casualties is that our people's awareness of disaster prevention and their ability to save themselves and each other need to be improved. Therefore, in order to further enhance the awareness of disaster prevention and reduction among the whole people and promote the improvement of disaster prevention, reduction and relief work, with the approval of the State Council, May 12th of each year will be the National Disaster Prevention and Reduction Day starting from 2009.

The country has established "Disaster Prevention and Reduction Day" to, on the one hand, comply with the demands of all sectors of society for attention to China's disaster prevention and reduction; on the other hand, remind the people to learn from the past, pay more attention to disaster prevention and reduction, and strive to reduce disaster losses.

2

What does the National Disaster Prevention and Reduction Day icon mean?

The circular icon of the National Disaster Prevention and Reduction Day uses rainbow, umbrella and people as the basic elements. The arc of the umbrella implies the concept of "people-oriented" disaster prevention and reduction and the goal of protecting people's lives and property. The rainbow symbolizes a beautiful and harmonious life. The two people holding umbrellas represent the whole nation joining hands to participate in disaster prevention and reduction. "5.12" represents that May 12th of each year is the National Disaster Prevention and Reduction Day, and it also commemorates the Wenchuan earthquake on May 12th, 2008.

3

What to do when disaster strikes?

earthquake

Earthquakes are caused by the accumulation of energy in the earth's internal medium, which suddenly ruptures in certain parts, generates seismic waves, and causes movement and propagation within a certain range of the ground.

Earthquakes are rapid vibrations of the earth's surface, also known as ground motions in ancient times. Like wind, rain, and lightning, they are a natural phenomenon that often occurs on Earth. Ground shaking is the most intuitive and common manifestation of earthquakes.

The internal structure of the earth Source: Beijing Association for Science and Technology

Earthquakes are extremely frequent, with approximately 5 million occurring each year around the world.

Seismic waves are elastic waves that propagate in all directions from the source of an earthquake. They are usually divided into two categories: surface waves and body waves. Those that propagate along the ground or interface are called surface waves, and those that propagate inside the earth are called body waves. According to the relationship between the vibration direction of the medium particles and the propagation direction of the wave, body waves can be divided into longitudinal waves (P waves) and transverse waves (S waves).

How to avoid shock in different environments?

Live in a bungalow

First, use pillows, cushions, clothes, etc. to protect your head as much as possible, lower your center of gravity, and avoid falling due to ground shaking. If conditions permit, you can quickly rush out of the house to hide. If you don't have time, you should take shelter nearby, temporarily hide under sturdy furniture (such as tables, beds, etc.), and quickly move to a safe place outdoors after the earthquake stops.

Live in a building

Hide in a safe place indoors as soon as possible, next to a sturdy table or bed, next to low furniture; or a room with load-bearing walls and a relatively small width, such as a bathroom, kitchen, etc.

At school

Under the teacher's instructions, quickly cover your head. You can use school bags, clothes, textbooks, etc. to protect your head. Hide under the desk and hold on to the table legs. After the shaking stops, evacuate the classroom in an organized and rapid manner. Evacuate to open areas such as the playground. Stay away from tall buildings, electric poles, etc.

In public places

Follow the instructions of the staff, stay calm, and don't rush to the exit. Avoid crowding and trampling.

In a moving car

Lower your center of gravity, hold on to the handrail, and hide near your seat; get off the vehicle after the earthquake is over; the driver should quickly stop the vehicle in a safe area, apply the handbrake for safe braking, and direct everyone on the vehicle to leave quickly.

Which survival posture is the most scientific?

When there is a fixed object around

Curl up your body as much as possible, squat down, bend over and hold your head, protect your head with your hands or other objects, cover your mouth and nose with one hand, and hold a fixed object with the other hand.

When there is no fixed object around

At this time, you should adopt a self-protection posture: bring your head close to your chest, close your mouth, and cross your hands behind your neck to protect your head and neck.

mudslide

A debris flow refers to a special torrent of water that exists in mountain valleys and is triggered by heavy rain, meltwater from ice and snow, and contains large amounts of mud, sand, and rocks. It generally occurs in mountain valleys.

Source of the debris flow: Publicity and Education Center of the Ministry of Emergency Management

Mudslides are often accompanied by mountain torrents, and they are fierce and destructive. In a very short period of time, a large amount of mud and rocks rush out of the ditch along with the flood, and wherever they go, they become a sea of ​​mud and rocks, burying houses, crops, people and livestock, and destroying various facilities. It can also destroy roads, block rivers, and even bury villages and towns, causing great harm to people's lives and property and economic construction.

How to take refuge and save yourself?

What are the signs before a mudslide comes? What should we do when we encounter a mudslide?

If you go to the wild, you should first understand the local weather conditions in advance and be prepared to deal with various risks and disasters.

Secondly, do not camp or stay for a long time in valley bottoms or depressions; always choose flat areas with higher terrain.

When encountering heavy rain in the wild, always pay attention to whether there are strange noises (muffled thunder or train roars) around the valley, whether the mainstream river suddenly stops flowing or the water level increases and is mixed with firewood and branches, whether the valley becomes dark or has a slight vibration, etc. These are all precursors to mudslides.

Schematic diagram of debris flow scene escape

Source: Publicity and Education Center of the Ministry of Emergency Management

When a debris flow breaks out around us, if we are in a ditch or other low-lying area, we must not flee upstream or downstream along the ditch in the direction of the debris flow, and we must not be greedy for property. We must abandon all items that affect our escape speed and immediately go to a high area, such as climbing up the mountains on both sides of the ditch. Do not hide near steep mountains with a large number of rolling stones or accumulated materials.

If the soil on the hillside is relatively soft, it means that it is not stable enough, so you cannot stay there for a long time and need to continue looking for a safer and more stable high ground. Even if you have reached a place far away from the debris flow, do not stay there, because the debris flow moves very fast and may reach you in an instant!

flood

Flood refers to the phenomenon that the amount of water in a river increases rapidly and the water level rises sharply. It is a hydrological phenomenon that the water level of rivers, lakes, oceans, etc. rises and floods places that are not normally flooded, often threatening the safety of low-lying areas or causing flood disasters.

What should you prepare for before a flood?

After receiving a flood warning, you should prepare sufficient food, clothing, drinking water, daily necessities and necessary medical supplies.

Collect items that can be used as signals, such as flashlights, whistles, mirrors, lighters, colorful clothes, etc., and be prepared to be rescued.

Severe floods usually occur in rivers, coastal areas and low-lying areas. People living in these areas should be extra careful when continuous heavy rain or torrential rain occurs.

You can collect tubs, wood, large pieces of foam plastic and other materials suitable for floating and process them into life-saving devices for emergency use.

How to save yourself when a flood comes?

If threatened by floods, if time permits, people should evacuate to hillsides, high ground, etc. in an organized manner according to the predetermined route; if trapped by floods, people should use boats, rafts, door panels, wooden beds, etc. to carry out self-transfer by water as much as possible.

If the flood comes too quickly and there is no time to evacuate, you can climb onto the roof, high floors of buildings, big trees, high walls, etc. to take temporary shelter and wait for rescuers. Try not to swim alone to evacuate.

In mountainous areas, if there is continuous heavy rain, flash floods are likely to occur. In such cases, you should avoid crossing the river to prevent being washed away by the flash floods, and also pay attention to prevent the hazards of landslides, rolling stones, and mud-rock flows.

If you find that a high-voltage tower has collapsed, or the wires are drooping or broken, stay away from them and do not touch or approach them to prevent electric shock.

Disaster prevention and reduction is not a one-day activity, but requires us to persist day after day and year after year. We must constantly improve our awareness of disaster prevention and reduction, learn and master relevant knowledge and skills, and ensure that we can make correct judgments and responses when facing natural disasters.

Disaster prevention and reduction is everyone's responsibility. Let us start from now, start from me, and contribute our own efforts to the cause of disaster prevention and reduction!