Immediately following the tragedy in Haiti, WorldNomads.com, the travel services company that’s helping travelers stay safe and stress-free on the road, posted information on their Travel Safety Hub on how travelers can safeguard their own health and safety in an earthquake / disaster affected area.

If you have access to a working phone or the internet:

- Make contact with family, friends & your local embassy and let them know that you’re safe.

If you are injured or become ill

- Contact your travel insurance 24-hour medical assistance service as soon as possible, they’ll guide you through what to do next. Follow their advice to the letter.

- If you’re not covered under a travel insurance policy, seek attention at the nearest medical clinic or ask for directions to your nearest embassy.

Beware of the environment:

- Avoid downed power lines and disaster-caused hazards. Use battery-powered flashlights and lanterns, rather than candles, gas lanterns or torches. Following a disaster there may be rapidly moving water that can also carry infections. Disasters resulting in massive structural damage can also result in exposure to chemical or biologic contaminants (i.e asbestos).

- Do not return to your hotel / accommodations, or any building, if they are in any way damaged as aftershocks could cause a collapse.

- Move to the nearest open area (oval, park) away from damaged buildings, trees or roads where powerlines may have fallen.

Keeping Safe:

- Disease can spread very quickly post disaster, so ensure you protect against injuries and infections by wearing sturdy footwear. Tetanus is a potential health threat for cuts and grazes.

- Frequent hand washing helps keep germs at bay. (If a traveler becomes unwell within six weeks of returning home and has fever, rash, respiratory illness or any other unusual symptoms, advise a physician of having just returned from a disaster-affected region.)

- Drink only bottled, boiled or disinfected water. For more information refer to the CDC website (http://www.cdc.gov/).

- In the event of diarrhea, replace lost fluids with clean drinking water or oral rehydration solutions.

- Keep close tabs on personal belongings, passport and money.

Getting out:

- Follow all advice from either your medical assistance service and/or local emergency service team and authorities to move to safe zones or transport to take you to the airport for evacuation.

Chris Noble, General Manager of WorldNomads.com says “Being caught in the middle of a natural disaster is both terrifying and confronting, but it’s also the one situation where you need to remain as calm as possible. Help those around you if able, take every pre-caution to avoid placing yourself at further risk and follow all directions from emergency services”.

WorldNomads.com products and services include global travel insurance protecting residents from over 150 countries with high value medical and evacuation coverage, 24-hour emergency assistance and coverage for a large range of adventure activities; language guides and travel blogs plus a stream of travel safety information to ensure all World Nomads stay informed, educated and safe when traveling.

WorldNomads.com clients may also donate to a range of community development projects when purchasing travel insurance through the company’s Footprints Charity program http://footprints.worldnomads.com/.

Collectively, The Footprints Network has raised over $800,000, from over 310,000 donations, which has funded 53 projects across the globe through partner organizations such as Oxfam, Save the Children and Water Aid.

Read more stories from WorldNomads.com to help keep you travelling safely. WorldNomads.com provides travel insurance and travel safety services to residents over 150 countries. Find out why WorldNomads.com is an essential part of every adventurous traveler’s journey.

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