Stay Tuned to Learn How to Help Others
If you are in the affected area, and wish to help or find others in need:
Help emergency responders in the area
- Stay inside unless told otherwise by emergency officials. This will not only protect you from harmful radiation, but will also help keep roads clear for emergency vehicles.
- Unless you are critically injured, stay away from hospitals, fire, and police stations. This will help the facilities remain available for those in serious need of assistance. Emergency officials will be providing information on where to go to get screened for radioactive contamination and where emergency shelters are located.
Keep phone lines clear
Use text messaging instead of phone calls to communicate with friends and family. This will free up lines, allowing people with critical needs to call for help, and will allow emergency responders to communicate with each other.
Provide shelter
- Providing shelter to someone who was outside during a radiation emergency can save their life without endangering your own.
- Ask them to remove their outer layer of clothing before entering the building or shelter. Once inside, ask them to wash the parts of their body that were uncovered when they were outside. Then ask them to put on clean clothing, if they can. This will help limit their radiation exposure and keep radioactive material from spreading. For more information, go to Stay Inside-self decontamination
If you are outside the affected area and wish to help others in need:
- Stay tuned for opportunities to provide help.
- Contact your local disaster response organizations to find out how to help.