Tips to survive an earthquake

The first thing you should know when you come face to face with earthquake is that you should just take whatever you can and leave the place. Yes, if you are in an apartment, the best thing is that you leave the place and go to a safer ground. The more you hide into a smaller or inside your house, the worse will be the damage. So, the best thing anybody can do is to leave the place immediately and go to a safer place where you don’t come in contact with any building material. The same way, this concept is called the triangle of life. When you end up hiding in a large area, the void is too much and damage is a lot more than when you hide in a compact place. In a compact place like a store nearby or in a restaurant, the void is less and the damage definitely will be less. So, if you are inside your house on the 11th floor or the highest floor of your apartment, it is wise to immediately exit the building.

Well, if you are not able to leave the house, or if you are unable to leave everything just like that and run, the better option is to go ahead and crawl into a sofa or under the bed. This is because, even if the entire building comes tumbling down, you will be in a safer position and so nothing much will happen to you. If you have a baby or a pet with you, do the same, crawl and lye in a straight position under the bed or the sofa. That is way better than being exposed to the open roof. There can be a lot of problems if you are exposed to the open roof like getting hit by some other object. So, tuck and act quickly.

You should remember that a wooden roof or a building is safer than any other construction. Since wood is a very flexible thing and moves easily when you have to get out, it comes as a safer option when compared to concrete. You don’t have to worry a lot, even if the wooden building falls, since there is a large void under the wooden roof. Also remember that wooden roof is not as heavy as the concrete one, so there are not going to be as much damage as you can expect.

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It is very important for you to know that climbing down the stairs is one of the worst ideas of all times, because when you climb down the stairs, the stair frequency and the level of people it can take at a time can be less highly. So, if people fleet in the stairs, they will be the first ones to go down and get crushed. So, it is better and safer to stay inside your homes when there is a massive earthquake. Stairs are the light part of the building. There is less concrete and very less holding capacity. If you think your house which is not very much safer than the stairs is safe, then you are wrong. Never ever take the stairs.

If you start feeling the tremor and if you think that the ground is shaking, immediately move away from the road and go to a safer place. This is because, most people who travel or ride their bikes or cars are crushed when the buildings or the concrete walls fall on the road. It is very much advisable if you stop driving or riding and go to some place safe. If you even lye or sit next to the vehicle, it is cleverer than actually driving it faster to reach a safer place.

The best thing about newspapers is the fact that it doesn’t crush you or doesn’t suffocate you. If you think that you are not able to do anything and if you have a lot of newspaper stacked up at your house, the best thing to do is to cover yourself with a bundle of newspaper. This way, even if something falls on you, you will not be in too much pain. This can be mainly done to protect little children, old people, crippled people or your pets. These are the kind of people who need help and who cannot do anything by themselves. So, you can always be wise and use the newspaper technique.

-Pavithra Ravi