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- What is an earthquake?
- What causes earthquakes?
- What should I do during earthquakes?
- How to prepare for an earthquake?
- Earthquake richter scale
Earthquake: Causes, Safety Info, Preparedness
What is an earthquake?
Earthquake is the intense shaking of the Earth's surface caused by the sudden movement of the Earth's crust along fault lines, releasing stored-up elastic strain energy in the Earth's interior in the form of seismic waves.
What causes earthquakes?
Earthquakes are caused by the sudden movement of the Earth's crust along active fault lines deep within the Earth’s crust. Earthquakes can also be caused by landslides, volcanic eruptions, or meteorites striking the Earth. In addition, earthquakes can be caused by human activities and man-made structures, such as dam collapses, setting off mining explosives, missiles, and nuclear bomb attacks.
What should I do during earthquakes?
If you are indoors during the earthquake
“Drop, Cover, and Hold On
- If earthquakes occur while you are indoors, drop down and cover your head and neck with your arms, or crouch under a sturdy table, hold on to the legs of a table tightly, or stand close to a sturdy wall or building column. Hold onto it tight until the shaking stops.
- Stay clear of windows, wall-hanging objects, tall hanging furniture, mirrors, light fixtures, electrical appliances, or large cabinets.
- During an earthquake, do not run away from the building to avoid falling glass or debris. Wait until the shaking subsides before running down the stairs. Never use the elevator.
- Run away from the building. Evacuate to an outdoor assembly point or safe location to avoid debris, glass, and falling building structures.
- If you are in bed and there is no hanging light overhead, stay in bed and cover your head and neck with a pillow.
- If you are in a wheelchair, lock the wheels and use your arms to protect your head and neck.
If you are outdoors during the earthquake
- Stay away from buildings, structures, overpasses, electric poles, signal poles, electrical wires, and large trees.
- If you are driving, park your car in an open area and stop it. Park your car away in an open area away from buildings, overpasses, electric poles, signal poles, and electrical wires, and stay inside your car to prevent debris, glass, or building structures from falling on you.
- If you are on the beach, do not go into the sea. Run away or evacuate to higher ground to protect yourself from a potential tsunami.
After the earthquake
- Beware of aftershocks. Prepared for possible aftershocks, which can occur after the initial earthquake.
- Check yourself for injuries. If there is a bleeding wound, stop the bleeding by applying pressure on the wound with a clean cloth. If the injury is severe, seek the nearest help nearby.
- Check others for injuries. If there is an injured casualty, administer first aid. Do not move the severely injured casualties, except for those in the danger zone, who must be moved quickly to avoid further injury from falling objects. Seek emergency medical help if there is a critical injury.
- If the casualty is in shock, unconscious, or not breathing, and the rescuer can perform CPR, start CPR immediately. Seek the nearest helpers to assist with CPR and call for emergency medical help as soon as possible.
- If there is a small fire, use a fire extinguisher to put it out the fire right away. If there is a large fire with dense smoke, crouch down, crawl low, and breathe through your clothes. Run away from the fire area and the smoke as far as possible. If you are indoors, evacuate through the fire exit or a safe route. Never use the elevator.
- If there is a broken or damaged electrical wire, do not touch it. Turn off all circuit breakers to prevent electric shock or electric leakage.
- Check for gas leaks. Immediately turn off the gas valve if you smell a gas leak. Never light a cigarette, a lighter, a match, or a candle.
- Use caution when opening overhead compartments or high shelves, as objects may fall and cause serious injury.
- Check your electronic devices for mobile network signals. If a signal is detected, follow the situation reported by the National Information Center, the government, and the organization you work for, and follow the official instructions.
- Before returning home, assess safety. Check the house structure from the outside to the inside. If there is a structural crack or damage, do not move in until the house inspector confirms safety.
- Before returning to the building, wait until the building officer notifies or sends a message confirming safety and it is safe to return to the building. If there is a structural crack or damage, never enter the building.
How to prepare for an earthquake?
- Prepare the emergency kit: fire extinguisher, first aid kit, common household medicines, flashlight, drinking water, dried food, backup batteries, and sneakers with heels.
- Check the structure of the building and house; repair any unstable structures to ensure their strength and legal compliance.
- Learn and practice basic first aid, bleeding control, and CPR.
- Check the location and learn how to turn off gas valves, water valves, and circuit breakers inside the house.
- Conduct an annual fire drill, earthquake evacuation, and patient transportation from the house and building to a safe assembly point.
- Do not place heavy objects on high shelves or hang heavy objects over your head.
- Plan backup accommodation in other provinces in case relocation is needed.
- Stay up to date on the latest news and earthquake warnings from relevant state agencies. Do not spread unfounded rumors.
- Consider purchasing a casualty insurance policy that includes earthquake coverage.
- Keep a list of emergency hotlines, including the Earthquake Hotline, the National Disaster Warning Center, the National Institute of Emergency Medicine, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, and the Earthquake Insurance Assistance Center.