Thankfully, Nigeria is not prone to natural disasters unlike countries like in other parts of the world experience earthquakes, tsunamis, and hurricanes. Nonetheless, there are cases of flooding and other man-made disasters that happen across Nigeria. No one wants to be caught in such a terrifying situation but if you inadvertently find yourself in such circumstances, Jovago.com, Africa’s No.1 hotel booking portal points you to how you can survive and navigate such disaster especially while travelling.
Do not Panic
Most times, it is not the disaster that leads to injury or something more sinister, it is due to the fact that people panicked. It is very difficult to keep calm in a disaster but for you to be safe, it is important not to panic. For example, at the crack of a gunshot in busy cities, people run about aimlessly without verifying the origin of the sound. If they are questioned about what they are running from, their response will most likely be that they “started running because they saw others running”.
Neglecting official channels
During an emergency or disaster, there are official channels the government uses to dish relevant information. It may be via radio, television, or social media. You should monitor all these channels. No matter the channel employed, you should not neglect any of these channels as you will get helpful information.
Stay in touch
In any circumstance, you should try as much as possible to contact family and friends because they will be worried about you especially if you are offline longer than usual.Hence, no matter how dire the situation is, you should not go incommunicado.
Packing non-essential
Many people pack things they do not really need when travelling.Items such as water, food, flashlight, clothes, medicine, all-weather shoes, blankets are some of the important items that will come handy during a disaster that is if you do not lose luggage to the disaster.
Blocking or attacking emergency responders
The first responders to a natural disaster are the fire service, the police, and other security agency. However, due to circumstances beyond their control, they arrive late. With this late arrival, they are unable to access the site because everyone wants to get a glimpse of what is happening. In other cases, the people will descend on the emergency responders for no particular reason.
| Ogunfowoke Adeniyi |
