According to the Antistikhia Center of the Russian Emergencies Ministry, in 2018, hurricanes and squalls will take place in thirty regions of the seven federal districts of the country. The greatest likelihood of emergencies in the Urals, Central, Southern, Siberian, North Caucasian, Far Eastern and Volga districts. What to do during a hurricane? How to protect yourself and your loved ones, if during a bad weather you find yourself on the street or in an open area, indoors? What to do after a hurricane?
A storm warning
The Ministry of Emergencies reports about the threat of bad weather in SMS, on television and radio, as well as in local print media. At the headquarters of Civil Defense and Emergencies will tell what to do in a hurricane. EMERCOM staff will report the estimated time and power of the storm, as well as provide recommendations on the use of shelters and possible evacuation. Then you need to take personal protective measures:
- Close windows, doors, ventilation openings, attic openings on the windward side. If possible, protect the glass with shutters or shields, paste over. To balance the pressure, on the leeward side you need to open the doors and windows and fix them in this position.
- Prepare a supply of food and drinking water, medicines, a flashlight on batteries (or on a battery + a charged spare battery), candles and matches, a stove, batteries, documents and money.
- Remove from the balconies, loggias and window sills, from the courtyard and from the roof, things that can be caught in the air stream, remove the nets from the windows.
- Prepare for a possible power outage, charge external batteries and all necessary devices. Close gas taps, extinguish a fire in stoves.
- Turn on the radio and TV. Important information of the Ministry of Emergencies is transmitted to the population through these channels.
- If necessary, and if possible, move from light buildings to more durable GO shelters.
With a storm warning, children and adolescents are released from educational institutions, all activities are canceled, and if the warning arrived late, then all are placed in the basements of schools, kindergartens or the central part of buildings.
If you are indoors
In some regions, hurricanes, storms, tornadoes rarely occur. What to do in this case, everyone needs to know, because the weather is unpredictable. Intelligence agencies advise to wait out the hurricane in the basement or in a pre-prepared shelter. In the building you need to choose the safest place - in the corridors on the ground floor or in the central part. Fragments of window glass can seriously hurt, so you should stand in the wall, protect yourself with mattresses, hide in the built-in closet, and snuggle up close to the wall.
First you need to shut off the gas, turn off the electronic devices (you can leave only a TV or radio, in order to obtain information about the evacuation or procedure if necessary), close the interior doors, windows and windows. The windows are glued crosswise with construction or ordinary tape. It’s not worth going outside. At night, use a flashlight, candles or kerosene lamps. You need to stay indoors until the end of the hurricane is announced.
If a hurricane caught in the street
What to do during a hurricane if you are on the street when a strong wind has risen? It is necessary to move away from light buildings, shields, signboards, stops, pavilions, lamps. The Ministry of Emergency Situations recommend to stay away from bridges, warehouses, overpasses and trees. A branch, a torn slate, a branch, a road sign can get into a person. You need to find a plywood sheet or a cardboard box and use it to protect it from the wind. You can take refuge in underground passages, metro stations or in solid buildings. In extreme cases, a ditch, pit or ditch will do.
If you are outdoors
What to do if you find a hurricane in an open area? First you need to turn off the phone and all electronic devices. Hiding under freestanding tall trees is not a good idea. Instead, it is better to choose any suitable natural shelter - a ditch, a hollow, a ravine. You can not swim, ride a bicycle or a motorcycle - lightning can get into metal structures.
If a hurricane caught in a car
What to do in a hurricane if you are in a vehicle? If the weather is bad, you need to stop and wait in the parking lot, it is better to place the vehicle away from tall trees, power lines, shields, public transport stops and other objects that could be destroyed or caught by the wind. You need to close the windows and stay in the car until the hurricane is over. It is better to refuse trips during bad weather.
What to do is prohibited
What to do with a hurricane at home is understandable, but there are several prohibitions. In case of a storm, tornado or hurricane, you cannot use gas or electric stoves, electronic devices. It is forbidden to hide from the wind behind billboards, fences, trees or ramshackle buildings, because they can collapse or fly away (in the case of trees, the wind can tear off a branch or knock down the whole plant). You can not go inside damaged buildings, be near poles, a match and objects with combustible, poisonous, flammable substances. It is forbidden to touch the pipes of central heating, water supply, wires of power lines, be near pipelines, on bridges and hills.
What to do after a hurricane
You can only leave the house when you are sure that a natural disaster has passed. It is possible that after a short lull the wind will increase again, so you need to wait for the message about the end of the weather. When leaving the room, it is worth looking carefully, because there may be parts of structures, dangling lines, overhanging branches and other dangers nearby. Fire cannot be lit until there is complete confidence that there was no gas leak. It is worth refusing to use elevators.
Any household appliances can be used only when they are thoroughly dried and checked (it is also necessary to check the correctness of the wiring). You need to be careful about gas leaks, irregularities in the electrical circuit, carefully bypassing the wires of power lines, because they can be energized. Do not approach swaying billboards, dangling wires, signs, fallen trees and other objects.
Rescue Tips
What to do in a hurricane? Rescuers say that you can only prevent damage from the weather by carefully preparing yourself. EMERCOM employees advise you to find shelter as soon as you notice that a hurricane, storm or tornado is approaching. This can be a basement of an apartment building, an underpass or a metro station. In open areas, ditches, railway embankments or roadside ditches can help. In the house, doorways, cabinets (built-in), niches in the walls can be considered relatively safe.
One of the varieties of such a natural disaster is a blizzard and a strong blizzard, which can last several days. At this time, the life of the city is seriously disturbed. Leaving home is only in case of emergency and always with someone else, and not alone. You need to tell relatives or neighbors where you are heading and when you arrive. In the car, you can only move on large roads and major highways. Never leave the vehicle out of sight. It is best to wait out the storm in the nearest town or village, and then go on a journey further.