Earthquake & Tsunami - What can you do?

Today an earthquake measuring 8.8 on the Richter scale hit the country of Chile. Like most days on planet earth the crust is constantly moving giving us a tremor here and a small earthquake there. This one is fairly large to say the least. The quake hit during the night and has toppled buildings and created terror for the people trying to figure what was happening.

Most of the infrastructure such as hospitals that were not built recently with upgraded earthquake protection have had to be evacuated. Electricity and other services including water have been knocked out. Over 120 people have been killed from this quake. The quake was centered 325 kilometres southwest of the capital, Santiago, at a depth of 35 kilometres, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

This has also sent Tsunami warnings all across the Pacific rim. Chile is situated on the famous Ring of Fire that circles the Pacific and is highly seismic.

When there is an earthquake there are a few things that an individual can do:

Stay as safe as possible during an earthquake. Be aware that some earthquakes are actually foreshocks and a larger earthquake might occur after. Minimize your movements to a few steps to a nearby safe place and stay indoors until the shaking has stopped and you are sure exiting is safe.

•Drop to the ground; take cover by getting under a sturdy table or other piece of furniture; hold on until the shaking stops. If there isn’t a table or desk near you, cover your face and head with your arms and crouch in an inside corner of the building.

•Stay away from glass, windows, outside doors and walls, and anything that could fall, such as lighting fixtures or furniture.

•Stay in bed if you are there when the earthquake strikes. Hold on and protect your head with a pillow, unless you are under a heavy light fixture that could fall. In that case, move to the nearest safe place.

•Use a doorway for shelter only if it is in close proximity to you and if you know it is a strongly supported, loadbearing doorway.

•Stay inside until shaking stops and it is safe to go outside. Research has shown that most injuries occur when people inside buildings attempt to move to a different location inside the building or try to leave.

•Do not use the elevators.

•Move away from buildings, streetlights, and utility wires.

•Once in the open, stay there until the shaking stops. The greatest danger exists directly outside buildings, at exits, and alongside exterior walls. Ground movement during an earthquake is seldom the direct cause of death or injury. Most earthquake-related casualties result from collapsing walls, flying glass, and falling objects.

If trapped under debris, do not light a match.

•Do not move about or kick up dust.

•Cover your mouth with a handkerchief or clothing.

•Tap on a pipe or wall so rescuers can locate you. Use a whistle if one is available. Shout only as a last resort. Shouting can cause you to inhale dangerous amounts of dust.

Tsunami

With some quakes that are off-shore, they can cause a tsunami. There are several things that you can do to increase your chances of surviving.

The following are guidelines for what you should do if a tsunami is likely in your area:

•Turn on your radio to learn if there is a tsunami warning if an earthquake occurs and you are in a coastal area.

•Move inland to higher ground immediately and stay there.

•Stay away from the beach. Never go down to the beach to watch a tsunami come in. If you can see the wave you are too close to escape it.

• If there is noticeable recession in water away from the shoreline this is nature's tsunami warning and it should be heeded. You should move away immediately.

Like anything that deals with Mother Nature, always be cautious, stay calm and use common sense and you will more than likely survive to see tomorrow.

What If everything that runs on electricity stopped working right now?

Would you be ready? Would you know what to do? These are very normal things that happen in 2nd and 3rd world countries on a regular basis. In North America we have become so used to reliable and abundant electricity.

I think a great eye opener for most people on the eastern seaboard of the United States and Canada was the last large power outage. Most people coped well. Most got along knowing that the power would be restored in several hours or maybe by morning. Everyone was fairly civilized. Helped their neighbours, had community bbqs and kept an eye on each other. Would it be the same if the power never came back on?

One example of the power not coming back on was when hurricane Andrew swept through Florida. The individuals that decided to shelter in place were faced with people who wanted loot and pilage the houses of people who survived the hurricane. Most of the infrastructure was blown to pieces and most people only had basic survival rations. I believe that having enough equipment and food to last 2 weeks is not enough. You should have enough for 1 month. You just never really know what kind of timeline you might be dealing with.

In the next post I will go into more detail about the what can be done and what should be done to prepare and make your adjustment time quicker and increasing your comfort and survival of you and your family.