Is Kosovo threatened by earthquakes? You Can Protect Yourself

Worldwide, there are some 500,000 earthquakes a year that are discovered by sensitive instruments. About 100,000 of them can feel, and about 100 do damage every year.

Nowadays, we witness many frequent earthquakes occurring in Albania.

It seems to be given the geographic position, but also the proximity of our country to the Albanian state, then we can also be endangered by these earthquakes, which can hit all of a sudden and unannounced and can cause material damage but also endanger the lives of Kosovo citizens, even though our country does not turn out to have high seismic activity.

Earthquakes cannot be predicted, but we can learn how to protect ourselves from them and how we should act in such cases, and the important thing is that in the first quake, safeguards may be taken.

During an earthquake it's very important to keep quiet and try as little panic as possible, to sit on the floor immediately and gather hands and arms, before the earthquake breaks down, the refuge is recommended under a table, or below any furniture that cannot collapse on you. When the shock starts, the best thing to do is not to move from one room to another, and get out of the apartment after the earthquake, and don't use the elevator, because the chances are that it can crash.

If you are outside, you must move to a secure area if possible, and avoid electrical poles, tables, tall buildings, and construction facilities.

If you are in school, stadium, or theater, possibly you should stay in your country and protect your head and neck with wings, it is wrong to try to escape until the initial shock ends, then move slowly by taking care of anything that might fall and hurt you.

It is very important to know that during earthquakes it must stay away from lakes, beaches, or bridges, in the first few minutes after the quakes, try to get off the shores of lakes or beaches, as there may be an increase in wave intensity, in what is commonly called tsunami, and if you're on vehicle, avoid staying on bridges or unstable roads.

The state is responsible for organizing protection from natural disasters, including earthquakes and other disasters.

In cases of natural disasters in this case of earthquakes, human life protection and rescue are priorities above any other activity of protection and salvation.

Protection, rescue and aid in cases of natural disasters, including earthquakes, should be planned through emergency response plans, these prepared by the Emergency Management Agency in co-operation with other relevant institutions according to areas of responsibility.

The purpose of emergency response plans is to ensure organised and co-ordinated action companies for reducing their consequences and in case of disaster, to ensure as soon as possible resources for rescue, medical resources for aid to the injured and to ensure basic conditions for life of those citizens who have been hit by earthquakes.

(Autor, Tahir Ahmeti, is an expert on emergency and co-founder of the SPRC Security Policy Research Centre)