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Safety During An Earthquake

When it comes to earthquakes one of the most important things you can do is be aware of how to stay safe while it’s actually occurring. Most of the time when people get hurt during an earthquake it’s simply because they didn’t know how to respond to the situation or they responded incorrectly and put themselves in harms way. There are a lot of misconceptions that revolve around what you should do during an earthquake and how to keep yourself safe and if you don’t know the proper way to protect yourself during this kind of a disaster then you could end up hurting yourself and maybe even others in the process.

The best thing to do when an earthquake is happening is to first of all be aware that things move. This sounds like an obvious statement but during an earthquake so many people freak out because the ground is moving that they forget that other things are moving as well. When are earthquake happens it’s rarely movement of the ground that causes injury - it’s far more likely that movement of other things is what will cause the ultimate damage. When an earthquake happens you have to watch out for hazards and risks that your environment may pose to you. You’ve got to be aware of things that may break, fall, move, shatter, or otherwise pose as a possible hazard to you. Some of the most common ones are bookcases that fall over, books falling down, plates and glasses shattering and falling out of cupboards, pictures and mirrors falling down, shelves and the like coming off of walls and crashing down. Windows and mirrors are also know to break and shatter which can be a huge hazard and larger objects like tv’s and stereos can move and fall down along with appliances like washers, dryers, refrigerators and other similar things. These objects pose much more of a hazard to your person then the general ground shaking. If you’re outside you need to look for things like trees, telephone poles, electrical wires and other such objects that can fall or create fires. It’s also important to watch out for things like chimneys and unsafe buildings which can fall, collapse, and create rubble which can also be dangerous.

The best way to protect yourself is to find a sturdy piece of furniture that you can stay under until the earthquake is over and remember to cover your head with your arms. Face away from any windows or falling objects and protect your eyes from falling glass or debris. Cover your mouth with a cloth or your clothing to avoid breathing in broken glass or dust. Doorways are not any safer than the rest of the house unless you live in a very old adobe constructed building. For the most part it’s best to stay under sturdy furniture until the earthquake has ended. Be prepared for aftershocks as well. If you find yourself outside remember to get into an open area away from power lines, trees, and buildings. As long as you think ahead and stay calm you should be able to stay safe during an earthquake.