Earthquake Drill

WFET advises in Earthquake situations

«Drop, Cover, and Hold On» will reduce the injury and death during earthquakes.

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Do this:

 Before an earthquake – Prepare

Get ready to survive and to recover fast.

  • Prepare, plan and practice.

 

Four steps:

  1. Securing your home against dangers
  2. Plan what to do
  3. Organize everything (pack needed things, have food ready and prepare your documents)
  4. Practice “the earthquake drill”

 

drill

The Earthquake drill

  1. You get an warning of an earthquake
    1. If time
      1. Move quickly to the safe zone outside
    2. If no time
      1. Find a safe zone where you are
  2. Earthquake
    1. You feel movement
    2. Scream “Earthquake!”
  3. Stay calm
    1. Remember what you have to do
    2. Act at once!
  4. Stop whatever you are doing
    1. Go directly into you earthquake protection drill
    2. Do not wait to see if the earthquake is strong
    3. If inside, stay inside! AND if outside, stay outside!
  5. Drop to the floor
    1. Down on your four legs
      1. Drop before the earthquake drop you!
    2. Hold a hand or a solid item over your head as a protection
  6. Crawl to cover
    1. You will not fall since you got better stability on the floor
    2. Move quickly
    3. Stay away from windows and external walls
    4. Move quickly to the place where less can fall; where you are safest
    5. If possible and time
      1. Switch of the gas
    6. If no cover:
      1. Cover your head and neck with your hands
      2. Crawl to an INTERIOR wall
        1. Exterior walls normally collapses first
  7. Cover under something solid;
    1. Things WILL fall; the cover protects
    2. A desk or a table
      1. Something that will not break that easy
  8. Hold on
    1. Stabilize the item you are covering under.
    2. Stay on your knees, bent forward with the head down
      1. Protects better vital organs
    3. Close eyes and mouth if a lot of dust
    4. Stay here until the shaking stops
      1. It is dangerous to move during the shaking!
  • Special cases
    1. If in bed
      1. Stay there
      2. Turn with head down
      3. Cover your head with a pillow
    2. If you are in a VERY badly constructed house:
      1. Skip “Drop, Cover & Hold on”
      2. Go directly outside to a safe area
    3. If outside
      1. Exterior walls is a dangerous place; many things might fall
        1. Under windows and extras on houses is a danger zone
      2. When in a safe area. Drop down, protect head and close eyes and mouth
    4. If in a car
      1. Stay there
      2. Park on a safe spot and wait
    5. If in a high building
      1. Drop, cover and hold on
      2. Move away from windows and outside walls
      3. Stay in the building!
      4. Light will go and sprinkler system might be switch on: STAY!
      5. Never use elevators
    6. If in a crowded indoor public place
      1. Drop, cover and hold on
      2. Move away from areas where object might fall
      3. Do not panic
      4. Do not run for outside
    7. If in a stadium or theatre
      1. Stay at your seat
      2. Protect head with your arms
    8. Near the shore
      1. Drop, cover and hold on
      2. More than 20 seconds indicates perhaps a TSUNAMI is created
        1. Go to higher grounds minimum 30 m high and 3 km inland
        2. Often better to walk and run than by car
    9. Below a dam
      1. The dam might break, Take care!
        1. Flooding
  • Earthquake stops
    1. Move quickly out to the safe zone
    2. The earthquake is normally over in less than 1 minute
    3. Take care due to the potential damages of the earthquake
    4. Do not enter building before it is inspected
      1. It might have some severe damages
  • Note
    1. Act early, act fast and don’t panic!
    2. Have a primary escape route, and alternative escape routes.
    3. Always have an emergency safety kit
      1. Learn how to use it
    4. Houses collapses partially very seldom, and a full collapse VERY seldom
      1. 1 out of 1000
    5. Focus on important things when you reconnect and restore daily life
    6. You cannot plan when an earthquake hits!
    7. Estimated time before help arrives after an earthquake is 72 hours
    8. Always know the safe zone
    9. Have two pre-fixed meeting places for your family
    10. A distant contact person often functions better
      1. Use a person far away as contact.
      2. Everybody contact the same person
  • Never do!
    1. Run outside or to other rooms during an earthquake
      1. Items can fall and hurt you
      2. Stay where you are
    2. Don’t stay in the doorway
      1. Go under a table
    3. Don’t trust 100% “the Triangle of life”
      1. Short: hide NEXT TO something solid that will protect you if the roof collapses
      2. Because
        1. Not all buildings collapses
        2. If they collapse they will not crush all the furniture
        3. Things will move and fall all around; not only the roof
        4. It is difficult to plan a building collapse
        5. It is difficult to move during a shake
      3. Previous experiences
        1. Colour your selection method
          1. Everything went well before; false safety is dangerous
          2. Follow the drill; ALLWAYS

…AND IT WILL HAPPEN AGAIN AND AGAIN!