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Earthquake
Preparedness
Q: During
an EQ should you head for the doorway?
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A: Only if
you live in an old, unreinforced adobe house. In modern homes
doorways are no stronger than any other parts of the house
and usually have doors that will swing and can injure you.
YOU ARE SAFER PRACTICING THE DUCK, COVER, AND HOLD under a
sturdy piece of furniture. |
Q: What
emergency supplies do I need?
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A:
- Fire extinguisher
- Adequate supplies of medications
that you or family members are taking
- Crescent and pipe wrenches to turn
off gas and water supplies
- First-aid kit and handbook
- Flashlights with extra bulbs and
batteries
- Portable radio with extra batteries
- Water for each family member for
at least 3 days (allow at least 1 gallon per person per
day) and purification tablets or chlorine bleach to purify
drinking water from other sources
- Canned and package foods, enough
for several days and MECHANICAL can opener. Extra food
for pets if necessary
- Camp stove or barbecue to cook
on outdoors (store fuel out of the reach of children)
- Waterproof, heavy-duty plastic
bags for waste disposal.
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Q: How can
I plan ahead for an EQ?
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A:
- Make sure each member of your
family knows what to do no matter where they are when
EQs occur:
- Establish a mtg place where you
can all reunite afterward
- Find out about EQ plans developed
by children's school or day care
- Remember transportation may
be disrupted, keep some emergency supplies--food, liquids,
and comfortable shoes, for example--at work
- KNOW where you gas, electric and
water main shutoffs are and how to turn them off if there
is a leak or electrical short. Make sure older members
of the family can shut off utilities
- LOCATE your nearest fire and police
stations and emergency medical facility
- TALK to your neighbors--how could
they help you, or you them after an EQ
- TAKE Red Cross First Aid and CPR
Training Course.
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Q: What
should I do during an EQ?
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A:
- If you are INDOORS--STAY THERE!
(Get under a desk or table and hang on to it, or move
into a hallway or get against an inside wall. STAY CLEAR
of windows, fireplaces, and heavy furniture or appliances.
GET OUT of the kitchen, which is a dangerous place (things
can fall on you). DON'T run downstairs or rush outside
while the bldg is shaking or while there is danger of
falling and hurting yourself or being hit by falling glass
or debris.
- If you are OUTSIDE-- get into
the OPEN, away from bldgs, power lines, chimneys, and
anything else that might fall on you.
- If you are DRIVING--stop, but
carefully. Move your car as far out of traffic as possible.
DO NOT stop on or under a bridge or overpass or under
trees, light posts, power lines, or signs. STAY INSIDE
your car until the shaking stops. When you RESUME driving
watch for breaks in the pavement, fallen rocks, and bumps
in the road at bridge approaches.
- If you are in a MOUNTAINOUS AREA--watch
out for falling rock, landslides, trees, and other debris
that could be loosened by quakes.
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Q: Things
NOT to do during an EQ?
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A:
- DO NOT turn on the gas again if
you turned it off; let the gas company do it
- DO NOT use matches, lighters,
camp stoves or barbecues, electrical equipment, appliances
UNTIL you are sure there are no gas leaks. They may create
a spark that could ignite leaking gas and cause an explosion
and fire
- DO NOT use your telephone, EXCEPT
for a medical or fire emergency. You could tie up the
lines needed for emergency response. If the phone doesn't
work send someone for help
- DO NOT expect firefighters, police
or paramedics to help you. They may not be available.
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Q: What
can I expect in my house when an EQ occurs? How do I identify
it? What can be done?
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A: The contents of your home
may be damaged and can be dangerous:
- Shaking can make light fixtures
fall, refrigerators and other large items move across
the floor, and bookcases and television sets topple over.
IDENTIFY: Look around your house for things that could
fall or move
- Ask yourself if your cupboard doors
fly open (allowing dishes to shatter on the floor)
- Is TV and stereo fastened down
and are shelves fastened to wall? Do you have hanging
plants or light fixtures that might fall? Is there a heavy
picture or mirror on the wall over your bed?
WHAT CAN BE DONE: You can install
door latches, braces and fasteners to fix most of these
hazards yourself.
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Q: What
do I do after an earthquake?
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A:
- WEAR STURDY SHOES to avoid injury
from broken glass and debris. Expect aftershocks
- CHECK FOR INJURIES (if a person
is bleeding, put direct pressure on the wound, use clean
gauze or cloth if available; If a person is not breathing
administer CPR; DO NOT attempt to move seriously injured
persons unless they are in further danger of injury; COVER
injured persons with blankets to keep warm; SEEK medical
help for serious injuries
- CHECK FOR HAZARDS (Fire hazards--put
out fires in your home or neighborhood immediately, call
for help; Gas leaks--shut off main gas valve ONLY if you
suspect a leak because of broken pipes or odor; Damaged
electrical wiring--Shut off power at the control box if
there is any danger to house wiring; Downed or damaged
utility lines--do not touch downed power lines or any
objects in contact with them; SPILLS--clean up any spilled
medicines, drugs, or other harmful materials such as bleach,
lye, gas; DOWNED OR DAMAGED CHIMNEYS--Approach with caution--don't
use damaged chimney (it could start fire or let poisonous
gases into your house; FALLEN ITEMS--beware of items tumbling
off shelves when you open doors of closets and cupboards;
(4) CHECK FOOD AND WATER SUPPLIES--Do not eat or drink
anything from open containers near shattered glass; If
power is off, plan meals to use up foods that will spoil
quickly or frozen foods (food in the freezer should be
good for at least a couple of days; Don't light your kitchen
stove if you suspect a gas leak; USE BBQ or camp stoves,
outdoors only for emergency cooking; If your water is
off you can drink supplies from water heaters, melted
ice cubes or canned vegetables (AVOID drinking water from
swimming pools or especially spas--it may have too many
chemicals in it to be safe.)
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Q: What
are the steps to EQ safety/awareness?
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A:
- Estimate what EQ of what size are
likely to occur (geology)
- Given the EQ size we then estimate
what the shaking will be (seismology)
- Given the shaking we estimate
the response of different types of buildings (EQ engineering).
Only with all these steps can we take steps as society
to enact bldg. codes and retrofitting programs to make
our community safer.
For further information, see:
Preparedness
Information - Earthquake Hazards Program
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