WHAT TO DO IF A BOMB GOES OFF…..OUR DAILY REALITY IN KENYA

In the wake of twin terror attacks on buses along Thika Superhighway last week, security experts are now warning city residents to be vigilant on their safety when in public places.  I am part of a security alert group on What’s App where we are notified of bad traffic, robberies, security scares and any other information that is important at the time.  It may seem a little scary to get all these alerts each day, but in a weird way it is re-assuring so you know what IS happening in the city and surrounds.  A few weeks ago we were sent a safety video on what we should do if the building you are in is stormed by an armed gunman.  It was a 5 minute video, and this is a sign of the times here in Kenya at the moment.  Everyone has the attitude that ‘it will never happen to me’ and 67% of the time, it never does.  But in this current environment, you can never be too sure, and it is better to be prepared, than to not be at the end of the day.     

Last week an advice came out on what to do if you find yourself in a situation where a bomb is involved.  The experts say knowledge on how to reduce personal injury, loss of property and trauma during the brief but crucial moments after a terror attack is important.  Fred Majiwa from St. Johns Ambulance says adherence to certain procedures could make the difference between life and death during terror attacks.  Simiyu Werunga, a national security consultant, said the security threats in the city cannot be dealt with through an individual approach.  “The situation now is very difficult because we are under attack and there is nothing an individual can do, it is beyond them.”  Mr Werunga added that it is impossible for an individual to take precaution without knowledge of when and where the attack will staged.  “You cannot take precaution if you do not know where attack is taking place. The owners of the public utilities have the responsibility of ensuring security at their places,” Mr. Werunga.

Bomb explosions are becoming the order of the day in Kenya. They have actually turned out to be real and one cannot afford to brush them off as their impact is devastating!  Though it is not expressly possible to stop their occurrences, something can be done to reduce the fatality and injury rates through awareness initiatives.  So this is the information that was shared in various social media the last week.  I have seen it more than once this week. 

“WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE TRAPPED IN A BOMB EXPLOSION”

The first rule is simple. Do not run. Lie down on your side for at least ten seconds facing the side of the explosion. Bend your knees to cover your stomach and lungs. And use your fingers to cover your ears and other parts of your face.  In case of an explosive, it should be your natural instinct to lie down. Lying down minimizes the body surface exposed. Let your legs face the explosion because they are not as fatal like other parts of the body.  Do not expose your back facing the explosive, as it could cause serious harm to the spine that could be fatal.

The biggest mistake that most people make during an explosion is to try to run away from the scene.  Do not run; you won’t run faster than the fragments. And the impact of the explosion will blow you off your feet and throw you to a wall maybe. And you also expose yourself to be hit by the fragments. However cautions that people should not lie on the ground for too long. They may become vulnerable to secondary attacks.  We saw a lot of this during the Westgate attack. People lied on the floor for too long and were easily attacked by the terrorists. 

Most explosives are designed to detonate in a "flower bouquet" pattern throwing the bomb fragments horizontally between two and six feet above the ground. This pattern escalates the likelihood of hitting standing humans by these fragments. Therefore, the best place to be in an event of an explosion is to lay flat on your chest on the ground with the soles of your feet facing the area of the blast. Stay calm and extend your legs moderately apart: if you tighten them together, you increase the likelihood of losing both legs, whereas when the legs are spread apart, you have a greater chance of saving one leg from the blast; spreading the legs too far apart, however, leaves the groin exposed. In addition to the obvious reasons for protecting the groin area, you also want to avoid injury to that area because of the major arteries in that part of the body, which can lead to rapid blood loss if injured.

Keep your mouth open and breathe in small intervals. The most deadly aspect in an explosion is not bomb fragments or heat, it is the blast overpressure. The blast wave travels at supersonic velocity and severely affects the air-filled organs like lungs, kidneys, and bowels. People naturally tend to take a deep breath and hold it in emergencies. However, this proves lethal in a bombing situation, since our lungs become like a pressurized balloon to be ruptured by the blast wave. The majority of deaths in an explosion die from internal bleeding in the lungs. Only 6% on average die from the bomb fragments wounds. Your chances of injury with empty lungs are far smaller compared to holding your breath.

Finally, you must choose what to do with your hands. Some people instinctively cover their ears at the sound of a blast. If you're close to a large explosion, you will probably have both eardrums burst, even if you cover them with your hands (due to the aforementioned shockwave). While lying flat on the ground, the idea is to reduce your lateral profile as much as possible, which means lying with one cheek on the ground. Place one hand tightly over your exposed eye. Place the other arm against your body.

Remember, the explosion takes seconds and you are the only one who can help yourself during this moment.  This advice was written by Major (Rtd) Mohamed D. Morowa, Head of Security Services from the Kenya Ports Authority, Mombasa.  It seems good advice and again a little surreal that we even need to discuss this is a public forum.  It does makes me wonder with only seconds to think after an explosion, is it too late to implement any of the above information?  I guess at the end of the day, it all part and parcel of becoming viligant and being prepared and let’s just hope that we never have to use any of the measures outlined.