Recently, after the insane threats of nuclear weapons from Russia, posters have appeared in public places in American cities with instructions in case of radiation hazard.
Although people are already driven crazy by constant, increasingly worse news that is often exaggerated, even the worst-case scenarios should simply be considered as service information. If we know what kind of disasters can happen to us in life, it doesn’t mean we have to constantly think about them. But it’s important, for example, to know the number for emergency services and how to provide first aid to our loved ones until professional rescuers arrive.
It is understood that people in our country, which not so long ago experienced all the horrors of war, are sensitive to the possibility of aggression. But then we learned that shelters are not an unnecessary investment that interests only some preppers (prepper – a person who intensively prepares for an imminent cataclysm or the collapse of civilization, and plans a way of survival), but a useful thing that can save our lives.
The danger of radiation is a good practical example of the importance of the proper application of the warning system. If, for example, danger sirens start wailing in the middle of the night, this does not mean that you should immediately run out of the house and see what is happening, but first get well informed through verified sources and credible media – what the danger is and what we should do. The Americans thus wrote three short instructions to their citizens on posters:
In case of radiation hazard:
- Take shelter indoors.
- Stay inside.
- Listen to official information.
It is therefore clear that in the event of a fire, one should quickly leave the room, in the event of radiation, enter the house, and in the event of an earthquake, first take shelter where we are, and then go outside, being careful of possible collapse. It’s not bad to rehearse such scenarios or at least talk about them with your housemates.
It is also worth noting that every first Saturday of the month at noon in Croatia, a test of the alarm system is held. For example, it would be good for visitors to Zagreb to know that at noon when the cannon is fired on the famous Lotrscak tower and then the sirens sound – they should not immediately rush to the shelters.
In addition to panic, it is even more dangerous to take medicines such as tablets of stable iodine (potassium iodide) on your own, as after the Russian announcement of the possible use of atomic weapons there was a rush to pharmacies in our country and looking for pills. Namely, they should be taken exclusively according to the instructions of the doctor or competent institutions and only in certain cases (depending on the distance from the radiation source, the age of the patient, contraindications and other details), because otherwise they can cause serious health problems.