Severe Weather Phenomena

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS

•    Be informed by the media (radio, television, etc) on the progress of the phenomena. The General Secretariat of Civil Protection and the National Meteorological Service are the formal sources of information.

•    In case of emergency call the Police (100), the Fire brigade (199) the Hellenic Center for Emergency Care (166) or the European Emergency Call Number (112).

•    Note the above mentioned phone numbers in a conspicuous position inside the house and make sure that your children are informed of them.

•    Help your children learn important family data such as their last name, the address and the phone number of the house, your cell phone number etc.

•    Explain to all family members how to recognize noises being the sign of a disaster (i.e. sirens), when and how to switch off electric power, natural gas and water supply, how to use the fire-extinguisher, how to call for help, etc

•    Get emergency equipment, such as a torch, a portable radio functioning with batteries and a fire-extinguisher.

•    Get a first aid kit.

•    Take care of children and the elderly.

   IF YOU ARE GOING TO MOVE….

•    Be informed of the weather and the condition of the roads and be prepared, according to your destination, for any weather phenomena you may find (snow, ice, hail, rainfall, etc)

•    Plan your movement in a way not to coincide with the peak of the weather phenomena. Travel during the day and prefer highways avoiding deserted and difficult to access roads. Furthermore, inform all your relatives of the itinerary you intend to follow.

•    DO NOT ignore the instructions of the General Secretariat for Civil Protection, the weather forecasting and the instructions of the competent agencies, such as the Traffic Police, the Port Police, the Fire Brigade, etc.

•    Check the situation of your car before attempting any movement.

•    Provide your car with all necessary equipment in order to face any heavy weather phenomena (wheel chains, anti-freeze, first aid kit, raincoats, umbrellas, rubbers, a torch, etc).

•    If you have to move on foot, put on suitable clothes and shoes. Be extremely careful in order to avoid being injured due to the slipperiness of the roads and pavements or due to objects falling by the wind or hail.

•    Use public transport.

•    Remain calm and be patient. Panic does not serve you. On the contrary, it makes the situation worse.

  AFTER THE BAD WEATHER

•    Be informed by the media (radio, television, etc) for eventual formal warnings or advice.

•    Check the house and the rest of your properties to draw up a list of eventual damages.

•    Notify the competent authorities in case you need help after having drawn up a list with damages.

  GENERAL

Try to facilitate the work of the competent authorities with your actions and presence.

Strong Winds

ACTION TO TAKE BEFORE AND DURING GALE FORCE WINDS

•    Secure all objects that may be swept along by the wind causing damages or injuries.

•    Check all boards suspended.

•    Secure doors and windows.

•    Avoid activities in seashore.

•    Avoid passing near big trees, under suspended boards and generally near areas where objects may fall on the ground (i.e., under balconies, where different objects, such as flower pots, broken glasses etc may fall).

Actions to take during the Snowfall or the Snowstorm

•    If outside:

•    Go to a safe place.

•    Do not expose yourself to the snowstorm. If you have to go outside, put suitable clothes. Prefer many light and warm clothes instead of a heavy one. Prefer waterproof overcoat. Put on warm and waterproof boots.

•    In areas where snowfalls are expected to occur, be extremely careful when moving.

•    If it is necessary for you to drive, use wheel chains. Prefer to travel during the day. Use highways and inform your relatives of your itinerary. If you move in the city, use public transport.  

In a vehicle:

•    Change your itinerary if there is a strong snowfall and you are in a rough road.

•    Avoid driving in rough mountain areas.

•    Keep safety distance from the vehicles in front of you. Stay in the car if it has stopped. Put a colored cloth on the radio antenna so that the rescue teams can locate you. Start the engine for 10 minutes per hour and remove snow from the exhaust.

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS

•    Keep your house warm and stay indoors, if this is possible.

•    Do not let children go out in bad weather.

•    Put on suitable clothes and shoes.

•    Check the watering network of your house as well as the solar heater (pipes and window glass).

Frost

TO REMOVALS

  Special attention is required in the areas where frost has been created when you drive a car. Be informed in advance, for the road network situation and make sure that you carry anti-slipping tire chains. If you are on foot wear suitable shoes and be careful so as to avoid wounding because of slippery roads, pavements e.t.c.

  NETWORKS OF WATER-SUPPLIES

•    Preventive measures for the protection of pipes of your building from potential frost:

•    Observe carefully where the central and the circumferential gate-valves of insulation (switches of your building) are situated. Learn where exactly your water-meter is on the pavement. Control and make sure that all the switches of the hydro-circuit switch on and off and work properly.

•    Make sure the external pipes (pipes of solar geyser, surface system of pipes of automatic watering the taps of balconies) are insulated. In the opposite case, you must take care that they are insulated the soonest possible.

•    If you are going to be absent for along time during winter insulate or better drain the network of the solar–water heating system. In addition regulate the heating system of your building, in order to be operated automatically in low temperatures.

•    In case you have a solar–water heating system take care during the frost (especially at night) to switch off the water supply towards the boiler and empty out the water from the system. If this is not possible, leave the hot water tap open to drip.

•    Don’t waste water to remove the snow or the frost.

•    Try to limit the daily activities that demand increased water consumption (such as washing machines etc).

•    Learn whether the manufacturing company or a technician has put an anti-freezing liquid in your solar boiler (in the case of closed circuit). If not, get the proper anti-freezing and put it.

•    Make sure that there is no tap or toilet leakage otherwise repair them immediately.

•    Be sure that the drains in the balconies and terraces are clean from leaves and rubbish and operate normally.

  If in spite of all that, the central pipes freeze, follow the following instructions:

•    Switch off immediately the central valve of water-supply of your building and check your hydro-meter. If it continues to “run”, this means that there is leakage (broken pipe) in your network. Switch off immediately the central water supply valve and call a plumber. Ask for a receipt or a certificate for the leakage repair.

•    If you decide to defrost the pipes, start from the part of pipe near the switch so that the temperature change is gradual. If there are no results call a plumber.

•    Check if the electrical installations are wet or in danger and insulate them.

 Storms

Danger from storms comes from very strong local winds, heavy local rainfalls, thunders and possible hail.

  ACTION TO TAKE DURING THE STORM

•    If inside a building:

•    Secure all objects that may be drifted by the wind or the heavy rain and cause damage or injuries.

•    Check all suspended boards.

•    Secure doors and windows.

•    Do not hold electric equipment or the telephone as thunder may pass through the wires. Electronic equipment (TV, stereo, etc) are extremely dangerous in these cases and should be unplugged.

•    Avoid water pipes (kitchen, bathroom) as metallic pipes are good conductors.

•    If outside:

•    Try to find refuge in a building or in a car.

•    If this not possible, sit on the ground. If you are in the woods, protect yourself under the branches of low trees – never stand under a tall tree in an open space. If you are in low land, be careful as a flood may occur.

•    Avoid tall constructions, tall trees, fences, telephone cables and electric lines.

•    Avoid being close to metallic objects, such as cars, bicycles, camping equipment, etc.

•    Stay away from rivers, lakes or other water sources.

•    If you are in the sea, get out quickly.

•    If you are isolated on a plane area and feel your hair turned up (a fact that may indicate a possible thunder), assume duck position, burry face between legs (to minimize the surface of your body and therefore the contact with ground) and drop away any metallic object.
· Do not lie down on the ground.

•    In a vehicle:

•    Stop the car by the roadside away from trees that may fall on the car.

•    Stay in the car and turn on the emergency lights until the storm stops.

•    Close the windows and do not touch metallic objects in the car.

•    Avoid flooded roads.

  Evaluation of the distance that separates you from the storm

•    Calculate the time between the lightning and the thunder in seconds.

•    Divide the time calculated by 3 in order to calculate the distance of the storm in kilometers.

•    Take all necessary measures, before the storm reaches you. This distance is indicative as the storm may appear very quickly above the area where you are.

  ACTION TO TAKE DURING HAIL

•    Protect yourself immediately! Do not leave the safe place unless you are certain that the storm has stopped.

Snowfalls & Extreme Cold

Actions to take before the snowfall or the snowstorm

•    If you live in an area facing problems by snowfalls:

•    Get heating materials (referring especially to mountain settlements) and provisions for several days.

•    If you live in a rough area, get the necessary equipment to shovel the snow.

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Floods

BEFORE A FLOOD

If you stay in an area with flood problems during the past

•    Make sure that the wells and gullies outside your house are not blocked.

•    Make sure that house drains function properly.

•    Reduce your removals as much as possible.

•    Avoid working or living in underground places if necessary.

DURING THE APPEARANCE OF FLOOD

•    Avoid underground places and move to a secure higher point

•    Don’t cross torrents on foot or by car

•    Abandon your car if it gets immobilized as it might be swept away or flooded.

•    Stay away from electric wires.

•    Avoid areas where there have been landslides.

ACTIONS IN FLOODED AREAS

Stay away from flooded areas or areas dangerous to flood in the next hours

•    The flood is likely to have changed the area characteristics and waters might have swept away parts of the streets, the pavements etc.

•    Dangers are imminent from broken pavements, areas with dangerous slope, flows of mud etc.

•    The water is likely to be polluted from rubbish, dead animals, raw sewage or other materials.

•    Be careful not to prevent the rescue–parties.

•    Don’t approach areas where landslides and rock falls have been recorded.

•    Check if your house or place of work runs the risk of a possible fall of rocks.

If you need to walk or to drive in flooded areas

•    Try to find solid ground.

•    Avoid moving waters.

•    If you see a flooded street, stop and change direction.

•    Avoid stagnant waters that could be electric-current conductors if there are underground power cables or leaks.

•    Follow the authorities’ instructions.

The restoration of damages at home or the place of employment

If the area you stay had been evacuated, don’t return before the authorities indicate that is safe.

Before you begin restoration works at your place

•    Switch off the electric supply even if the power company has switched off the whole area.

•    Turn off the water supply in case the network fails.

To overhaul a flooded building, pay attention to 

•    Wear protective shoes so as not to get injured from objects or irregularities of the ground hidden by water.

•    Examine the walls, doors, stairs and windows.

•    Check the networks of electric power, water and drainage systems.

REMEMBER: Even when flood waters recede danger exists.

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Earthquakes

BEFORE THE EARTHQUAKE

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Fires

To prevent a fire

•    Don’t burn litter or dried grasses and small branches (twigs) during the summer.

•    Don’t burn open-air barbecues in forests or places close to dried grasses or branches during the summer.

•    Avoid open-air works that may cause fire. Do not torch weld, use wheel or other instruments that create sparks.

•    Never throw lit cigarettes in open-air places.

•    Don’t leave rubbish in the forest. There is danger of ignition.

•    Respect the prohibitive signs of access in periods of high danger.

If your house lies inside or near a forest or a forestal area

•    Create a fire break around your house by clearing and removing dried grass, pine-needles, dried leaves, branches etc beyond 10meters of your house.

•    Prune the trees to the height of 3meters, according to their age, and the condition of their branches.

•    Remove all dried branches from the trees and the bushes.

•    Thin the trees in a 5meters distance from your house so that their branches don’t lean on the walls, on the roof or the balconies.

•    Space out around the building the woody vegetation so that the branches of one tree is at least 3 meters apart from another. For greater security and if the circumstances permit it, remove the woody and bushy vegetation around the building in a distance at least of 10meters.

•    Don’t put plastic spouts or plastic sewers of water to the walls of the building.

•    Protect the windows and the glass doors by placing shutters from not inflammable materials.

•    Cover the chimneys and the ventilation pipes with a specific, not inflammable, wire-cable so that the sparks will not penetrate the interior of the building.

•    Don’t store inflammable objects near the house.

•    Don’t put uncovered fuel- tanks near the house.

•    Keep the fire-wood in closed and protected places.

•    Buy the appropriate fire-extinguishers and take care of their maintenance.

•    Be equipped with a water pipe with length proportional to the area you want to protect.

•    A water tank, a non-electric power pump and a water pipe can protect you from fire.

If you see fire

•    Ring up IMMEDIATELY to the Fire Brigade call center (199) and give clear information about the location and the exact point where you are, as well as information about the location and the exact point of the fire.

•    Describe the kind of vegetation that is burning.

•    Specify the direction of fire.

•    Don’t hang up before you give all necessary information.

If fire is approaching your house

•    Remain cool.

•    Remove promptly all the inflammable materials from around the building to closed and sheltered places. Their ignition might contribute to spread the fire in the building.

•    Close all the passages (chimneys, windows, doors etc) to prevent fire-brands to penetrate the building.

•    Shut off all the gas and liquid-fuels supplies inside and outside the building.

•    Immediately roll up sunshades from the balconies and the windows.

•    Open the gate of the garden to facilitate the fire fighting vehicle access.

•    Put a ladder outside the building so that someone is able to climb immediately on the roof. The ladder should be placed at the opposite side of the fire direction.

•    Connect the water pipes with the taps outside the building and spread them so that the perimeter of the building is covered.

•    If visibility is reduced, switch on the interior and exterior lights of the building in order to be more visible through smokes.

If fire is next to your doorstep

•    Don’t give up your place unless your escape is completely secured.

•    The possibility of survival in a building constructed by not inflammable materials is great. On the contrary it is small inside a car that lies in smokes and flames.

•    Enter the house with your whole family and pets.

•    Close all the doors and windows and block up all the cracks with wet clothes.
Remove the curtains from the windows.

•    Move any furniture into the center of the residence away from windows and exterior doors.

•    Close all the doors in between, to retard fire spreading in the building.

•    Fill up the baths, wash-basins and buckets so that you have spare water.

•    Gather all together in one place

•    Keep a torch and spare batteries at hand in case of electric power failure.

•    If your house is made of wood, seek shelter in a neighbouring building.

•    If advised to evacuate the area follow strictly the instructions and the routes suggested.

As soon as the fire extinguishes

•    Get out of the house and at once put out the remaining small spots.

•    Control for at least 48 hours, in fixed periods of time, the perimeter and the exterior spaces of the building for possible small spots and re-ignitions.

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