[Westchurch Ramblings] FW: surviving an earthquake
- From: "Mark and Krissy Christensen" <mark.krissy@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <Nicky.Wagner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, <gmchat@xxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 6 Sep 2010 12:04:06 +1200
We are all Ok - thanks for your thoughts - I thought this was interesting to
share and hope you can pass it on if you feel it makes sense to you too..
Krissy
>
>> Earthquake safety
>> EXTRACT FROM DOUG COPP'S ARTICLE ON THE: "TRIANGLE OF LIFE"
>>
>> My name is Doug Copp. I am the Rescue Chief and Disaster Manager of the
> American Rescue Team International (ARTI), the world's most experienced
> rescue
> team. The information in this article will save lives in an earthquake.
>>
>> I have crawled inside 875 collapsed buildings, worked with rescue teams
>> from
> 60 countries, founded rescue teams in several
>> countries, and I am a member of many rescue teams from many countries...
>>
>> I was the United Nations expert in Disaster Mitigation for two years. I
>> have
> worked at every major disaster in the world since
>> 1985, except for simultaneous disasters.
>>
>> The first building I ever crawled inside of was a school in Mexico City
>> during
> the 1985 earthquake. Every child was under
>> its desk. Every child was crushed to the thickness of their bones. They
>> could
> have survived by lying down next to their
>> desks in the aisles. It was obscene, unnecessary and I wondered why the
> children were not in the aisles. I didn't at the time
>> know that the children were told to hide under something.
>>
>> Simply stated, when buildings collapse, the weight of the ceilings
>> falling
> upon the objects or furniture inside crushes
>> these objects, leaving a space or void next to them. This space is what I
>> call
> the "triangle of life". The larger the object, the stronger, the less it
> will
> compact. The less the object compacts, the larger the void, the greater
> the
> probability that the person who is using this void for safety will not be
> injured. The next time you watch collapsed buildings, on television, count
> the
> "triangles" you see formed. They are everywhere. It is the most common
> shape,
> you will see, in a collapsed building.
>>
>> TIPS FOR EARTHQUAKE SAFETY
>>
>> 1) Most everyone who simply "ducks and covers" WHEN BUILDINGS COLLAPSE
>> are
> crushed to death. People who get under objects, like desks or cars, are
> crushed.
>>
>> 2) Cats, dogs and babies often naturally curl up in the fetal position.
>> You
> should too in an earthquake.... It is a natural safety/survival instinct.
> You
> can survive in a smaller void. Get next to an object, next to a sofa, next
> to a
> large bulky object that will compress slightly but leave a void next to
> it.
>>
>> 3) Wooden buildings are the safest type of construction to be in during
>> an
> earthquake. Wood is flexible and moves with the force
>> of the earthquake. If the wooden building does collapse, large survival
>> voids
> are created. Also, the wooden building has less
>> concentrated, crushing weight. Brick buildings will break into individual
> bricks. Bricks will cause many injuries but less squashed bodies than
> concrete
> slabs.
>>
>> 4) If you are in bed during the night and an earthquake occurs, simply
>> roll
> off the bed. A safe void will exist around the bed.
>> Hotels can achieve a much greater survival rate in earthquakes, simply by
> posting a sign on The back of the door of every room
>> telling occupants to lie down on the floor, next to the bottom of the bed
> during an earthquake.
>>
>> 5) If an earthquake happens and you cannot easily escape by getting out
>> the
> door or window, then lie down and curl up in the
>> fetal position next to a sofa, or large chair.
>>
>> 6) Most everyone who gets under a doorway when buildings collapse is
>> killed.
> How? If you stand under a doorway and the
>> doorjamb falls forward or backward you will be crushed by the ceiling
>> above.
> If the door jamb falls sideways you will be cut
>> in half by the doorway. In either case, you will be killed!
>>
>> 7) Never go to the stairs. The stairs have a different "moment of
>> frequency"
> (they swing separately from the main part of the
>> building). The stairs and remainder of the building continuously bump
>> into
> each other until structural failure of
>> the stairs takes place. The people who get on stairs before they fail are
> chopped up by the stair treads - horribly mutilated.
>> Even if the building doesn't collapse, stay away from the stairs. The
>> stairs
> are a likely part of the building to be
>> damaged. Even if the stairs are not collapsed by the earthquake, they may
> collapse later when overloaded by fleeing people. They should always be
> checked
> for safety, even when the rest of the building is not damaged.
>>
>> 8) Get Near the Outer Walls Of Buildings Or Outside Of Them If Possible -
>> It
> is much better to be near the outside of the
>> building rather than the interior. The farther inside you are from the
>> outside
> perimeter of the building the greater the probability that your escape
> route
> will be blocked.
>>
>> 9) People inside of their vehicles are crushed when the road above falls
>> in an
> earthquake and crushes their vehicles; which
>> is exactly what happened with the slabs between the decks of the Nimitz
> Freeway... The victims of the San Francisco earthquake
>> all stayed inside of their vehicles. They were all killed. They could
>> have
> easily survived by getting out and sitting or lying
>> next to their vehicles. Everyone killed would have survived if they had
>> been
> able to get out of their cars and sit or lie next to them. All the crushed
> cars
> had voids 3 feet high next to them, except for the cars that had columns
> fall
> directly across them.
>>
>> 10) I discovered, while crawling inside of collapsed newspaper offices
>> and
> other offices with a lot of paper, that paper does
>> not compact. Large voids are found surrounding stacks of paper.
>>
>> Spread the word and save someone's life... The Entire world is
>> experiencing
> natural calamities so be prepared!
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