There were a number of overseas terror attacks reported in a span of just two weeks.
On 22 May, a suicide bombing at Manchester Arena in Manchester, England, following a concert by American singer Ariana Grande, took the lives of 23 individuals. Six of them, children.
Fast forward to last Friday, 2nd June, a crazed gunman entered Resorts World Manila, fired shots and set gaming tables and slot machines ablaze. The incident took the lives of 35 people, including the gunman himself. According to reports, many of the victims died due to suffocation or smoke inhalation because of the fire.
As parents, it’s scary to know that these things are happening around us, and can happen to us. With all that has happened, some of us may be thinking: what would we have done had it happened to us?
Here’s a list of the 4 things you and your kids should do in a terror attack:
1. Run away as quickly as possible
If you hear gunshots or an explosion, or if a fire breaks out, the first thing you need to do is run away.
It is important to remember that you and your family’s safety should be the priority, so if taking your belongings with you will cause a delay in your evacuation, just leave these material objects behind.
Move away from the source of the gunshot or explosion as quickly as possible, and if you’re with your family, always keep them close by. The last thing you want to happen right now is for you and your family to get separated.
2. If you can’t run, hide
In the event that running away is not an option, do your best effort to hide from the attacker. The important thing to ensure is that the attacker does not see you and that they will not know your exact location. Make sure your cell phone is on silent mode and the vibration setting is turned off as well.
Hiding behind a large brick wall, or something solid that can withstand bullets and explosions is very important.
Of course, you should also make sure that you have an escape route in case you’re forced to run away.
3. Tell the authorities
Once you’re safe, immediately contact the authorities. Using a cell phone will be ideal as this can help the police find your location so they can rescue you.
When the police arrive, make sure not to panic — just keep calm and don’t make any sudden movements. This is to ensure that the attacker remains unaware of your location and that the authorities won’t mistake you as the attacker. It is important to keep your hand in view at all times when they arrive, in order for the police to recognise you as a civilian.
Check out this video from the Singapore Police Force, which tells viewers the 3 basic steps they must take in case of a terror attack:
Help out others
There’s a phenomenon called the “bystander effect,” wherein during an emergency, everyone does nothing because they assume that everyone else knows what to do. Avoid this type of behavior, and instead, call the authorities, and do something so that you can help out others if you can.
If you see people who are frozen in fear, try to take them with you to safety. If there are people with injuries and you know how to administer first aid, do so. It is important to remember that the first people on the scene where there are injuries are crucial in saving them from danger.
In any emergency, whether it is a terror attack or not, it is important to remember to keep calm. Situations like this demand high levels of awareness and presence of mind to ensure that you can take the right actions.
While acts of terrorism and other terror attacks have been reported more frequently in the recent times, it is important to remember that with proper vigilance and safety measures, we should still be able to live normally and keep our children safe.
Also READ: How to talk to kids about terrorism
* Republished with permission from theAsianparent Philippines