MikeLigalig.com

tips from the Center for Diseas Controls and Prevention

During an Earthquake

Indoor Safety

If you are inside, stay inside.  DO NOT run outside or to other rooms during shaking.

In MOST situations, you will reduce your chance of injury from falling objects and even building collapse if you immediately:



    DROP down onto your hands and knees before the earthquake knocks you down.  This position protects you from falling but allows you to still move if necessary.

    COVER your head and neck (and your entire body if possible) under the shelter of a sturdy table or desk.  If there is no shelter nearby, get down near an interior wall or next to low-lying furniture that won't fall on you, and cover your head and neck with your arms and hands.

    HOLD ON to your shelter (or to your head and neck) until the shaking stops. Be prepared to move with your shelter if the shaking shifts it around.

    DO NOT stand in a doorway.  You are safer under a table.  In modern houses, doorways are no stronger than any other part of the house.  The doorway does not protect you from the most likely source of injury−falling or flying objects.  Most earthquake-related injuries and deaths are caused by falling or flying objects (e.g., TVs, lamps, glass, bookcases), or by being knocked to the ground.

   You can take other actions, even while an earthquake is happening, that will reduce your chances of being hurt.

    If possible within the few seconds before shaking intensifies, quickly move away from glass and hanging objects, and bookcases, china cabinets, or other large furniture that could fall. Watch for falling objects, such as bricks from fireplaces and chimneys, light fixtures, wall hangings, high shelves, and cabinets with doors that could swing open.

    If available nearby, grab something to shield your head and face from falling debris and broken glass.

    If you are in the kitchen, quickly turn off the stove and take cover at the first sign of shaking.

    If you are in bed, hold on and stay there, protecting your head with a pillow.  You are less likely to be injured staying where you are.  Broken glass on the floor has caused injury to those who have rolled to the floor or tried to get to doorways.

http://www.bt.cdc.gov/

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=47176.0

Outdoor Safety

     If you are outside, stay outside, and stay away from buildings utility wires, sinkholes, and fuel and gas lines.

     The area near the exterior walls of a building is the most dangerous place to be.  Windows, facades and architectural details are often the first parts of the building to collapse.  Also, shaking can be so strong that you will not be able to move far without falling down, and objects may fall or be thrown at you.  Stay away from this danger zone--stay inside if you are inside and outside if you are outside.

     If outdoors, move away from buildings, utility wires, sinkholes, and fuel and gas lines.  The greatest danger from falling debris is just outside doorways and close to outer walls.  Once in the open, get down low (to avoid being knocked down by strong shaking) and stay there until the shaking stops.

Automobiles

     If you are in a moving automobile, stop as quickly and safely as possible.  Move your car to the shoulder or curb, away from utility poles, overhead wires, and under- or overpasses.  Stay in the car and set the parking brake.  Turn on the radio for emergency broadcast information.  A car may jiggle violently on its springs, but it is a good place to stay until the shaking stops.  If a power line falls on the car, stay inside until a trained person removes the wire.

     When you drive on, watch for hazards created by the earthquake, such as breaks in the pavement, downed utility poles and wires, rising water levels, fallen overpasses and collapsed bridges.

http://www.bt.cdc.gov/

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=47176.0

Some Specific Situations

Impaired mobility

     If you cannot drop to the ground, try to sit or remain seated so you are not knocked down.  If you are in a wheelchair lock your wheels.  Protect your head and neck with a large book, a pillow, or your arms.  The goal is to prevent injuries from falling down or from objects that might fall or be thrown at you.

High-rise buildings

     Drop, cover, and hold on.  Move away from windows and outside walls.  Stay in the building.  The electricity may go out, and the sprinkler systems may come on.  DO NOT use the elevators.

     If you are trapped stay calm.  Try to get someone’s attention by tapping hard or metal parts of the structure.  That may increase your chances of being rescued.

Crowded indoor public places

     Drop, cover, and hold on.  Do not rush for the doorways.  Others will have the same idea.  Move away from display shelves containing objects that may fall.  If you can, take cover and grab something to shield your head and face from falling debris and glass.

Stadium or theater

     Stay at your seat and protect your head and neck with your arms, or any way possible. Do not leave until the shaking is over.  Then walk out carefully watching for anything that could fall in the aftershocks.

Near the shore

     Drop, cover and hold on until the shaking stops.  Estimate how long the shaking lasts.  If severe shaking lasts 20 seconds or more, immediately evacuate to high ground as a tsunami might have been generated by the earthquake.  Move inland 3 kilometers (2 miles) or to land that is at least 30 meters (100 feet) above sea level immediately.  Don't wait for officials to issue a warning.  Walk quickly, rather than drive, to avoid traffic, debris and other hazards.

Below a dam

     Dams can fail during a major earthquake.  Catastrophic failure is unlikely, but if you live downstream from a dam, you should know flood-zone information and have an evacuation plan.

http://www.bt.cdc.gov/

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=47176.0

another tip for earthquake emergency protection that seems to contradict the one provided by the CDC.  compare and judge for yourself.

Triangle of Life: Earthquake Tips

Posted on March 28, 2011 by Melissa Leath   
 
Might I Add: As a pre-statement, before you read this post, I want you to know that this article was written by someone else. I am not advocating that it is the only way to avoid danger during an earthquake, but I certainly think it is important to be aware of all possible actions to take to keep yourself safe. Keep your Intuitive Abilities sharp, so you can use them when in a dangerous situation.

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=47176.0

Where to Go During an Earthquake

Remember that stuff about hiding under a table or standing in a doorway? Well, forget it! This is a real eye opener. It could save your life someday.

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=47176.0

Simply stated, when buildings collapse, the weight of the ceilings falling upon the objects or furniture inside crushes these objects, leaving a space or void next to them – NOT under them. This space is what I call the ‘triangle of life’. The larger the object, the stronger, the less it will compact. The less the object compacts, the larger the void, the greater the probability that the person who is using this void for safety will not be injured. The next time you watch collapsed buildings, on television, count the ‘triangles’ you see formed. They are everywhere. It is the most common shape, you will see, in a collapsed building.

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=47176.0

TIPS FOR EARTHQUAKE SAFETY

1) Most everyone who simply ‘ducks and covers’ when building collapse are crushed to death. People who get under objects, like desks or cars, are crushed.

2) Cats, dogs and babies often naturally curl up in the fetal position. You should too in an earthquake. It is a natural safety/survival instinct. You can survive in a smaller void. Get next to an object, next to a sofa, next to a bed, next to a large bulky object that will compress slightly but leave a void next to it.

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=47176.0

5) If an earthquake happens and you cannot easily escape by getting out the door or window, then lie down and curl up in the fetal position next to a sofa, or large chair.

6) Most everyone who gets under a doorway when buildings collapse is killed. How? If you stand under a doorway and the doorjamb falls forward or backward you will be crushed by the ceiling above. If the door jam falls sideways you will be cut in half by the doorway. In either case, you will be killed!

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=47176.0

9) People inside of their vehicles are crushed when the road above falls in an earthquake and crushes their vehicles; which is exactly what happened with the slabs between the decks of the Nimitz Freeway. The victims of the San Francisco earthquake all stayed inside of their vehicles. They were all killed. They could have easily survived by getting out and sitting or lying next to their vehicles. Everyone killed would have survived if they had been able to get out of their cars and sit or lie next to them. All the crushed cars had voids 3 feet high next to them, except for the cars that had columns fall directly across them.

10) I discovered, while crawling inside of collapsed newspaper offices and other offices with a lot of paper, that paper does not compact. Large voids are found surrounding stacks of paper.

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=47176.0

Triangle of Life
From Wikipedia

The Triangle of Life is a controversial theory about how to survive a major earthquake, typically promoted via viral emails.

The theory advocates methods of protection very different from the mainstream advice of "drop, cover, and hold on" method widely supported by reputable agencies. In particular, the method's developer and key proponent, Doug Copp, recommends that at the onset of a major earthquake, building occupants should seek shelter near solid items that will provide a protective space, a void or space that could prevent injury or permit survival in the event of a major structural failure, a "pancake collapse", and specifiably advises against sheltering under tables.

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=47176.0

Criticisms

According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the Triangle of Life is a misguided idea about the best location a person should try to occupy during an earthquake. Critics have argued that it is actually very difficult to know where these triangles will be formed, as objects (including large, heavy objects) often move around during earthquakes. It is also argued that this movement means that lying beside heavy objects is very dangerous. Statistical studies of earthquake deaths show most injuries/deaths occur due to falling objects, not structures.

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=47176.0

A peer-reviewed article analyzed and compared both methods in detail, considering their application, the extent of people who are under the coverage, simplicity in transferring concepts, and the probability of reducing casualties and damage in developing countries such as Iran. It argued that "Drop, Cover and Hold on" was useful advice for people who experience smaller earthquakes without total building collapse, which is the vast majority of earthquake survivors. It found that the "Triangle of life" could be a better strategy during larger earthquakes in buildings with a skeleton (wood or concrete) during a building collapse, but acknowledged the possible problems of large objects shifting and crushing the person from horizontal movement, and the triangle method is also difficult to teach and communicate. Neither strategy was useful for the majority of the population in rural Iran because of the mud-brick architecture which has no structure. Based on the simplicity of teaching and the fact that 12,000 times more people are affected by smaller earthquakes and injured, they concluded that duck and cover is still regarded as a better option for people during an earthquake.

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=47176.0

However a critic of Copp has stated that this was a rescue exercise rather than an experiment. Additionally the exercise did not simulate the lateral movement of earthquakes, instead causing a pancake collapse which are more common in areas of extremely poor construction and rare in developed countries so these results are highly misleading.

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=47176.0