Earthquake Survival 101

In the wake of the Sichuan earthquake tragedy, your correspondent has received a flurry of emails from concerned colleagues and friends in China about earthquake survival. The below is taken from two such emails. (Your correspondent is by no means an expert on earthquake survival, please heed the advice at your own risk.)

– Yesterday evening, an email arrived containing a bilingual listing of earthquake survival tips from an article originally written in 2004 by Doug Copp, the Rescue Chief and Disaster Manager of the American Rescue Team International, titled “Triangle of Life’. Click here for the full bilingual text.

– This afternoon, I received a Chinese language email titled ‘Where should you hide during an earthquake? Not where you were taught!’ with these labeled photos attached:

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The above photo illustrates what one should during an earthquake if caught in a bedroom, suggesting that lying between the bookshelf and the bed, or between the bed and the sofa (or between any two reasonably elevated objects) is safest, as opposed to lying underneath the bed or crouching inside the clothing cabinet / closet.

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The photo above suggests that space is created / preserved between “sturdy furniture” and “ceiling beams” when ceilings collapses.

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The above photo illustrates the dangers of staying in your car during an earthquake: “Hiding in cars reduces the chance of being able to escape and save your life. It’s very dangerous!”

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The above photo suggests that staying in your car during an earthquake is “very dangerous,” while crouching between or next to cars can provide “life protecting / saving space” in the event of “things above” collapsing.

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The above photo also suggests that crouching between or next to cars can provide “life protecting / saving space” in the event of “things above” collapsing.

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Again, the above photo also suggests that crouching between or next to cars can provide “life protecting / saving space” in the event of “things above” collapsing.

– Additionally, here is a selection of questions and answers about “what to do during an earthquake” from Baidu’s “Zhidao” section.

If you have similar information about earthquake survival, please share in the comments section.

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