EARTHQUAKE PREPERADNESS

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EARTHQUAKE PREPERADNESS

• RECENT EARTHQUAKES LAST 8 30 DAYS

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WHAT ARE EARTHQUAKES

• Earthquakes, also called temblors, can be so
  tremendously destructive, its hard to imagine
  they occur by the thousands every day around the
  world, usually in the form of small tremors.

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HOW ARE EQS MEASURED?

• Scientists assign a magnitude rating to
  earthquakes based on the strength and duration of
  their seismic waves. A quake measuring 3 to 5 is
  considered minor or light 5 to 7 is moderate to
  strong 7 to 8 is major and 8 or more is great.
• On average, a magnitude 8 quake strikes somewhere
  every year and some 10,000 people die in
  earthquakes annually. Collapsing buildings claim
  by far the majority of lives, but the destruction
  is often compounded by mud slides, fires, floods,
  or tsunamis. Smaller temblors that usually occur
  in the days following a large earthquake can
  complicate rescue efforts and cause further death
  and destruction.

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Earthquake Safety Tips Keeping Safe

• Earthquakes are a common occurrence, rumbling
  below Earth's surface thousands of times every
  day. But major earthquakes are less common. Here
  are some things to do to prepare for an
  earthquake and what to do once the ground starts
  shaking.
• Safety Tips
• Have an earthquake readiness plan.
• Consult a professional to learn how to make your
  home sturdier, such as bolting bookcases to wall
  studs, installing strong latches on cupboards,
  and strapping the water heater to wall studs.
• Locate a place in each room of the house that you
  can go to in case of an earthquake. It should be
  a spot where nothing is likely to fall on you.
• Keep a supply of canned food, an up-to-date first
  aid kit, 3 gallons (11.4 liters) of water per
  person, dust masks and goggles, and a working
  battery-operated radio and flashlights.
• Know how to turn off your gas and water mains.
• If Shaking Begins
• Drop down take cover under a desk or table and
  hold on.
• Stay indoors until the shaking stops and you're
  sure it's safe to exit.
• Stay away from bookcases or furniture that can
  fall on you.
• Stay away from windows. In a high-rise building,
  expect the fire alarms and sprinklers to go off
  during a quake.
• If you are in bed, hold on and stay there,
  protecting your head with a pillow.
• If you are outdoors, find a clear spot away from
  buildings, trees, and power lines. Drop to the
  ground.
• If you are in a car, slow down and drive to a
  clear place. Stay in the car until the shaking
  stops.

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MOST RECENT EARTHQUAKES

• Magnitude 6.5 SOUTHWEST OF SUMATRA, INDONESIA
  March 05, 2010
• Magnitude 6.6 OFFSHORE BIO-BIO, CHILE March 05,
  2010
• Magnitude 8.8 OFFSHORE MAULE, CHILE February 27,
  2010
• Magnitude 7.0 RYUKYU ISLANDS, JAPAN February 26,
  2010
• Magnitude 6.9 CHINA-RUSSIA-NORTH KOREA BORDER
  REGION February 18, 2010
• Magnitude 3.8 ILLINOIS February 10, 2010
• Magnitude 5.9 OFFSHORE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
  February 04, 2010
• Magnitude 6.2 BOUGAINVILLE REGION, PAPUA NEW
  GUINEA February 01, 2010
• Magnitude 5.9 HAITI REGION January 20, 2010
• Magnitude 4.0 OKLAHOMA January 15, 2010
• Magnitude 7.0 HAITI REGION January 12, 2010
• Magnitude 6.5 OFFSHORE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
  January 10, 2010
• Magnitude 4.1 SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA, CALIFORNIA
  January 07, 2010
• Magnitude 6.8 SOLOMON ISLANDS January 05, 2010
• Magnitude 7.1 SOLOMON ISLANDS January 03, 2010
• Magnitude 6.6 SOLOMON ISLANDS January 03, 2010

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Q During an EQ should you head for the doorway?

• 1 Only if you live in an old, unreinforced adobe
  house. In modern homes doorways are no stronger
  than any other parts of the house and usually
  have doors that will swing and can injure you.
  YOU ARE SAFER PRACTICING THE DUCK, COVER, AND
  HOLD under a sturdy piece of furniture.

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Q What emergency supplies do I need?

• 2
• Fire extinguisher
• Adequate supplies of medications that you or
  family members are taking
• Crescent and pipe wrenches to turn off gas and
  water supplies
• First-aid kit and handbook
• Flashlights with extra bulbs and batteries
• Portable radio with extra batteries
• Water for each family member for at least two
  weeks (allow at least 1 gallon per person per
  day) and purification tablets or chlorine bleach
  to purify drinking water from other sources
• Canned and package foods, enough for several days
  (72 hours) and MECHANICAL can opener. Extra food
  for pets if necessary
• Camp stove or barbecue to cook on outdoors (store
  fuel out of the reach of children)
• Waterproof, heavy-duty plastic bags for waste
  disposal.

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Other items you may wish to include

•   gloves, outdoor/winter clothing   waterproof
  matches and candles- but don't use them if there
  are gas leaks or spilled flammable liquids  
  money, including coins (25 cents) for telephones,
  because banks and credit cards may not be
  usable   a sleeping bag for each member of
  your family   garbage bags   a portable
  toilet   rope, heavy tape   a crowbar or
  pry bar   a gasoline generator and a rated
  extension cord   earthquake buddies for
  children (eg stuffed animal, doll game)  
  evacuation pack for each person /vehicle pack for
  each vehicle

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PREPARING YOUR HOME

• Secure top-heavy furniture (eg shelving units)
  to prevent tipping. Keep heavy items on lower
  shelves.
• Fix mirrors and other hanging objects so they
  won't fall of hooks.
• Locate beds away from chimneys, windows, heavy
  pictures, etc. Closed curtains will help keep
  broken window glass off nearby occupied beds.
• Put anti-skid pads (eg Velcro) under TVs, VCRs,
  computers and small appliances.
• Store valuable documents and special small
  keepsakes in a fire-resistant place.
• Keep sturdy shoes and outdoor clothing handy.
• Tie down your water heater and other appliances
  that could break gas or water lines if they
  topple.

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Q How can I plan ahead for an EQ?

• 3
• Make sure each member of your family knows what
  to do no matter where they are when EQs occur
• Establish a mtg place where you can all reunite
  afterward
• Find out about EQ plans developed by children's
  school or day care
• Remember transportation may be disrupted, keep
  some emergency supplies--food, liquids, and
  comfortable shoes, for example--at work
• KNOW where you gas, electric and water main
  shutoffs are and how to turn them off if there is
  a leak or electrical short. Make sure older
  members of the family can shut off utilities
• LOCATE your nearest fire and police stations and
  emergency medical facility
• TALK to your neighbors--how could they help you,
  or you them after an EQ
• TAKE Red Cross First Aid and CPR Training Course.
    Train members of your family to use fire
  extinguishers.
• Make an appointment now with your insurance
  broker to talk about your earthquake insurance.
  Check your coverage... it will affect your loss
  and financial ability to recover after an
  earthquake
• Talk to your children about what to do if they're
  at home, at school, if the quake separates your
  family. Become familiar with the school's
  earthquake plan.
• Arrange an out-of-the-area contact. Each family
  member should carry the contact phone number and
  address. Have an alternative family rendezvous if
  you can't get home.

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Q What should I do during an EQ?

• 4
• If you are INDOORS--STAY THERE! (Get under a desk
  or table and hang on to it, or move into a
  hallway or get against an inside wall. STAY CLEAR
  of windows, fireplaces, and heavy furniture or
  appliances. GET OUT of the kitchen, which is a
  dangerous place (things can fall on you). DON'T
  run downstairs or rush outside while the bldg is
  shaking or while there is danger of falling and
  hurting yourself or being hit by falling glass or
  debris.
• If you are OUTSIDE-- get into the OPEN, away from
  bldgs, power lines, chimneys, and anything else
  that might fall on you.
• If you are DRIVING--stop, but carefully. Move
  your car as far out of traffic as possible. DO
  NOT stop on or under a bridge or overpass or
  under trees, light posts, power lines, or signs.
  STAY INSIDE your car until the shaking stops.
  When you RESUME driving watch for breaks in the
  pavement, fallen rocks, and bumps in the road at
  bridge approaches.
• If you are in a MOUNTAINOUS AREA--watch out for
  falling rock, landslides, trees, and other debris
  that could be loosened by quakes.

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Q Things NOT to do during an EQ?

• 5
• DO NOT turn on the gas again if you turned it
  off let the gas company do it
• DO NOT use matches, lighters, camp stoves or
  barbecues, electrical equipment, appliances UNTIL
  you are sure there are no gas leaks. They may
  create a spark that could ignite leaking gas and
  cause an explosion and fire
• DO NOT use your telephone, EXCEPT for a medical
  or fire emergency. You could tie up the lines
  needed for emergency response. If the phone
  doesn't work send someone for help
• DO NOT expect firefighters, police or paramedics
  to help you. They may not be available.

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Q What can I expect in my house when an EQ
occurs? How do I identify it? What can be done?

• 6 The contents of your home may be damaged and
  can be dangerous
• Shaking can make light fixtures fall,
  refrigerators and other large items move across
  the floor, and bookcases and television sets
  topple over. IDENTIFY Look around your house for
  things that could fall or move
• Ask yourself if your cupboard doors fly open
  (allowing dishes to shatter on the floor)
• Is TV and stereo fastened down and are shelves
  fastened to wall? Do you have hanging plants or
  light fixtures that might fall? Is there a heavy
  picture or mirror on the wall over your bed?
• WHAT CAN BE DONE You can install door latches,
  braces and fasteners to fix most of these hazards
  yourself.

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Q What do I do after an earthquake?

• A
• WEAR STURDY SHOES to avoid injury from broken
  glass and debris. Expect aftershocks
• CHECK FOR INJURIES (if a person is bleeding, put
  direct pressure on the wound, use clean gauze or
  cloth if available If a person is not breathing
  administer CPR DO NOT attempt to move seriously
  injured persons unless they are in further danger
  of injury COVER injured persons with blankets to
  keep warm SEEK medical help for serious injuries
  
• CHECK FOR HAZARDS (Fire hazards--put out fires in
  your home or neighborhood immediately, call for
  help Gas leaks--shut off main gas valve ONLY if
  you suspect a leak because of broken pipes or
  odor Damaged electrical wiring--Shut off power
  at the control box if there is any danger to
  house wiring Downed or damaged utility lines--do
  not touch downed power lines or any objects in
  contact with them SPILLS--clean up any spilled
  medicines, drugs, or other harmful materials such
  as bleach, lye, gas DOWNED OR DAMAGED
  CHIMNEYS--Approach with caution--don't use
  damaged chimney (it could start fire or let
  poisonous gases into your house FALLEN
  ITEMS--beware of items tumbling off shelves when
  you open doors of closets and cupboards CHECK
  FOOD AND WATER SUPPLIES--Do not eat or drink
  anything from open containers near shattered
  glass If power is off, plan meals to use up
  foods that will spoil quickly or frozen foods
  (food in the freezer should be good for at least
  a couple of days Don't light your kitchen stove
  if you suspect a gas leak USE BBQ or camp
  stoves, outdoors only for emergency cooking If
  your water is off you can drink supplies from
  water heaters, melted ice cubes or canned
  vegetables (AVOID drinking water from swimming
  pools or especially spas--it may have too many
  chemicals in it to be safe.)

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WHERE DO MOST EQ OCCUR

• Some 80 percent of all the planet's earthquakes
  occur along the rim of the Pacific Ocean, called
  the "Ring of Fire" because of the preponderance
  of volcanic activity there as well. Most
  earthquakes occur at fault zones, where tectonic
  platesgiant rock slabs that make up the Earth's
  upper layercollide or slide against each other.
  These impacts are usually gradual and
  unnoticeable on the surface however, immense
  stress can build up between plates. When this
  stress is released quickly, it sends massive
  vibrations, called seismic waves, often hundreds
  of miles through the rock and up to the surface.
  Other quakes can occur far from faults zones when
  plates are stretched or squeezed.

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Q What are the steps to EQ safety/awareness?

• A
• Estimate what EQ of what size are likely to occur
  (geology)
• Given the EQ size we then estimate what the
  shaking will be (seismology)
• Given the shaking we estimate the response of
  different types of buildings (EQ engineering).
  Only with all these steps can we take steps as
  society to enact bldg. codes and retrofitting
  programs to make our community safer.

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EARTHQUAKE RATTLES NERVES

• By Raphael Satter, The Associated Press
• LONDON - Experts say there is nothing unusual
  about the latest spate of earthquakes in Haiti,
  Chile and now Turkey, but their devastation
  illustrates how growing construction along the
  world's fault lines can lead to massive
  casualties.
• Seismologists say that although one powerful
  quake can conceivably raise the risk for others
  elsewhere, the recent string of quakes is
  probably just coincidence.
• Bob Holdsworth, an expert in tectonics at Durham
  University, said Monday that "I can definitely
  tell you that the world is not coming to an end."
  
• Bernard Doft, the seismologist for the Royal
  Netherlands Meteorological Institute, says there
  is no direct connection between the lethal quakes
  that have struck Haiti, Chile and Turkey.
• "These events are too far apart to be of direct
  influence to each other," he said.
• Although the Haitian quake occurred along a fault
  that had seen no major event for 250 years, both
  Chile and Turkey are prone to devastating quakes.
  
• "It was by accident that it happened at
  approximately the same time," he said.
• Monday's quake in Turkey had a 6.0 magnitude. On
  average, there are 134 earthquakes a year that
  have a magnitude between a 6.0 and 6.9, according
  to the U.S. Geological Survey. This year is off
  to a fast start with 40 so far - more than in
  most years for that period of time.
• But that's because the 8.8 quake in Chile
  generated a large number of strong aftershocks,
  and so many occurring this early in the year
  skews the picture, said USGS seismologist Paul
  Earle.
• "Years that have large quakes are likely to be
  higher in overall seismicity," Earle said. The
  Chilean quake was the sixth strongest since 1900.

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PHOTOS OF RECENT EARTHQUAKES - CHILE
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PHOTOS OF DESTRUCTION IN HAITI
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PHOTOS OF RECENT EARTHQUAKES SEISMIC DESTRUCTION
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MORE PHOTOS OF HAITI EQ
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OTHER EFFECTS OF EQS

• What is tsunami?
• Tsunami is a Japanese word with the English
  translation, "harbor wave." The phenomenon we
  call tsunami is a series of large waves of
  extremely long wavelength and period usually
  generated by a violent, impulsive undersea
  disturbance or activity near the coast or in the
  ocean.
• Tsunamis can be generated when the sea floor
  abruptly deforms and vertically displaces the
  overlying water. Tectonic earthquakes are a
  particular kind of earthquakes that are
  associated with the earth's crustal deformation
  when these earthquakes occur beneath the sea, the
  water above the deformed area is displaced from
  its equilibrium position. Waves are formed as the
  displaced water mass, which acts under the
  influence of gravity, attempts to regain its
  equilibrium. When large areas of the sea floor
  elevate or subside, a tsunami can be created.

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WHAT CAN BE DONE?

• Loss of life can be avoided through emergency
  planning, education, and the construction of
  buildings that sway rather than break under the
  stress of an earthquake.
• You can't prevent an earthquake. But you can 
  be prepared to avoid injury  be prepared to
  minimize damage to your home  be prepared to
  survive afterwards for at least 72 hours without
  help.

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Your emergency supplies

• Be prepared to be on your own without help for 72
  hours or more--- at home, in your car, at work.
  Assemble these emergency supplies and keep them
  in your emergency kit, stored in a secure place,
  ideally accessible from outside

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WANT TO DO MORE?

• Now that you've taken care of the basics, you may
  want to take additional steps to protect yourself
  and others. Remember- you may be on your own for
  72 hours or more. What you do will depend on your
  particular situation. You could
• Volunteer any special skills you have to your
  Municipal Emergency Program Co-ordinator.
• Involve your neighborhood in earthquake
  preparedness... by helping elderly neighbors to
  prepare their homes, by agreeing to check on each
  other after an earthquake and to care for pets.
•  Plan for special needs for infants, the elderly
  and the handicapped, in case pharmacies and other
  stores are closed for several days. If your
  family includes people with impaired mobility,
  hearing or sight, see the list of useful contacts
  at the end of this document to get special
  preparedness details for them. If you depend on
  electric power for life support or a wheelchair,
  you may wish to have a small generator with extra
  fuel handy.
• Review the supplies that you would need to be
  self-sufficient and comfortable for at least 72
  hours. In addition to basics, there are many
  items such as plastic sheets or dust masks that
  you may want to acquire, or perhaps games and
  comfort items for children. Sources of advice are
  shown below.Planning for earthquakes will also
  help prepare you for many other emergencies.
• Be prepared, not scared.

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Still need more information?

• If you require more information, please note
  your request on a piece of paper with your name,
  address and telephone number, then mail it
  toB.C. Earthquake Informationc/o Insurance
  Bureau of Canada510 Burrard Street, Suite 1010
  Vancouver, B.C V6C 3A8 Fax [phone]
• For further information contactYour Local
  Emergency Program