Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1697721606885.pdf (Dominica)
PREPARE with PERRIE PARROT A GUIDE TO NATURAL HAZARDS FOR PRIMARY SCHOOLS COMMONWEALTH OF DOMINICA PREPARE with PERRIE PARROT A GUIDE TO NATURAL HAZARDS FOR PRIMARY SCHOOLS COMMONWEALTH OF DOMINICA Prepared by the Ofﬁce of Disaster Management (ODM) Dominica, through the support of the partnership between the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management the (CDEMA), United Nations Ofﬁce Agency Coordination of Humanitarian Aid (OCHA), International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC) and funded by European Union Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid (ECHO) to strengthen Early Warning System in the Caribbean Region.
for #PreparedCaribbean.

March 2020.

Design and layout by: Dwayne Milford #PreparedCaribbean FOR INFORMATION: www.odm.gov.dm/hazard @ODMDominica1 or call 448-7777 i Prepare with PERRIE PARROT This handbook provides basic information on the main natural hazards that affects Dominica or could affect the island at some point.

This include hurricane, ﬂood, landslide, earthquake, tsunami and volcano.
It gives a brief description of each hazard, how they affect people and what children and their families can do to keep safe in the event any of these hazards should occur.

The handbook also provides deﬁnitions of some common disaster management terms.

The template for a family communication plan (adopted from FEMA) included so you can create a communication plan with your family.
is Disaster Terms Disaster Emergency Evacuation A disaster is a serious disruption of the functioning of a community or a country due to hazardous event.

The impact is usually so great that it requires more resources from outside the community or country to respond.

An emergency is a time when something serious happens and immediate help is needed.

Moving people to a safer place before, during or an emergency or disaster event in order to protect them.
after Family communication plan Hazard A contact list with numbers for each family member and contacts for family or friend living out of your area.

Also include the location of where family members should meet if they get separated during a disaster.

A process or human activity that may cause loss of life, injury or other health impacts, damage to property and the environment and social and economic disruption.

Prepare Prepare means to get ready.


You can prepare for an emergency or disaster by helping to pack supplies in your family emergency kit, learning what to do if a hazard occurs and take part in your school drills.

ii Hurricane Hurricanes can make you feel worried or scared but we cannot stop them.

PERRIE PARROT SAYS The best thing to do is to prepare just in case a hurricane threatens your country.

What is a hurricane?

A hurricane is a tropical cyclone that forms over warm seas.
Winds spin in an anti-clockwise direction around the centre of the hurricane.

The maximum sustained surface wind range from 64 knots (74 mph or 119 km/hr) and higher.

The centre of a hurricane is called the “eye” and is the calmest area of the hurricane.

Hurricanes are grouped into 5 categories, which tell you how strong they are.

Category 3 to 5 are called major hurricanes and Category 5 hurricanes are the strongest.

The ofﬁcial hurricane season in the Atlantic is from June 1st to November 30th.
But sometimes hurricanes form before June or in December.

How do hurricanes aﬀect us?

Hurricanes can be very destructive.

They produce three main hazards.

Heavy rains and thunderstorms that cause huge ﬂooding and destroy your homes, roads, bridges and hurt people Strong winds that damage many homes, public buildings and damage trees Large waves that ﬂood coastal areas and damage homes and ﬁshing equipment 1 Hurricane PREPARE with PERRIE PARROT Know what to do BEFORE, DURING and AFTER a hurricane.
What should you do before a hurricane arrive?

Help your parents to save extra water.

Remind your family to purchase additional canned foods.

Pack your Hurricane Kit and don’t forget your favourite toy and a game.

Remind parents to keep important documents safe Plan a place to meet your family and write down contact names and numbers for family in case you are separated during a disaster.

During a hurricane … Help an adult close and board up windows.
Listen to the radio or television for reports on the weather.

Help store drinking water in clean containers.

Stay indoors during a hurricane.

If you are told to evacuate remind your family to leave early If you have to evacuate, do NOT go back home until local ofﬁcials say it is safe to do so.

After a hurricane … Do NOT go outdoors until the all clear announcement has been given by the ofﬁcials.
Do NOT go sightseeing If you are able to, assist in getting medical attention for injured persons 2 Hurricane …Be hurricane smart … Know common terms used by the weather oﬃce Hurricane Watch A Hurricane Watch is normally issued 48 hours before the arrival of tropical-storm-winds.

A watch means that hurricane conditions are possible and you need to PREPARE!

Hurricane Warning A Hurricane Warning is normally issued 36 hours before the arrival that hurricane of tropical-storm-winds.
A Warning means conditions are expected and you need to TAKE ACTION NOW!

Tropical Storm Watch Tropical storm conditions with winds of 39 to 73 mph or (63 to 118 km/hr) are possible within your area within 48 hours.

Tropical Storm Warning Tropical storm conditions with winds of 39 to 73 mph or (63 to 118 km/hr) are expected within your area within 36 hours.

3 Flood Flooding occurs when a lot of water overﬂows onto land that is normally dry.
Floods that happen very quickly are called ﬂash ﬂoods and these are the most common types of ﬂood that affects Dominica.

When it rains heavily rivers sometimes overﬂow their banks and cause a ﬂood.

A broken dam, levee or water main can also cause ﬂash ﬂooding.

Floods can disrupt transportation, damage buildings, causes power outage and create landslides.
Perrie Parrot says during a ﬂood: Keep listening to the weather update on radio or television Do not play in ﬂood water it could make you sick or you could get hurt.

Moving water can sweep you oﬀ your feet fast.

If you see ﬂood water, never walk through it, turn around, don’t drown!

Tell adults not to drive through ﬂood water as it can wash away their vehicles.

Ask an adult to turn oﬀ your water, electricity and gas supply at the main switches.

Disconnect all electrical devices and appliances.


Do not touch electrical equipment if you are wet or standing in water.

Remain alert and be ready to move to a safer location with your family 4 Landslide A landslide is the downward movement of soil, debris and rock.

Landslides are a threat to life and property in Dominica.
Landslides can be triggered by heavy rainfall on steep slopes; ground that was previously dry becoming saturated or water-logged; strong shaking from earthquakes and human activities such as mining.

Perrie Parrot safety tips during landslide During heavy rainfall or a storm that could cause landslide you and your family should STAY ALERT and STAY AWAKE!

Many deaths from landslides occur while people are sleeping.
Listen for unusual sounds that might indicate moving debris, such as trees cracking or boulders knocking together.

If your family suspect a landslide you should evacuate immediately If you are near a river, be alert for any sudden increase or decrease in water ﬂow or water that changes from clear to muddy.

These can be signs that a landslide is coming.

5 Earthquake What is an earthquake?

An earthquake is the sudden, quick shaking of the earth.

It is caused by rock breaking and moving under the ground.
Sometimes more earthquakes follow the ﬁrst one and these are called aftershocks and are usually smaller than the ﬁrst earthquake.

Aftershocks can occur for hours, days, or even months after an earthquake.

Aftershocks could cause more damage to structures already weakened by the ﬁrst earthquake.

How earthquakes aﬀect people?

Some earthquakes are so gentle they cannot be felt by humans but are detected and measured by scientists using special instrument called a seismograph.
However, some can be strong causing walls to shake, crack or crumble and trees to be uprooted.

Earthquakes are very dangerous and can result in major damage and loss of life from falling buildings, collapsed roads and bridges, or ﬁres started by ruptured gas lines or fallen electrical wires.

PERRIE PARROT SAYS Earthquakes can happen at any time.

To remain safe during an earthquake, know how to protect yourself.
Take part in your school earthquake drill and practice at home with your family so they too will know what to do.

How earthquakes aﬀect people?

When the ground starts shaking try to stay calm.

Do not run outside as you could get hurt by falling or from ﬂying debri such as broken glass.

6 Earthquake The best thing to do is to Drop where you are, onto your hands and knees Cover your head and neck.

Crawl under a nearby sturdy table or desk if you can.
Hold On until the shaking stop If in a wheelchair, Duck, Cover your head and neck and Hold on to your cover If outdoors, avoid overhead hazards.

If you are in a store or shop, move away from display shelves containing bottles, cans, or other objects that may fall Know your earthquake terms Aftershock Another earthquake that happens after the ﬁrst earthquake.

Epicenter The center of an earthquake.

Vibrations are sent from the epicenter in many directions.
Fault Lines Cracks in the rocks below the earth’s surface.

Seismograph A machine that measures an earthquake.

7 Tsunami More than 80% of the world’s tsunamis were caused by earthquakes.

Tsunami (pronounced soo-nah-mee) is a made up of two Japanese words - “tsu” meaning harbour and “nami” meaning wave.

What is a Tsunami?

Tsunamis are a series of waves caused by a large and sudden disturbance of the sea.

Tsunami waves carry a massive amount of water and debris that can ﬂood the land for hours.
The ﬁrst wave may not be the largest.

PERRIE PARROT SAYS Never go down to the shore to watch for a tsunami after a strong earthquake.

If you can see the wave, you are too close to outrun it.

Stay out of danger areas until an “all-clear” is issued by local emergency oﬃcials.

TSUNAMI SAFETY TIPS: If you are on the beach and you feel a strong earthquake drop, cover and hold on then run quickly to higher ground.
If you hear a strange roar or see the sea pull back an unusual distance from the shore these are also signs of tsunami threat and you should run to higher ground or as far inland as possible.

If you experience any of these signs, DO NOT wait for ofﬁcial warnings before leaving a tsunami threat zone.

Higher ground could be the third ﬂoor or higher of buildings or even a strong tree 8 Volcano What is a volcano?
A volcano is an opening or vent in the Earth’s crust that allows molten rock, gases and debris to escape to the surface.

Dominica has nine (9) live volcanoes and 7 are located in southern Dominica.

Morne aux Diables Morne Diablotins Morne Trois Pitons Micotrin Grande Soufriere Hills Morne Watt Morne Anglais Foundland Morne Plat Pays PERRIE PARROT SAYS When a volcano erupts it can cause major disruptions to our lives.

Sometimes we have to leave our homes.


9 Volcano Know Volcano Hazards with PERRIE PARROT Hazards produced during a volcanic eruption: Produce ash fall that can damage machinery and cause roofs to collapse from the weight of the ash Ash reduce visibility and disrupts air transportation The gases release by the volcano causes respiratory issues making difﬁcult to breathe and irritates the skin, eyes, nose, and throat.
Hot molten rocks or lava ﬂows can burn your skin, buildings, cars and forest cover and anything in its path Can produce earthquakes and tsunamis causing damage to people and buildings You can do these activities now to Prepare Help your family to prepare an evacuation plan Create a family communication plan Help your family prepare an emergency kit and remember to include medication and items for breathing problems such as N95 masks.
Ask your family to protect important documents 10 Volcano How to stay safe during a volcano eruption Listen for emergency information and alerts.

Follow evacuation or shelter orders.

If advised to evacuate, do so early Report to a collection site and await further instructions Tell your family to avoid areas downstream of the eruption such as river valleys and ravines Protect yourself from falling ash if you are outside Your family should not drive in heavy ash fall.
Know your volcano terms Aftershock Fine fragments (less than 2-4 mm) of volcanic rock.

Volcanic ash is gritty, abrasive, and can be corrosive.

Eruption A sudden, violent outburst, like an explosion.

Lahars Also called mudﬂow or debris ﬂow, it is a mixture of water and volcanic debris that moves quickly downstream.

Lava Molten rock that comes from a volcanic explosion and the rock that results after it has hardened and cooled.
Lava Flow A slow moving river of molten (liquid) rock that pours from a volcanic eruption.

Magma Molten rock beneath the surface of the earth.

Pyroclastic Flow A thick, fast-moving, and extremely hot avalanche of ash, pumice, and rock.

11 Family Communication Plan KNOW THE NUMBERS!


Adult: Home: Cell: Neighbor: Home: Cell: Neighbor: Home: Cell: Out of state relative/friend Home: Cell: Home: Parents: Cell: Work: Parents: Cell: Work: Sibling: Cell: Sibling: Cell: PICK A MEETING SPOT Where will you meet up with your family if you have to get out of your house quickly or if your neighborhood is being evacuated and you’re not at home?
In your neighborhood: (Such as neighbor’s House or Big tree) Out of your neighborhood: (Such as the library or house of worship) 12 72-hour Emergency Supply Kit Checklist Water—at least a gallon per person, per day Non-perishable and canned food Dried food such as biscuits, cookies First aid kit Cash Prescription medicines Extra batteries or an alternative power source Matches in a waterproof container (allow an adult to help) Toothbrush, toothpaste, soap Change of clothes Warm blanket for each person Paper plates, plastic cups and utensils, paper towels Battery-powered or hand-cranked radio Flashlights Whistle to signal for help Can opener (manual) Baby supplies (formula, diapers, etc.)
Toys and games PREPARE with PERRIE PARROT A GUIDE TO NATURAL HAZARDS FOR PRIMARY SCHOOLS COMMONWEALTH OF DOMINICA 72-hour Emergency Supply Kit Checklist Water—at least a gallon per person, per day Non-perishable and canned food Dried food such as biscuits, cookies First aid kit Cash Prescription medicines Extra batteries or an alternative power source Matches in a waterproof container (allow an adult to help) Toothbrush, toothpaste, soap Change of clothes Warm blanket for each person Paper plates, plastic cups and utensils, paper towels Battery-powered or hand-cranked radio Flashlights Whistle to signal for help Can opener (manual) Baby supplies (formula, diapers, etc.)
Toys and games PREPARE with PERRIE PARROT A GUIDE TO NATURAL HAZARDS FOR PRIMARY SCHOOLS COMMONWEALTH OF DOMINICA