National emergency has been imposed in Venezuela after the earthquake. According to rescue experts, the danger does not go away even after the earthquake. 3 mistakes you should not make immediately after the tremors stop.
Earthquake Mistakes: Two massive earthquakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 occurred one after the other in Venezuela on Wednesday evening, turning many cities into piles of debris. After this biggest tragedy of the last 126 years, national emergency has been imposed there. The roof of Caracas airport has collapsed, roads are filled with water and people are searching for their loved ones. The US Geological Survey (USGS) estimates that more than 1 lakh people are likely to die in this disaster. Amidst this great destruction, experts have warned that after somehow escaping from the earthquake with their lives, people think that the danger has passed. But sometimes the few hours after an earthquake can be even more dangerous than the time during the earthquake. Let us know which 3 mistakes you should not make immediately after the earthquake tremors stop.
run inside the house as soon as the shock stops
This is the most common mistake. As soon as the ground stops shaking, people heave a sigh of relief and immediately run inside the house or building to pick up their belongings or see how much damage has been done. More than 20 aftershocks (smaller tremors after the earthquake) have been recorded so far after the main earthquake in Venezuela. Scientists are warning that some future tremors may become very strong. The buildings which have been weakened or have developed cracks in the earlier big shocks, collapse in these small shocks. Therefore, one should remain in the open field for a long time even after the earthquake stops. One should not go inside until the local administration or rescue agencies declare it safe.
turning on house lights or lighting a match-lighter
Power outages often occur after earthquakes, as has happened in Caracas this time. In such a situation, people try to immediately turn on the main switch of the house to avoid darkness or light a match to light a candle. This mistake can turn the entire area into ashes. The first thing the Venezuelan government did as soon as the earthquake occurred was to immediately stop the gas supply to the affected areas. The Home Minister there said that earthquakes damage many buildings and pipelines, due to which the risk of gas leakage is highest. In such a situation, if the gas is spread in the air and you create even a small spark (whether with a match or an electric switch), a terrible explosion can occur. Use only mobile torch in darkness.
Using elevators or believing rumors
The third biggest mistake is running towards the lift to get down from the building in panic or accepting fake news on WhatsApp as true when the mobile network is down. According to rescue experts, earthquakes break electrical wires and underground cables, which can lead to power cuts at any time. If you’re in an elevator, you could be trapped without air among the debris. Apart from this, at the time of disaster, rumors spread on WhatsApp that ‘there will be another big earthquake in the next two hours.’ Venezuela’s Home Minister has clearly told the people that in such a situation, stay peacefully in open spaces, stay away from big buildings and trees and only follow the instructions of the government or official relief agencies.