Surviving a disaster abroad

Posted by 293 days ago Under TRAVEL, WORKS With No Comments

ninemsn

Caution Tape

Floods, earthquakes, political unrest, terrorist attacks … the world is a dangerous place. Disaster can strike anywhere — do you know what to do if it were to happen during your holiday?

It’s rare to go to another country and not bump into another Aussie. We love to travel! In fact, we take around six million trips overseas each year. But these don’t always come without risk. Each year around 30,000 Australians require consular assistance. Inevitably some portion of these come from Australians who find themselves stranded in particularly dangerous situations: natural disasters, riots or civil unrest, terrorist activity or an outbreak of viral diseases.

A quick look at the traveller advise resource smartraveller.gov.au reveals just some of world’s current turmoil. There is a warning for “enhanced risk of anti-Western violence” following the death of Osama bin Laden in many places around the world (still). Internal conflicts in Syria have also led to a bulletin advising against travel there. And other covering radiation in Japan following the devastating earthquake that led to destabilisations of the country’s nuclear reactors, as well as flight disruptions caused by volcanic activity, kidnapping threats in Africa, and on the health front cases of legionellosis in travellers returning from Bali.

First thing’s first

A representative from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade urges us to remain calm. “If travellers find themselves in a disaster zone they should follow the advice of local authorities, and leave only if it is safe to do so. They should try to contact their family to advise them where they are and if they are safe and well. Then contact the DFAT’s 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre.”

That 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre in Canberra provides emergency consular services from anywhere in the world on +61 2 6261 3305. According to the smartraveller.gov.au website, “many Australian travellers can be automatically connected to the helpline or given a reverse-charge number to call, simply by telephoning the Australian embassy, high commission or consulate in the country they are visiting.” An advisory line for concerned family members in Australia can be called on 1300 555 135.

When you’re on holiday it’s easy to cut yourself off from the rest of the world. But with the advent of a disaster the media may be your best friend. “We recommend that travellers closely monitor the media for information about possible new safety and security risks as well as subscribe to our travel advisories so they can be updated on changes,” says the DFAT spokesperson. “We can contact people who have registered their travel on smartraveller.gov.au to inform them of a disaster or risk. Many of our travel advisories have links through to disaster and weather monitoring websites that people can look at, for example to see where a disaster has occurred or where a cyclone is moving. These travel advisories cover more than 160 overseas destinations and are kept under constant review and updated promptly to reflect new information or in response to changes in the safety and security environment.”

In times of emergency, there’s nothing more soothing than the sound of an Aussie voice on the other end of the line. “In the advent of a disaster, the embassy will provide full consular services to Australian citizens in country, and would explore all avenues available to ensure the safety of Australian citizens,” says the DFAT spokesperson. But at the same time the level of service rendered by your local embassy will depend on the situation, and should not be blindly relied upon. “Australians need to appreciate that, when they go abroad, they leave behind Australia’s support systems, emergency service capabilities and medical facilities. There are legal and practical limits as to what consular officers can do for travellers overseas and Australians need to have realistic expectations.”

Lending a hand

This year’s Queensland floods once again proved that in times of disaster Australians can be relied upon to band together and pitch in. The sight of other people suffering or in danger is one that can make the decision of whether one should board a plane and leave difficult, but is sticking around to assist in rescue efforts and clean-ups always the right thing to do? DFAT advise: “If an Australian wants to stay and help in the event of a disaster, that is their personal choice. But all Australians should accept responsibility to minimise risks to themselves and follow the instructions of the local authorities.”

“We have travel advisories for all countries and we recommend travellers read them before deciding whether to stay in a country. In some cases, there may be a system set up to register the interest of Australians wishing to assist in rescue efforts. Australians may contact the local Australian consulate or embassy or the DFAT 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre to enquire about whether volunteers are needed and if a registration system has been established.”

Before you leave

Earlier this year the disastrous honeymoon of one Swedish couple proved that even in the most popular travel destinations or safe and stable of nations, terrible things can happen. When Stefan and Erika Svanstrom left Stockholm for Germany they found themselves stranded in one of Europe’s worst snowstorms. From there they headed to Cairns, which was promptly hit by one of the most ferocious cyclones in our history. Then it was south to Brisbane which was experiencing flooding, then west to Perth, narrowly escaping raging bush fires, then Christchurch, New Zealand where, yes, they arrived just after an incredible magnitude 6.3 earthquake. They then made it to Tokyo in time to actually experience the even larger Japanese earthquake. It was only when they hit China their string of incredibly bad luck seemed to come to an end.

While the very nature of a disaster makes it almost impossible to predict, there are a few simple, effective things you can do minimise the risks and assist you should you have the misfortune of finding yourself in such a situation.

DFAT recommend reading the smartraveller.gov.au site’s destination-specific travel advisories for your intended destination. They even keep an updated list of destinations for which they advise Australians not to travel, or to reconsider travelling to. From there you can make informed decisions about whether it is safe to travel there, and what precautions might be necessary.

Travellers should also register their plans and contact details so they can be contacted in the advent of an emergency. Or at the very least, send up-to-date travel itineraries to your travel agent, a friend or family member at home and keep them across your whereabouts. This is particularly important should you find yourself stranded in a situation where all forms of communication are cut off.

It is also of vital important to purchase comprehensive travel insurance and check the fine print to see what is not covered by your policy. DFAT advise that, “if you can’t afford travel insurance, you can’t afford to travel.” They also remind all Aussies heading overseas who have purchased travel insurance to “be aware that there is no automatic insurance refund where DFAT raises the level of the travel advice or where we provide advice on incidents overseas, such as airport closures or disasters.”

Web commenter Daniel from Sydney warns others to choose their insurance company carefully, having found his holiday in Egypt was cut short by the anti-government protests. “We booked our holiday to Egypt four months ago and when the rioting started we called to find out what our options were for getting our money back and [our insurance company] would only cover the flights if the airport was closed. It seems as if they would rather us fly over there, get shot at, killed or injured and then make us claim for that than just realise that it is a dangerous environment to go into and refund the plane tickets!”

Lastly, much of the advice for general safe travel prove themselves to be even more vital in the advent of a disaster: ensure your passports and visas are valid, keep copies of them and other important documents in a separate bag, and try to always have enough cash handy (and preferably a spare resource of money in the form of an international credit card). Bring a small medical kit, be vaccinated for any diseases relevant to the area you’re heading to, and adopt an attitude of respect, humility and behave calmly when you’re travelling in a country that’s not your own. The smartraveller.gov.au has more information specific to travelling seniors, parents, women and backpackers.

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