How to Avoid Risks

AVOIDING RISKS / WHAT TO DO IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION

Bilbao is not a dangerous city and does not have a high crime rate. In any case, it is necessary to take some basic precautions.

First, you need to avoid difficult and dangerous situations. The vast majority of incidents involving students like you took place late at night and/or when the student was under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol.

Remember that you can reduce the probability of being a victim of a crime or having an accident drastically if you moderate/avoid your alcohol intake, you avoid taking any drugs, and if you behave in a sensible and careful manner. 

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Do not walk alone at night as you are not familiar with the city and you may not have a perfect command of the language. In any Spanish city, one may get a false sense of security late at night as it is common to see some streets crowded.

• If you need to go home alone, we strongly recommend that you take a taxi.

• There are some troublesome areas that is better to avoid, such as the San Francisco area and the area between Cortes and San Anton bridge. It is not advisable to go to Doña Casilda Park (near Zubiarte) at night either even if the park is safe during the day.  We also recommend that you avoid the pub area in Lehendakari Aguirre, in Deusto, and in general, any poorly lit or empty street. 

• Do not get in the water or swim in the estuary. 

• Do not abuse alcohol and do not consume drugs. Important: please be aware that gathering in the street for drinking purposes is not only forbidden, but currently prosecuted by the police.

• Avoid getting into any fight and altercation started by criminals or political radicals, as well as joining any political demonstration. 

• Avoid the risk of contracting a sexually transmitted disease.

• Keep a close watch on your personal belongings: do not carry your wallet in your back pocket, do not leave your backpack zip open…

• Bring a photocopy of your passport with you when you are in Bilbao or nearby (not your original passport). Likewise, leave your valuables in your room in Bilbao. 

• Make sure you know/have the address and the telephone number of your housing.

• When you travel, make sure you let your host family /other students in the dorms/your apartment mates AND the CIDE office know about your plans.

• Keep a copy of your passport, credit cards and other important documents at home. This way, cancelling them will be easier in case they get stolen.

EMERGENCIES

• In an EMERGENCY, i.e. if you need to contact the police, an ambulance or the firefighters, call 112 (valid in the European Union).

• Remember that you have the CIDE Telegram group at your disposal. You can send messages via Telegram to CIDE in case of emergency (and also in case of any incident during the cultural visits). Please use this channel responsibly,that is, only for emergencies.

• If your wallet gets stolen, you need to act quickly: cancel all your credit cards as soon as you realize it was stolen, and report it in the closest police station (of the National Police, Ertzaintza or local police).

• If you are physically or sexually assaulted, we recommend that you report it to the police (National Police, Ertzaintza or local police).

• If your passport gets stolen, regardless of the country where you are at that moment, you must call the Embassy / Consulate of your country and ask whether it was sent there. If it was not, you should ask which documents you need to provide in order to obtain a new one.

• In a general emergency (terrorism, natural disasters…), follow the recommendations of the local authorities. We recommend that you contact the Embassy of your country, and that you keep your family updated on your status. If your home university has a 24/7 emergency phone number, remember to bring it always with you. It may be helpful in such cases.

• If you are a U.S student, please bear in mind that the U.S. Department of State regularly issues security alerts through the Madrid and Barcelona Embassies. We recommend that you read them. If you type “U.S. Department of State Security Alert” in Google, select the first link, and type “Spain”, you will have access to those alerts. It is also recommended that you follow the U.S. Department of State through social networks:

Twitter: http://twitter.com/travelgov Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/travelgov.

Please remember it is very important for you to let us know whenever you go plan a trip, and to leave your itinerary and a phone number in case we need to contact you in an emergency.

You should also remember that you can stop by the CIDE office if you need help.

SOME USEFUL PHONE NUMBERS/ADDRESSES:

Police stations: Deusto: calle Ibarrekolanda, 9. Tel. 94 607 9494

        Bilbao (downtown): calle Gordóniz, 8. Tel: 94 470 9000

Taxi: 94 4448888 y 94 4102121 

U.S. Embassy in Madrid: calle Serrano, 75. Tel: 91 587 2200

Emergency situations - European Union (all countries): 112