Spills of numerous rivers and reservoirs in Russia are a dangerous, but far from rare natural phenomenon. Knowing what actions to take in the event of a flood is vital for many citizens of our country. Unfortunately, some approach this issue carelessly, others simply do not know what manipulations and in what sequence need to be undertaken. The result of such negligence and lack of education can be financial losses, health problems and a threat to human life.
Causes of natural disaster
Before determining what to do in case of a flood, it is necessary to talk in more detail about the nature of this phenomenon. There are many reasons for its occurrence, including:
- Natural factor (heavy precipitation, sudden changes in temperature and melting snow, strong winds driving water from the bays of the seas).
- Human factor (dam destruction, water release, etc.).
Flooding can be predicted in advance; hydrometeorological centers collect and analyze information; they usually provide accurate information a maximum of 72 hours before a natural disaster, however, preliminary forecasts can be made in advance.
Flood classifications
Actions during a flood are largely determined by the severity of the disaster. So, experts most often use the following classification:
Packing things before evacuating
What actions should be taken in the event of a threat and during a flood regarding the collection of essential items? When preparing for a planned evacuation, you should be guided by the principles of rationality and take with you only the most necessary items for life; the remaining belongings are carefully packed and sent to places where water is unlikely to reach them. Essential items include:
- Food (for up to 72 hours).
- Money and the most important values.
- Warm and practical clothes, comfortable shoes.
- Bed linen, a warm blanket, a minimum of toiletries to maintain hygiene.
- Passport and documents.
- First aid kit (specific medications and general supplies).
All items must be securely packaged and kept close to the person. Remember: public actions during a flood must be clear and consistent. Only in this case will you be able to remember everything you need to survive the impacts of the elements.
Home preparation
What should the population do in the event of a flood threat regarding strengthening their own homes? Preparation for a meeting with the elements must be thorough:
Rules for emergency situations
Actions in case of a flash flood should not differ from the standard rules, however, in such a situation, as a rule, there is no time to comply with a significant list of recommendations. Quite often it happens that an insidious element takes people by surprise, leaving no chance of salvation. In such cases, you should still try not to panic and think rationally. The shortest list of life-saving actions in this case will include the following points:
Help for drowning people
All actions during a flood should be aimed at preserving human life and health. If you see someone drowning, soberly assess your strength and try to help without putting yourself and other people in danger. You can help by doing the following:
- Encourage the person.
- Give the drowning person an object that he can grab onto and stay on the water.
- Call for additional backup.
If you feel strong enough to pull the victim out yourself, swim up to him from behind and tow him to the nearest safe point. Remember, a drowning person often cannot adequately assess his behavior.
How to navigate the flow of water
The actions of the population during a flood must be calibrated and calm. If you are already in the flow of water, additional exposure will not hurt you. Remember, even with shallow flooding, fast currents can knock you off your feet. Before diving into the water, it is better to remove excess clothing, get rid of everything that is heavy and drags to the bottom. Look for ballast that you can grab onto to stay afloat. This recommendation should not be neglected; even the best trained swimmer can run out of strength in the water, especially in dirty and cold water.
The main task is to get to some protected place. It is quite dangerous in water, a person’s strength quickly leaves him, he begins to freeze, panic, can hit solid objects carried away by the water, and receive mechanical injuries.
Rules of behavior after the water has left
It is extremely important to know and remember not only the procedure for action during a flood, but the rules of behavior after its completion. Thus, experts recommend to the population:
Instead of completion
Let us once again formulate the priority actions in the event of a flood threat. Without fail, they must be reduced to the following postulates:
- Do not panic, follow the approved procedures and prompts from rescuers.
- It is prohibited to drink unboiled water in a flooded area or eat foods that have not been cooked.
- Before leaving home, be sure to collect essential things (these are basic documents, some cash, basic medications, a minimum of food and clean water), do not take heavy or unnecessary items, try to securely hide them in a place that is difficult to reach for water.
- In an emergency, when the water is rising and there is no way to evacuate, select and occupy the highest, fortified point (a strong tree, the roof of a house), and do not forget to regularly send signals to rescuers.
Rules of behavior during floods
A flood is a significant flooding of an area as a result of a rise in the water level in a river or lake during snowmelt, rainfall, wind surges, congestion, etc.
Hazard factors for floods and floods - destruction of houses and buildings, bridges; erosion of railways and roads; accidents on utility networks, destruction of crops; casualties among the population and death of animals.
As a result of flooding, subsidence of houses and land begins, shifts and collapses occur. During floods and floods, the radio broadcast network in apartments and workplaces should operate around the clock, since the population is notified in advance. Familiarize yourself with warning signals, evacuation measures and rules, and prepare for it in advance.
HOW TO ACT DURING FLOOD, FLOODING
Actions in case of threat of flooding:
Listen carefully to information about the emergency situation and instructions on what to do, and do not use your phone unnecessarily so that it is free to contact you.
Stay calm, warn your neighbors, provide assistance to the disabled, children and the elderly. Find out from your local government where residents will gather for evacuation and prepare for it.
Prepare documents, clothes, the most necessary things, a supply of food for several days, and medicines. Put everything in your suitcase. Keep documents in a waterproof bag.
Disconnect all electrical consumers from the electrical network and turn off the gas.
Move valuables and food items to upper floors or up to high shelves.
Actions in the flash flood zone during a flood or flood:
Stay calm, don't panic.
Quickly collect the necessary documents, valuables, medicines, food and other necessary things. Provide assistance to children, disabled people and elderly people. They must be evacuated first. If possible, leave the flooded area immediately.
Before leaving the house, turn off the electricity and gas supply, extinguish the fire in the stoves, close the windows and doors, if you have time, close the windows and doors of the first floor with boards (boards).
Go up to the upper floors. If the house is one-story, occupy the attic space.
Until help arrives, stay on the upper floors, roofs, trees or other heights, and signal to rescuers so that they can quickly find you.
Check if there are any victims nearby and, if possible, provide assistance to them. First aid to people picked up on the surface of the water is as follows: they need to be changed into dry underwear, wrapped warmly and given a sedative, and victims removed from under the water need artificial respiration. Once in the water, remove heavy clothing and shoes, and look nearby for objects that you can use until you receive help. Do not overfill life-saving equipment (boats, boats, rafts)
If you are in a car:
Avoid driving on a flooded road, as you may be swept away by the current.
If you find yourself in a flood zone and your car breaks down, leave it and call for help.
Actions after an emergency:
Get a first aid kit and help the wounded. Listen to the radio and follow the instructions of the rescue services.
Use caution when returning to your home.
Check whether its structures (walls, floors) are reliable.
If you find a puddle of standing water in or around your home, immediately fill it with 2 liters of bleach or bleach.
Don't drain all the water at once: (this can damage the foundation) drain only about a third of the total volume each day.
Don't live in a home that has standing water.
Beware of electric shock, if the layer of water on the floor is thicker than 5 cm, wear rubber boots. Make sure that electrical cables do not come into contact with water. In flooded areas, immediately turn off power at distribution panels if you have not already done so. If the electrical panel floor is wet, cover it with a dry board and stand on it. To turn off the electricity, use a dry stick.
If you suspect that the drinking water in a well or tap is contaminated, use water previously stored in bottles; or boil it for 5 minutes.
Wash or disinfect contaminated dishes and cutlery using boiling water or bleach (a teaspoon of bleach in a sink filled with water).
Do not raise the air temperature in the house above + 4 degrees before all standing water has been drained. Clear the house of all debris and water-soaked objects.
Remove any remaining silt and dirt and throw away contaminated bedding, clothing, furniture and other items. Wipe down all surfaces in the house. At the same time, ensure good ventilation to clear the air of toxic fumes.
Flooding is a significant inundation of an area as a result of a rise in the water level in a river, lake or sea during the period of snowmelt, rainfall, wind surges, ice jams, and ice jams.
HOW TO PREPARE FOR A FLOOD
If your area is experiencing flooding:
Study and remember the limits of possible flooding.
Study and remember elevated places located in close proximity to your home, and the shortest routes to them.
Familiarize family members with the rules of conduct during organized and individual evacuation, as well as in the event of sudden and violent flooding.
Remember the storage locations for boats, rafts, and building materials for their manufacture.
Make a list of documents, property, and medicines to be removed during evacuation in advance.
Place valuables, necessary warm clothes, food supplies, water in a special suitcase or waterproof backpack
HOW TO ACT DURING A FLOOD
When notifying the operational duty officer in advance about flooding and the start of evacuation:
Turn off the water, gas, electricity, and turn off the fire in the stove.
Prepare the necessary items and a two-day supply of non-perishable food items.
Strengthen the windows and doors of the lower floors. If necessary and time available, board the outside with boards.
If time permits, move valuables to the attic of a residential building.
Leave the room.
Proceed to the evacuation point to register.
In case of a flash flood:
Until help arrives or until the water subsides, stay on the upper floors and roofs of buildings, on trees or other elevated objects.
During the daytime, hang a white or colored banner.
Use light signals at night.
Upon arrival of rescuers, without panic or fuss, get into your swimming equipment.
While the watercraft are moving, do not leave your seats, do not sit on board, strictly follow the requirements of the rescuers.
IT IS RECOMMENDED TO GET OUT OF THE FLOODED AREA INDEPENDENTLY IF THERE ARE SERIOUS REASONS FOR THIS:
The need to provide medical care to victims;
Continued rise in water level and threat of flooding of the upper floors of the house (attic);
Don't stop sending the distress signal.
HOW TO ACT AFTER A FLOOD
Beware of broken or sagging electrical wires.
Food and drinking water supplies that have gotten into the water should not be consumed.
Before entering the premises, you should make sure that the structures have not undergone obvious damage and do not pose a danger.
Ventilate the room by opening the entrance doors or windows.
Do not turn on the electric lights or light matches until the room is completely ventilated and the gas supply, water supply and sewage systems are checked.
Organize the cleaning of the wells from the dirt deposited there, remove the water for subsequent disinfection.
In the absence of water for drinking and domestic needs, it is allowed to use melted snow or running water from nearby reservoirs, but only after boiling it.
IF A PERSON IS IN THE WATER
1. Throw any floating object (logs, barrels, shields, cameras).
2. Tie a raft from floating objects and throw it to him so that he can climb on it.
3. When getting to the victim by swimming, take into account the flow of the river.
4. If the drowning person does not control his actions, swim up to him from behind and, grabbing him by the hair, tow him to the shore.
FLOOD is a significant flooding of an area as a result of a rise in the water level in a river, lake or sea during snowmelt, rainfall, wind surges, and congestion. A special type includes floods caused by wind surges of water into river mouths. Floods lead to the destruction of bridges, roads, buildings, structures, cause significant material damage, and at high speeds of water movement (more than 4 m/s) and high heights of water rise (more than 2 m), they cause the death of people and animals. The main cause of destruction is the impact on buildings and structures of hydraulic shocks from a mass of water, ice floes floating at high speed, various debris, watercraft, etc. Floods can occur suddenly and last from a few hours to 2 - 3 weeks.
HOW TO PREPARE FOR A FLOOD
If your area often suffers from floods, study and remember the boundaries of possible flooding, as well as elevated, rarely flooded places located in close proximity to your place of residence, and the shortest routes to them. Familiarize family members with the rules of conduct during organized and individual evacuation, as well as in the event of sudden and violent flooding. Remember the storage locations for boats, rafts and building materials for their manufacture. Make a list of documents, property and medicines to be removed during evacuation in advance. Place valuables, necessary warm clothes, food supplies, water and medicines in a special suitcase or backpack.
HOW TO ACT DURING A FLOOD
Upon receiving a warning signal about the threat of flooding and evacuation, immediately, in the prescribed manner, leave (move out) from the dangerous zone of possible catastrophic flooding to a designated safe area or to elevated areas, taking with you documents, valuables, necessary things and a two-day supply of non-perishable food. At the final evacuation point, register.
Before leaving home, turn off the electricity and gas, turn off the fire in heating stoves, secure all floating objects located outside the building or place them in utility rooms. If time permits, move valuable household items to the upper floors or attic of a residential building. Close the windows and doors, if necessary and if there is time, board the windows and doors of the first floors from the outside with boards (shields). In the absence of organized evacuation, until help arrives or the water subsides, stay on the upper floors and roofs of buildings, on trees or other elevated objects. At the same time, constantly give a distress signal: during the day - by hanging or waving a clearly visible banner attached to the pole, and in the dark - with a light signal and periodically with a voice. When rescuers approach, calmly, without panic or fuss, and taking precautions, get into the swimming craft. At the same time, strictly follow the requirements of rescuers and do not overload the watercraft. While driving, do not leave the designated places, do not board the aircraft, and strictly follow the requirements of the crew. It is recommended to get out of a flooded area on your own only if there are such serious reasons as the need to provide medical assistance to victims, a continuing rise in water levels with the threat of flooding of the upper floors (attic). In this case, it is necessary to have a reliable swimming device and know the direction of movement. During your independent deployment, do not stop sending the distress signal.
IF A PERSON DROWNS
Throw a floating object to a drowning person, encourage him, call for help. When getting to the victim by swimming, take into account the current of the river. If the drowning person does not control his actions, swim up to him from behind and, grabbing him by the hair, tow him to the shore.
HOW TO ACT AFTER A FLOOD
Before entering a building, check whether it is in danger of collapsing or falling of any object. Ventilate the building (to remove accumulated gases). Do not turn on electric lighting, do not use open flame sources, and do not light matches until the room is completely ventilated and the gas supply system is checked to ensure that it is working properly. Check the serviceability of electrical wiring, gas supply pipelines, water supply and sewerage. Do not use them until you have verified that they are in good working order with the help of a professional. To dry the premises, open all doors and windows, remove dirt from the floor and walls, and pump out water from the basements. Do not eat food that has been in contact with water. Organize the cleaning of wells from applied dirt and remove water from them.
If you find yourself in an emergency situation and you need the help of firefighters or rescuers, there is a single number to call all emergency services from a mobile phone “112”, “101” and “01” - from a landline.
Press service of the SKRTs EMERCOM of Russia
| Lesson plan for the academic year | Rules for safe behavior in the event of a threat and during floods
Basics of life safety
7th grade
Lesson 17
Rules for safe behavior in the event of a threat and during floods
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When a forecast is received about the possibility of flooding, the population is notified about it via radio and television.
When receiving information about the start of evacuation, you must quickly collect and take with you:
Package with documents and money;
- first aid kit;
- a three-day supply of food and drinking water;
- bed linen and toiletries;
- a set of outerwear and shoes.
After this, you must arrive on time at a pre-designated evacuation point to register and be sent to a safe place.
If the flood catches you suddenly, then you need to take an elevated place as quickly as possible and be prepared to evacuate by water using various watercraft or on foot through shallow fords with slow water flow. In such a situation, you must not lose your composure; you need to take measures to send signals to the rescuers. During the day, hang or wave a clearly visible banner (it is better to nail it to the pole). At night, periodically give signals with voice and light.
Various watercraft are used to rescue people(boats, boats, rafts, amphibious all-terrain vehicles, etc.), as well as helicopters. You need to stay in a safe place until the water subsides. When evacuating by boat, you must comply with all the requirements of the rescuers. You are not allowed to leave your seat and board the boards.
You can get out of a flooded area on your own only in hopeless situations, when there is no hope for rescuers. Such a decision must be thoughtful and well prepared.
In case of flood, occupy the upper floors and attics of buildings
After the water subsides, you need to beware of torn and sagging wires. Products that have entered the water can only be consumed after they have been inspected by sanitary inspectors. Drinking water supplies should also be tested before use, and wells should be drained by pumping out contaminated water. Be sure to boil water before drinking. Before entering a building after the water has receded, make sure it is safe to enter. Upon entering the room, ventilate it immediately. When inspecting the interior, do not use matches or a lighter (due to the possible presence of gas in the air), but use a battery-powered flashlight.
You should be aware that advance warning and information to the public is not always possible. There are flash floods that strike suddenly.
This happened in the center of Moscow on July 29, 1924, when a real river rushed along Tverskaya down to the Kremlin. A sudden July downpour in 1948 in Chisinau turned some of its streets into ravines up to 6 m deep. So the danger of flooding can also lurk on the streets of large cities.
A flood can be warned by the “Attention everyone!” signal transmitted by sirens, intermittent beeps of enterprises and vehicles. When you hear the signal, turn on the radio, television (on local programming) and listen to information and instructions to the public. In a message about the threat of flooding, in addition to hydrometeorological data, the expected time of flooding, the boundaries of the forecasted flooded area, the procedure for the population in case of flooding and the evacuation procedure are indicated.
Finding yourself in a flood zone, stay on the top floor or roof of a building, in a tree, or other elevated area.
Self-evacuation can only be carried out in the event of a real threat to your life (flooding of the location).
QUESTIONS AND TASKS
1. Define flood.
2. Explain the classification of floods based on the causes of their occurrence.
3. Talk about the consequences of floods.
4. Explain the dangers of flooding.
5. What is congestion and ice jam?
6. Explain flood protection measures.
7. Tell us about the actions of the population in advance warning of a flood.
8. Tell us about your actions during a flood if you find yourself at home (at school).
9. Tell us about your actions during a flood if you find yourself in an open area.
10. Tell us about your actions after the flood.
11. In what cases can you get out of flooded areas on your own?
12. What danger do floods pose to crops?
Task 10
Three friends went fishing. We took fishing rods, an inflatable boat, and a supply of food. The river is 15 km from the city. On the bank of the river on a small hill they settled down for the night. We lit a fire and lay down to rest. In the morning they were awakened by the alarming voice of a comrade: “Get up! The water is coming." There is a lot of water around the overnight stay, the river has overflowed its banks. Not far away, about 150 meters, there is a hill on which some buildings are visible. Select your next actions from the proposed options and determine their priority.
1. Get into a boat and float down the river to the nearest village.
2. Get into the boat, make a homemade anchor so that the boat does not drift away, and stay in place and wait for help.
3. Get into the boat and swim to the hill where buildings are visible.
4. Near the hill, find out in which direction the nearest village is located, and swim to it.
5. Climb onto the structure and stay there until the water recedes.
6. Light a fire to attract attention.
7. Hang your shirts or other colored material on a pole to attract the attention of rescuers.
