Dr. Ted Esguerra, the doctor who accompanied the Philippine expedition to Mt. Everest and who is always in the forefront of disaster relief operations across the country, gave a few survival tips to students from Negros Island Thursday.
Addressing participants to the BINHI Youth Camp 2017 at the Energy Development Corporation campsite in Ticala, Valencia, Esguerra paraphrased a line from a Roman general: Prepare for war in times of peace.
Disasters, he explained, are unavoidable. It’s how we respond to them that ensures our survival.
To prepare yourself, take stock of the hazards around us, he reminded his audience. The Philippines ranks 12th worldwide in terms of natural hazards. We are along the Ring of Fire, the Typhoon belt. And there are man-made threats, like the recent ISIS-linked war in Marawi.
Esguerra said we must leave no stone unturned when it comes to disaster preparedness. “We have to be ready for everything –you may be ready for an earthquake, all right, but you might just end up as a rape victim.”
If you want to live, he said, learn life skills. What are these skills? First aid, CPR, knot-tying, running, self defense and many other little things.
“Profile your risks–what is the most likely disaster that could affect you?” He then told his audience to develop the “disaster imagination” and think of the appropriate response.
Stockpile on food, he advised, citing an experience of a family in Marawi who had been holed up in their home during the recent war and survived by eating boxes/cartons.
Everyone in your family should have a bag containing basic provisions good for at least three days which they can just grab in an emergency, he said.
Have a list of emergency numbers you can call.
Then, have a plan for your family–determine your rendezvous point in times of calamities when phone lines are down and contacting each other is impossible. (AP)