BTA. Older People Feel Unprepared for Emergencies, Red Cross Says

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 16, ARMENPRESS.People aged 65 and over feel unprepared for a potential natural disaster, a technological accident or some other emergency. Young people learn mainly from the social media what to do during and after a disaster to protect themselves. These and other facts were highlighted by the Bulgarian Red Cross (BRC) at a news conference earlier in the week, when the organization unveiled a survey it had conducted among 250 respondents between May and November 2022.

"More frequent contacts with older people, awareness campaigns, presentations and direct work with them can help them get prepared," BRC's Nevelina Stoineva told BTA.

About 20% of respondents in the survey say they have attended an emergency preparedness training session, lecture or simulation over the last year. Most interviewees feel that more awareness campaigns are necessary. The majority of older people do not know what a "family survival kit" and "disaster preparedness plan" mean.

A disaster preparedness plan is what every member of a family should do in case of emergency. Stoineva explained: "The most important thing is to think about where the family could reunite after a major disaster and to designate an emergency contact, someone outside the potential disaster area. Everyone in the family should have information about the contact."

A family survival kit should contain the essential things which can help us during and after a disaster. One of them is food. "The food should be durable, and it should be enough to meet our initial needs, but overstocking is unadvisable," Stoineva said. The kit should also include water, identity documents, a small amount of cash, a cell phone and a battery for it, a flashlight, and a whistle. "We often forget about the whistle, but it can save our life. If you are trapped under debris, you can blow your whistle to let the rescuers know where you are."

In an analysis of the survey, BRC recommends a systematic and coordinated effort to raise public awareness of what one should do before, during and after a natural disaster, a technological accident or some other emergency. It also calls for creating a network of partners to build disaster response skills in the population and hold coordinated practical training events for the organizations contributing to the national emergency warning and response system.

(This information is published based on the cooperation agreement between ARMENPRESS and BTA).