Next year, the Crisis Center will lead a campaign to prepare for emergency situations and make the population more “resilient”.
The National Crisis Center will launch a major campaign next year aimed at making the population more “resilient“. The aim is to clarify how to take shelter, evacuate and draw up your own emergency plan, Het Nieuwsblad, De Standaard, Gazet van Antwerpen and Het Belang van Limburg reported on Monday.
The campaign takes place as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues, numerous geopolitical conflicts develop, and recent serious natural disasters, such as the floods in Spain. NATO President Mark Rutte has already declared that it is now time to adopt a “war mentality”.
“It is important that we learn during this time to develop our own plan” urgently, explained the Minister of the Interior, Annelies Verlinden (CD&V). “We see that there are extreme situations at Europe’s borders: wars, but also natural disasters, floods, cyberattacks… So we have to be well prepared”she elaborates.
Our emergency services – police, firefighters, civil protection – are “extremely experienced” but we can also “contribute”. “We cannot rely on the government for everything”she still judges.
This is why having emergency kits can help residents, with drinking water, a battery, a flashlight, a list with important telephone numbers… “It can help in the first hours to get through a difficult situation.”
Annelies Verlinden also advises thinking about emergency exits, for example, to homes, schools or businesses in the event of a problem. But she reminds us not to panic. “The war is not in Belgium, but we must be prepared for natural phenomena, such as the floods in Spain recently or in Belgium in 2021. We can really import this “culture of risk” into our country. We must be prepared and if we do that, there’s no reason to panic.”
emergency plan crisis center evacuation take shelter
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