Basics of Earthquake Survival

Do you know what to do to survive a violent earthquake?

Imagine, it’s a normal, peaceful Saturday evening, you are sitting in your kitchen, or watching your favorite TV program in the living room. Maybe you’re in the office, working on that report your boss asked you for Monday morning. And suddenly it happens, the walls start shaking, books falling from shelves, the lights, TV, computers turn off. And a terrible noise comes from beneath the earth. No time to think, you must act now. Will you survive the earthquake?

Earthquakes are by far the most dreadful natural disaster. Unlike typhoons or hurricanes, there is little to no way to predict an earthquake, even less to organise evacuation of the population in advance. Earthquakes are as dangerous as unexpected. Earthquakes are so powerful that they can wipe out entire cities.

As the earthquake starts, your actions in the next 5 seconds will determine your survival. Knowing what to do then, knowing the basics of earthquake survival, is mandatory if you want to survive this kind of disaster. It is not something you should improvise on.

Three steps to earthquake survival

Knowing basics of earthquake survival can strongly increase your chances of making it alive:

1. Stay out of buildings. If you are on the road when the earthquake strikes, get as far from any building as you can. It is very likely that bricks or concrete blocks will fall from buildings, or that entire buildings will crumble. Stay clear from all tall structures.
2. Inside a building, reach for the nearest table or doorframe. These will provide the best temporary protection from falling pieces of ceiling.
3. Cover your chest and face with your arms. Concrete blocks from the ceiling will create projections when falling on the ground around you. Broken pipes will release boiling steam. Cover your eyes, and protect your vital organes.

Once the earth stops shaking, which can last up to 40 seconds in some cases, you have to react quickly. Another wave is most likely on its way in the next few minutes, and that next one can be even more deadly, as all buildings are now very fragile from the first one. Check quickly on yourself and on people nearby. Try to assess the situation: even if your building still stands up, it might crumble very soon, so reach for the nearest exit and get far from all buildings. Congratulation, you made it! Here is your earthquake survival badge. However, now that you survived the earthquake itself, you have to go into crisis management mode: start rescuing people, assist authorities in place with first aid needs, etc.

Btw, if you are in a coastal area.. have you heard of tsunami? Run!

Picture by ronniegrob (Flickr)

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