As the house begins to shake, you remember your friend
telling you to get under a door frame to be
safe.
So that's what you should do, right?
Well, unless your house was built many years ago, this
is not the best survival tip.
As the earthquake continues, you can't help but wonder what
other bad information have you been given?
How to survive presents the worst things to do in
an earthquake.
Smaller earthquakes of magnitude 2 or lower occur hundreds of
times each day across the globe.
Major earthquakes registering magnitude 7 on the Richter scale occur
about once per month, while magnitude 8 earthquakes and higher
occur once per year.
With this kind of frequency, we should probably review what
not to do if you find yourself in an earthquake.
How can screaming for help be bad?
Should you stay inside or go outside?
And why should you avoid stares at all costs?
Number six, don't go under a door frame.
This idea that door frames are stronger than other parts
of the house comes from a bygone air.
When it was safe to do so, older houses were
built a little sturdier, with heavier wooden frames that were
designed to last.
But modern homes have doorways that are no stronger than
any other area of the house.
Plus, a doorway won't protect you from flying debris, and
you might not be able to brace yourself as everything
is shaking around you #5 Avoid windows.
Usually, a window is a great place to escape, but
in an earthquake, it can be deadly.
You might think that being near a window keeps you
away from debris and closer to the frame of the
building, but shards of broken glass can be fatal if
they hit you #4 No stairs.
Sure, stairs might seem like the quickest path to safety,
but they can be deceptively dangerous in an earthquake.
Stair steps can quickly become shrapnel.
If a building collapses, stay off them and definitely don't
try hiding under them #3 no fires.
If you happen to be enjoying a quiet night in
front of the fireplace when an earthquake hits, you will
need to extinguish the fire immediately.
If there is a gas leak, which is quite possible
during an earthquake, the flame could trigger an explosion #2
Stay indoors.
It may seem like a good plan to run outside
as the walls around you shake, but the immediate area
around a building is the most dangerous since windows, facades,
and architectural details are typically the 1st to come crumbling
down during a quake.
As a rule of thumb, stay inside if you are
inside.
If you're already outside, stay there.
Number one, no screaming.
Yes, we often tell you to ask for help when
you are in a survival situation.
However, in this scenario, screaming for help could lead to
you inhaling large amounts of dust and particles.
This is not what you want to have clogging your
lungs.
A better way to grab attention is to bang on
a wall or a pipe.
Hopefully, with these survival don'ts in your pocket, you have
managed to make it through the earthquake in one piece.
Unfortunately, as you scan the horizon you see a tsunami
heading your way and contrary to popular belief, you won't
be able to outrun it.
Find out more on how to survive.