Tips for what to do in an earthquake?

[CathyA]

Since DS is going to travel to Los Angeles, I figured I better give him some pointers on what to do in an earthquake, since I live in the midwest and haven't had much experience with them.
Anyone who lives in CA or other earthquake-prone places have some tips?
Dang......and I was just worried about the plane flight there, and if he gets in the wrong parts of town...........then I remembered the earthquakes! :0!

[sweetana3]

Well, depends on where you are. If on an upper floor, get under a desk or in a doorway away from windows. Do not use elevator. If home, get in a doorway.

Now none of this helped me when the 1964 9.2 struck Alaska. It was so long, we struggled to get outside and then just stood around holding onto a fence. Not much you can do until it stops.

Do not run out into the street. As in many towns (ala Chistchurch New Zealand and many CA towns), the facades fall off and onto the people in the streets.

I would not worry about it. If you keep stressing them by pointing out disasters, you wont be keeping many communication lines open. I really hated it when so many friends "warned" me about driving from IN to NY by myself. It got totally annoying. Better to ensure communication is open and that they know you are there for support. Point out you are sure they are capable.

[reader99]

I would not worry about it. If you keep stressing them by pointing out disasters, you wont be keeping many communication lines open. I really hated it when so many friends "warned" me about driving from IN to NY by myself. It got totally annoying. Better to ensure communication is open and that they know you are there for support. Point out you are sure they are capable.

Yes. Personally I;ve been much happier since I stopped anticipating what awful things might happen, and realized that the strength I need will come to me when and IF I face a challenge.

[loosechickens]

Honestly,he will be in so much more danger of getting run over by a car, or some ordinary, garden variety danger than he could easily find right at home, that I wouldn't worry about it. CA is used to earthquakes, has a good earthquake building code, and in almost all cases, all that will happen if he experiences an earthquake while in CA is that he'll have a neat story to tell...... (I had a fun ride in one while on the examining table at my gynecologist's, san clothing below the waist and with my foot in the stirrups).....one thing for sure, earthquakes ALWAYS happen when you're in the least ready for them.

you can check here for some helpful info: http://www.fema.gov/hazard/earthquake/

[treehugger]

(I had a fun ride in one while on the examining table at my gynecologist's, san clothing below the waist and with my foot in the stirrups).....one thing for sure, earthquakes ALWAYS happen when you're in the least ready for them.

LOL! Now, *that's* a great earthquake story (I believe you can tell I am laughing with you, not at you). I'm a native Californian, so yeah, earthquakes happen, and usually they cause nothing more than superficial damage. But now that you have come "out" with your stirrup story, I can tell my embarrassing earthquake story that I have never told anyone before:

In NorCal's last great quake (1989, 7.1, Loma Prieta), I was a young teenager and babysitting in my neighborhood. I was going to the bathroom, actually sitting on the toilet, when the earthquake hit. It was a looooong, rolling one, and I could barely get off the toilet, but I managed to do up my pants and leave the bathroom to check on my young charges. Everyone was fine but I was so embarrassed to be "caught" with my pants down during an emergency! :)

Kara

[loosechickens]

I had a friend who was nekkid in the shower in a hotel during the huge San Francisco one during the World Series long ago......they DO seem to happen when you're in the worst possible position.

[San Onofre Guy]

You are in the midwest. I would be much more concerned about Tornados and Lightning at home then Earthquakes in Los Angeles.

Like everything else, the unknown is what causes us concern, but it is the familier which really hurts us.

The most likely place to get injured is in the home and most auto accidents occur within seven miles of home.

Risk is dependent upon exposure.

I ought to know, I am a Risk Manager!

[Gina]

Earthquakes? We have earthquakes here in California?

I've been through a few, but don't think about them very much. I do keep some emergency preparations on hand (food/water), but other than that, que sera, sera.

[loosechickens]

Yeah, I'll take earthquakes any day over being in tornado country.......a few years back, we crossed the country in our motorhome and spent a night just outside Greensburg KS, at a little fishing lake within walking distance of the little town.....just a short time afterward, a tornado flattened that town and destroyed it completely. If we'd been there in our motorhome there would probably have been nothing left of our little home than twisted metal and broken sticks.

Nope.....I never breathe easy when we are crossing the area of the country where tornadoes are a regular danger......too many times, we've huddled in our RV somewhere, with the warning on the weather radio going off, and us with a map trying to listen to the warnings, find out where we are in relationship to where the tornadoes have been spotted, and trying to figure out where we could go. There outside Greensburg KS, at that fishing lake, there was a small cinder block restroom, and maybe we could have taken shelter there, but I bet even it was destroyed.

Nope, earthquakes, but not tornadoes for me..... ;-)

[ApatheticNoMore]

CA is used to earthquakes, has a good earthquake building code, and in almost all cases, all that will happen if he experiences an earthquake while in CA is that he'll have a neat story to tell......

That's what they said about Japan. Yea the building code is decent for 6 point somethings, probably for 7 point somethings etc.. But let a 9.0 hit and I don't think that code will mean much, a lot of buildings will be flattened. The nuke plants are built to withstand a 7 point something. Uh oh. Seriously let a 9.0 hit and we're going to be leaking radiation all over the place.

Now, I wouldn't worry about it for a visit, the chances of an earthquake hitting in that period of time are minuscule (like getting struck by lightening ok). I mean, really, it's not like we have earthquakes every day here (well ok we do but they are mostly of the undetectable type only detectable by the seismic instruments). We have them more like every few years and then they tend to be the small 5 point something types. My worries are for those of us who live here if a really big one ever does strike, especially with a least 2 active nuclear plants that would affect southern CA. For a visit if you are really worried, keep some extra water around, duck and cover the back of your neck if it strikes.

[iris lily]

gosh what if some starlet swoops him up and they have wild monkey sex and he gets an STD? That's more likely than an earthquake, lucky boy. :laff:

[San Onofre Guy]

I saw a great presentation in early March by a scientist who has been studying earthquakes for 40 years. He had personal photos from the recent large quake in Chile, and very recent photos from co-workers in New Zealand very soon after the quake. Japan had not yet occurred. Chile has it all over California (although we build very good buildings) when it comes to earthquake resistent buildings. The problem is failure to secure interior spaces. He had many photos where the buildings were fine, but they would be out of commission for three to four months while the interiors are fixed, partitions fallen down, cabinets fallen you get the idea. He had a great photo of the airport in Santiago. The terminal building was fine and the parking structure was fine but the bridge connecting the two was on the street below, a relativly inexpensive change in construction technique would have saved that from being damaged.

He mentioned that he used to be asked where the safest place to live in Southern California is. His response was that he didn't know as the four largest quakes in the past 40 years, Sylmar, Northridge, Whittier Narrows, and Landers quakes all occurred on previously unknown faults.

[loosechickens]

"gosh what if some starlet swoops him up and they have wild monkey sex and he gets an STD? That's more likely than an earthquake, lucky boy. " (Iris Lily)

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oh, gosh, Iris Lily, sometimes I just LOVE you!!!! Yeah, there's mom, worrying about earthquakes, and what's a LOT more likely to happen is that the kid will discover the surfin' life, realize that there are places where it doesn't rain every few days and there aren't many tornadoes, pretty ladies are everywhere, often not wearing a whole lot of clothes, and it's a really great place, so he never goes home.......

I like the wild monkey sex part, too......probably a LOT of chance for that! Always just more things for moms to worry about.

;-)