All you veteren earthquakers out there

[A home for their hearts]

what are you suppose to do during an earthquake. We were on our second floor when it happened so my dh told us to go downstairs. Wouldn't it be safer to be on the second floor if the house fell than on the first? :confused:

[JenneinCA]

Stand in a doorway or get under a sturdy table. Stay away from anything that might fall on you (pictures on the walls, big screen tvs, bookshelves, etc).

 

When you open cabinets after the quake, open them carefully the stuff inside may have shifted and then fall out.

 

And try not to panic, even very long earthquakes don't last more than 45-60 seconds. Most are much shorter. The biggest danger is from things falling on you not from buildings collapsing.

 

I grew up in So. Cal. earthquakes are a way of life there.

[A home for their hearts]

Stand in a doorway or get under a sturdy table. Stay away from anything that might fall on you (pictures on the walls, big screen tvs, bookshelves, etc).

 

When you open cabinets after the quake, open them carefully the stuff inside may have shifted and then fall out.

 

And try not to panic, even very long earthquakes don't last more than 45-60 seconds. Most are much shorter. The biggest danger is from things falling on you not from buildings collapsing.

 

I grew up in So. Cal. earthquakes are a way of life there.

 

 

Thanks for all the info!

[OnTheBrink]

The chances of a house actually collapsing on you isn't great.

 

Also, if you live in a city or town (as opposed to out in the country with nothing around you) do NOT run outside. Falling utility poles, things falling off buildings, etc, are a hazard. Just stay inside and wait it out. :)

[CookieMonster]

The biggest danger is from things falling on you not from buildings collapsing.

 

I concur. However, fear of buildings collapsing leads many people to run out into the street. There are dangers out there as well, though: falling power lines, for one.

 

An earthquake has to be pretty strong to warrant my running out into the street for fear of building collapse. It's much more likely that you need to protect yourself from falling debris inside your home than you need to worry about it falling down around you.

[abbeyej]

Don't try to get downstairs or across the house, since most earthquakes only last a few seconds (and even when they "seem like forever", they're usually under a minute). You want to get to the nearest doorway or under a sturdy table as Jenne suggested. Do it as quickly as possible! (Don't spend time getting to the one "ideal" place in your house.) If you're near a window or glass (mirror, shower door), move away from it. When the shaking stops, stay in your safe doorway for a few more minutes (unless you want to run to another spot where other family members are, so you can all be together). Aftershocks can come at any time, just like earthquakes, but they're pretty likely in that first few minutes. So stay where you are for a bit unless there's an urgent need to move.

 

And no, the ground won't swallow you up, nor is your home likely to collapse, but you want to be very careful about things falling or glass breaking.

[JFSinIL]

BTW - Everyone please do NOT have heavy framed pictures or shelfs or anything over the head of any bed - if a quake comes during the night you could get clobbered by falling items. I forget that this may not be common knowledge for folks not used to earthquakes!!!! I cringe when I see bookshelves, heavy framed items, etc. over beds!!!

[fiddledeedee]

I grew up in Southern CA, and I can remember one early morning earthquake as a teen, I just reached up sleepily and held onto my headboard in case it was bad. I guess we were so used to them, it wasn't worth getting out of bed for! My bedroom doorway would have been a smarter choice for me!

[Michelle T]

BTW - Everyone please do NOT have heavy framed pictures or shelfs or anything over the head of any bed - if a quake comes during the night you could get clobbered by falling items. I forget that this may not be common knowledge for folks not used to earthquakes!!!! I cringe when I see bookshelves, heavy framed items, etc. over beds!!!

 

 

I've lived in Los Angeles County my entire life, so been through many big earthquakes, and expect to be here for "the big one". I have NEVER gotten casual or carefree over earthquakes, and actually become completely panic-stricken when one hits.

 

It is just common sense living here to NOT put pictures or anything heavy over a bed. When I see pictures in magazines with shelves or mirrors or big pictures over a bed, that always freaks me out, even though I know for most parts of the country, that would probably be okay.

 

In our house, we have a new room addition that has steel-reinforced support walls. We all know that is the safest part of our house in an earthquake, and to not get near bookshelves or tall furniture.

Michelle T

[crazycoffeechic]

When I was about 13, we went to San Bernadino, CA for vacation. Well, when we were there, they had an earthquake, everybody was asleep and the bed started shaking, I woke up and and there was a little boy standing in the doorway in our bedroom, I laid my head back down and jerked it back up and he was gone. That morning, I told my mom and uncle about it and he said that the little boy was probably my guardian angel because the doorway is the safest place to be in the house during an earthquake.

[Diana in OR]

BTW - Everyone please do NOT have heavy framed pictures or shelfs or anything over the head of any bed - if a quake comes during the night you could get clobbered by falling items. I forget that this may not be common knowledge for folks not used to earthquakes!!!! I cringe when I see bookshelves, heavy framed items, etc. over beds!!!

 

All of our taller bookcases are bolted to the wall. Dh isn't very happy when I get the bug to move furniture.;)