KINGSTON, Jamaica – Jamaicans are being urged to familiarise themselves with the layout of their homes in the dark as a crucial step in earthquake preparedness and general safety.

This advice was issued by Director General at the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), Richard Thompson, during a recent Jamaica Information Service (JIS) ‘Think Tank’ focused on earthquake awareness month, being observed in January.

“Learn [the layout of] your house so you can navigate that space in the dark. I don’t know how many persons try to just shut off all the lights at home and navigate in the dark. [This is] a practice that persons need to [constantly] do,” Thompson said.

Power outages are common occurrences during emergencies such as earthquakes, and knowing how to move around the house in darkness is essential.

“It’s not only for earthquake preparedness; it’s for general security. You don’t want to hear a sound and [you’re attempting to] turn on the lights to try to find out what is happening,” Thompson pointed out.

He further highlighted the importance of putting keys in a central location to aid swift evacuation during emergencies.

“We have a lot of grilles in Jamaica. You should have at least one grille on each floor that you can open easily, and you need to know where to find that key. The key must be in a centralised location,” the director general stated.

He cautioned that earthquakes can trigger secondary events like fires, emphasising the importance of being able to get out of the house quickly should this occur.

“You don’t want a situation where you literally end up in an encased facility because all your grilles are rigid and none of them can be opened, especially your window grilles; so, you [should] practise those [safety] measures at home,” Thompson added.

– JIS