Talking about what to do in an emergency is probably my least favorite topic (and I would not be surprised if other study abroad advisors felt similarly), but one that is so, so very critical in this day and age.
To start, my heart goes out to all families, communities, and people who have been affected by the acts of violence this week – in Turkey, in Brussels, in Iraq, and sadly more. As Nikki Giovanni once put it so articulately, “no one deserves a tragedy.”
Understandably, when reports surface of incidents like the bombings in Brussels, parents and students show more concern about the safety of studying abroad.
Recent research published by the Forum on Education Abroad indicates that the mortality rate of students studying abroad (based on insurance claims) is less than half of that for students who remain on their home campuses (Inside Higher Ed summarized the findings as well).
I only present this information to provide an important reflection on the perceived dangers of studying abroad.
Travel is not without risk. At some point or other, travelers will likely encounter some sort of emergency while abroad. Emergencies can take on any number of forms – getting sick, breaking a bone, losing a passport, having an ATM eat your debit card, becoming a victim of a crime, and the more nefarious (and more unlikely) examples such as the internationally covered news stories I previously mentioned.
When confronted with these situations, there are critical steps that any traveler must take. These steps, in order, can help you stabilize a situation and maintain communication with those who need to hear from you.
1. Get yourself to a safe location.
Don’t ask questions, don’t pass go, don’t collect $200.
Get. Yourself. Safe.
You’re violently ill or physically harmed? Go to a hospital or clinic.
You’re drunker than a skunk and you just got mugged? Get to your housing.
You just got into a car accident? Move the car out of the travel lane.
You hear that there are protests or a security warning in your area? Stay indoors, preferably at your housing (please, please, please don’t go out and take pictures).
You get the picture, right?
2. Determine the extent to which you have been affected, and collect and document as many details as possible.
Now that you are someplace safe, please assess the damages (unless someone is assessing them for you). I’m referring to any physical damage, as well as your immediate emotional response.
It’s helpful at this point to take notes – both mentally and physically – so that, when you need to provide details to law enforcement, hospital staff, the Department of State, or your family and emergency contact, you will be able to do so far easier.
Take it from me – it is hard to keep a clear head in an emergency. It is hard as hell to remain calm; I’m not telling you to remain calm in an emergency, because when someone says to remain calm, usually the opposite happens.
This step will allow you to start emotionally processing the incident by removing the need for you to relive everything multiple times (thank the sweet technology gods for copy and paste).
3. Contact the local authorities and/or your local contacts.
If you are in a country where you are comfortable with the local language, contact anyone who can help you at that time. This can be law enforcement, ambulance services, firefighters… you get the picture. These numbers should be on your list of things to research before traveling somewhere.
However, if you do not speak the local language, trying to practice your new language will cause your stress levels to skyrocket. This is where your local contacts come in.
By directly reaching out to your local contacts, you will have someone who knows you and the local language / customs and can provide assistance or translation help. If you are traveling someplace for a short period of time and don’t have a local contact with an organization, contact your hostel, hotel, or host for help.
As an example, one of my friends in Korea proved to be one of the greatest people of all time by translating for me over the phone with a security guard for three hours late one night when I had my wallet stolen (and I am forever indebted to her).
4. Contact your emergency contact back home.
Okay, you may be wondering why this is so far down on the list. Hear me out.
If you contact your emergency contact without having already secured yourself in a safe location, without having contacted someone locally for assistance, and without having any details, you will cause panic on the homefront.
Believe me when I say that this is a bad idea.
Naturally, you will want to have some familiar support in an emergency situation, but if you do not have any details and you could still potentially be in danger, you are putting yourself in a bad situation. Figure out everything on the ground before contacting home.
5. Contact your home university (or your home organization).
Guess what? They will want to hear from you too in an emergency situation (… I guess this is the point where I say that if you have a slight cold and aren’t going to a clinic, we don’t really need to know. But we feel for you in your pain).
For the most part, your home universities will try to contact you if there is a widely publicized security situation going on in the country or region in which you are traveling.
Here’s the catch – they will try to contact you, and they will want to hear from you.
For the sake of the sanity of your study abroad advisors, kindly respond quickly to their requests for responses. 🙂
6. Check in with the Department of State if you need additional assistance.
Remember that time when your advisors told you to register with the STEP Program with the Department of State (I even wrote a blog post about my adoration for the program)? We weren’t kidding that this is a good idea, and incredibly important for seeking assistance.
If you have registered with the Department of State and an emergency incident occurs, they will be able to provide guidance, support, and contacts for you. If you have not registered, they don’t know to help you.
Make the good choice. Register each trip – even if it’s only for a day or weekend – with the STEP program.
7. If you feel compelled to share anything on social media, for the love of logic don’t post anything until now.
Then, once the initial storm has passed, make sure to:
8. Seek emotional support if needed.
Going through a traumatic event, especially while in an international context, can cause any number of negative responses (and can even cause dormant issues to resurface).
Talk to someone.
Be proactive in seeking out support.
Keep your family updated with your progress.
Take time for yourself.
And as always, reach out to someone who can help you work through your reactions. If you are studying abroad, make sure to report anything like this to both your host and home universities so they can assist you. Your advisors always care about your physical and emotional well-being, no matter where you are!
Related Posts:
Why Travel with an Emergency Cash Stash
11 Things You Need to Research Before Traveling
Checklist: Things to Do During Your First Week Abroad
How to Survive those Bad Days Abroad
Study Abroad Guide: Prepare for Anything
Have you ever been in an emergency abroad? What did you do to keep yourself safe, and has your travel style been affected by it?