What to do in case of an earthquake.

[dale7 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close dale7]

I did fairly well on this test, but I didn't get all the right answers and its important to know ALL the right things to do, so I thought to pass it on in case you can learn from it too.




quake2

[short Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close short]

All 10 correct.

I probobly got them correct because I have lived in So Cal for many years. Been there, done that.

I have however read that you should roll off your bed and lay next to the bed but not under the bed. This is also true of tables and desks. You should be next to the table or desk not under the table.

If the roof collapes onto the table and flattens it you will be flattened also. If you are next to the bed or table it will act as some support for a beam and create a space for you to survive in next to it until help arrives.

Short

[jericap Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close jericap]

I have no idea what to do during an earthquake, I only got 50% correct.

[T. R. Oglodyte Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close T. R. Oglodyte]

I have however read that you should roll off your bed and lay next to the bed but not under the bed. This is also true of tables and desks. You should be next to the table or desk not under the table.

If the roof collapes onto the table and flattens it you will be flattened also. If you are next to the bed or table it will act as some support for a beam and create a space for you to survive in next to it until help arrives.

Short

Yes - that is good advice.

****

About thirty years ago I was a member of an American Society of Civil Engineers technical committee on Lifeline Earthquake Engineering. The focus of the committee was earthquake preparedness for utility services. My area of interest was reliability of non-structural items during and after an earthquake. I got interested in this because I was part of the disaster response team for the State of California, with responsibility in water supply and sanitation. We observed that after many earthquakes the buildings housing utility services would survive (because they were designed to meet seismic codes), but the utility service would still fail because the equipment inside the buildings was damaged or destroyed.

One of the biggest hazards associated with an earthquake is the movement of unsecured items. Your house or office building might stand, but there are still items flying around the building, many of which are lethal. In a home you get objects such as china, picture frames, lamps flying through the air. Dressers, wardrobes, and hutches fall over or slide across the floor. Chandeliers fall, but they don't fall straight down - they are likely to be swinging wildly when the support gives way, which means they go careening through the air.

At the time of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake in San Francisco, I had several projects underway with law firms located in the upper floors of downtown San Francisco office towers (i.e., more than 40 floors above street level). While the buildings survived structurally, the interiors were heavily damaged. Some of the eyewitnesses I spoke with said that during the quake, fully loaded four drawer file cabinets were flying ten to twenty feet through the air. Computer monitors were all over the place - many of them broke as they crashed into other objects. Chairs and desks were going airborne.

Essentially, anything that wasn't secured became airborne.

There's a book called Peace of Mind in Earthquake Country that is an excellent resource for homeowners living seismic areas. The author, Peter Yanev, collaborated with me in my work on the earthquake preparedness committee I mentioned previously. I think any homeowner in the western US should own this book. You should also consult this book before buying a home, as it will give you important guidance on sites that are fundamentally safer than other sites. Although I didn't own the book at the time, I used those principles when buying a house in California; the wisdom was amply demonstrated in the Loma Prieta quake. We had zero damage.

[kbletzer Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close kbletzer]

My 8 yr old daughter and I just took it and we scored 8 out of 10. We are from the east coast and have never had to worry so not bad. Pretty similar to what we have to do for our hurricanes & tornadoes!

[Faust Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Faust]

8 out of 10 and I am from the west coast.

Thank you for posting this.

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

Thank god I never moved to the West coast. I got 4 right and 1 was a lucky guess. BTW I have always thought the best place to be is between a door way. Wrong

[opkansas Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close opkansas]

Being from Kansas - I got 50% correct . . . but, since I am a snow bird for 2 months in CA, I appreciate the information.

[marsha7 Member Find all posts View Profile Close marsha7]

Half right for me..... (half wrong if you're pessimistic). I also thought a door way would be great! Guess that must be for tornadoes only.

Marsha

[grest Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close grest]

Have never experienced an earthquake...it's a good thing, because I only got 4 right!
Connie

[short Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close short]

Example of what not to do.

During the earthquake in Big Bear several years ago, a young boy died because he was sleeping on the floor in front of a fireplace and the masonry fell on him.

During the Northridge earthquake, a man was killed when a microwave fell on his head.

A couple was killed in their bed when the crap(read packrats) piled high along the walls around their bed fell on top of them.

I believe a substandard built 1st floor of an apartment building partially collapsed but I am not sure anyone was killed.

Most single level or two level homes had some damage ie cracks and fireplaces collapseing but as Steve said most damage was from cupboards being emptied or furniture falling over(china cabinents).

The first thing you should do after an earthquake ends is put on shoes. Most injuries are from cuts on the feet from walking on glass.

Short

[Luanne Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Luanne]

I only got 5 out of 5, and I've lived in California my entire life (and gone through earthquake drills). If a big one hits, I'm toast.

We experienced a swarm yesterday, the only one I felt was at about 6:30 p.m., a 3.2 centered about 3 miles away.

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

Even if you do not live out on the West coast. There maybe a time when you travel there and while you are there an Earth Quake hits. It is good to know what to do in any emergency situation.

[Luanne Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Luanne]

Even if you do not live out on the West coast. There maybe a time when you travel there and while you are there an Earth Quake hits. It is good to know what to do in any emergency situation.

Dh has said that the highest registering earthquake (don't know when or what it registered) was actually in Missouri. No, it's not just the west coast that has them. You might want to go to the website that monitors earthquakes and check for your general area to see what kind of activity there may be.

Welcome to the U.S. Geological Survey Earthquake Hazards Program

[bevvy5 Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close bevvy5]

Well, all this earthquake talk inspired hubby and I to get our emergency stuff together. Printed out a few lists from government agencies, etc., and packed a couple of gym bags today.

I got eight out of the 10 - it was interesting and a few I guessed at - the information is helpful.