The Azores Regional Civil Protection and Fire Service (SRPCBA) marks the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, celebrated on October 13, with the distribution and dissemination of flyers and posters. They are aimed at drawing attention to the measures to be taken in case of earthquake, which can make a difference and save lives.
 
"Even though an earthquake seems to us a distant phenomenon, it is a very real possibility that can hit any community at any time," and for that reason it was decided to mark this Day, said the President of SRPCBA.
 
According to Carlos Neves, "the best way for everyone to take action is to be well informed about existing risks and the procedures that can save lives."
 
“This is where the role of Civil Protection comes in, through the provision of information to the population, so that people can acquire basic knowledge that will enable them to enhance their self-protection and even help to those who need it. Moreover, people will be able to collect and transmit relevant information (number of victims, number of damaged homes on a given street, number of people inside a collapsed home) to the competent authorities, thus providing timely assistance to the population of their community," added the government official.
 
This message will be disseminated with the distribution of flyers to the various governmental departments throughout the Region and the publication of images on SRPCBA digital channels.
 
The content of the flyers includes the seven steps, namely the three internationally recognised saving gestures (lowering, protecting, waiting) that are most appropriate for seismic risk self-protection and mitigation, and can be adopted by the population in general. Additionally, it contains the self-protection measures to be adopted during an earthquake in a variety of situations of everyday life.
 
Established by the United Nations in 1989, the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction intends to draw the attention of all states to the need to adopt policies aimed at preventing and reducing human and property damage arising from the occurrence of natural disasters.