October 13th this year is the 34th International Day for Disaster Reduction, with the theme of "Building a Resilient Future Together". In December 1989, the 44th United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution designating the second Wednesday of October each year as International Day for Disaster Reduction. In 2009, the United Nations General Assembly ultimately decided to designate October 13th as International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction, abbreviated as "International Day for Disaster Reduction".

China is one of the countries most severely affected by natural disasters in the world, with frequent occurrences of fires, earthquakes, floods, typhoons, and other natural disasters causing serious losses. We have contingency plans for disaster prevention and remain calm in the face of disasters. We may encounter disasters at any time in our daily lives. When these disasters strike, how should we respond?

1、 Earthquake

1. Seize the golden escape time during earthquakes

The occurrence of an earthquake can cause the shaking of buildings such as houses. According to data from relevant experts, the time from the beginning to the end of the shaking is about ten to tens of seconds. When an earthquake occurs, we should remain calm, make full use of this ten second time, and find a safe shelter.

2. Choose a suitable shelter space

Indoor safe refuge spaces include load-bearing walls, wall roots, and corners. The most unfavorable places for shelter inside the house are: unsupported beds, ceilings, under chandeliers, unsupported floors around, etc. If you are indoors during an earthquake, it is very important to find places with small spans, such as at the foot of wardrobe walls, under tables, toilets, kitchens, etc. If you feel the shaking is light, it means that the earthquake source is far away, and you just need to hide next to solid furniture. If you were outdoors at the time, you would have run towards an open area without power poles and trees, avoiding tall buildings, dangerous objects, hazardous areas, etc.

3. Do a good job of self-protection

Firstly, one should remain calm. After choosing a place to hide, one should squat or sit down, face down, rest their forehead on their arms, or grab onto sturdy objects such as table legs to avoid falling or getting injured during a shock. Protect the head and neck, lower your head, use bedding, pillows, basins, and other objects to protect your head or back neck, protect your eyes, lower your head and close your eyes to prevent foreign object injuries, protect your mouth and nose to ensure smooth breathing, and try to avoid weak collapsed objects and other objects that are prone to falling above your body. Expand and stabilize your living space, and use bricks, wooden sticks, and other supports to prevent aftershocks from happening again.

2、 Fire

Fires are often common around us, from factories and office areas to personal homes. Short circuited wires, gas, and other items can cause fires. When a fire occurs, we need to remember the following three steps:

1. Cover your mouth and nose

When you realize a fire has occurred, take out available towels, masks, clothes, etc., spray enough water, and cover your mouth and nose.

2. Extinguish the source of ignition on the body

If the evacuee unfortunately catches fire, they should immediately take off the burning clothes or extinguish the fire by rolling on the ground.

3. Find an escape route

Run down stairs, emergency evacuation routes, and open staircases attached to buildings where smoke is not strong and the fire has not yet burned. If you encounter smoke or artificial blockage during the downward movement, you should choose other horizontal routes or temporarily retreat to the room or refuge level to seize time and use other methods to escape.

3、 Thunderstorm weather

Thunderstorm weather is something we often encounter, especially in summer. When encountering thunderstorm weather, we should avoid the following situations: do not shelter from the rain on rooftops or under trees; Do not linger on or near the water surface; Do not move quickly in thunderstorms; Do not walk barefoot in thunderstorms; Do not make or receive phone calls, including mobile and landline phones; Stay away from metal objects such as iron handled umbrellas, iron fences, and metal clotheslines.

Outside:

1. It is strictly prohibited to run or open your mouth. You should immediately squat on both knees, hold your knees with both hands, keep your chest close to your knees, and lower your head as much as possible, because the head is more susceptible to lightning strikes than other parts of your body;

2. Quickly hide in buildings protected by lightning protection facilities, or in various vehicles with metal roofs and cabins with metal shells;

3. When thunder and lightning strike, if there is a feeling of ants crawling around the head, neck, and hands, and the hair stands up, it indicates that a lightning strike is about to occur. You should quickly lie on the ground and discard the metal jewelry, hairpins, necklaces, etc. you are wearing;

4. If you see a high-voltage line being struck and broken outdoors, due to the presence of step voltage near the high-voltage line break, people nearby should not run and should jump away with both feet together.

Indoor:

Please immediately close doors and windows indoors and turn off power to household appliances.

The occurrence of disasters is often unpredictable, and there are often many hidden dangers in life. No matter what kind of disaster we encounter, we should remain calm, actively seek ways to cope, and minimize the impact of disasters on us.