earthquake survival tips

[ShooterMcGavin]

> > FROM DOUG COPP'S ARTICLE ON THE "TRIANGLE OF LIFE"
> >
> > My name is Doug Copp. I am the Rescue Chief and Disaster Manager of the
>American Rescue Team International (ARTI), the world's most experienced
>rescue team. The information in this article will save lives in an
>earthquake.
> >
> >
> > I have crawled inside 875 collapsed buildings, worked with rescue teams
>from 60 countries, founded rescue teams in several countries. I was the
>United Nations expert in Disaster Mitigation for two years. I have worked at
>every major disaster in the world since 1985, except for simultaneous
>disasters.
> >
> >
> > In 1996 we made a film which proved my survival methodology to be
>correct. The Turkish Federal Government, City of Istanbul, University of
>Istanbul Case Productions and ARTI cooperated to film this practical,
>scientific test. We collapsed a school and a home with 20 mannequins inside.
>Ten mannequins did "duck and cover," and ten mannequins I used in my
>"triangle of life" survival method. After the simulated earthquake collapse
>we crawled through the rubble and entered the building to film and document
>the results. The film, in which I practiced\my survival techniques under
>directly observable, scientific conditions, relevant to buildi ng collapse,
>showed there would have been zero percent survival for those doing duck and
>cover. There would likely have been 100 percent survivability for people
>using my method of the "triangle of life." This film has been seen by
>millions of viewers on television in Turkey and the rest of Europe, and it
>was seen in the USA, Canada and Latin America on the TV program Real TV.
> >
> >
> > The first building I ever crawled inside of was a school in Mexico City
>during the 1985 earthquake. Every child was under their desk. Every child
>was crushed to the thickness of their bones. They could have survived by
>lying down next to their desks in the aisles. It was obscene, unnecessary
>and I wondered why the children were not in the aisles. I didn't at the time
>know that the children were told to hide under something.
> >
> >
> > Simply stated, when buildings collapse, the weight of the ceilings
>falling upon the objects or furniture inside crushes these objects, leaving
>a space or void next to them. This space is what I call the "triangle of
>life". The larger the object, the stronger, and the less it will compact.
>The less the object compacts, the larger the void, the greater the
>probability that the person who is using this void for safety will not be
>injured. The next time you watch collapsed buildings, on television, count
>the "triangles" you see formed. They are everywhere. It is the most common
>shape, you will see, in a collapsed building.
> >
> >
> > TEN TIPS FOR EARTHQUAKE SAFETY
> >
> > 1) Most everyone who simply "ducks and covers" when buildings collapse
>are crushed to death. People who get under objects, like desks or cars, are
>crushed.
> >
> >
> > 2) Cats, dogs and babies often naturally curl up in the fetal position.
>You should too in an earthquake. It is a natural safety/survival instinct.
>You can survive in a smaller void. Get next to an object, next to a sofa,
>next to a large bulky object that will compress slightly but leave a void
>next to it.
> >
> >
> > 3) Wooden buildings are the safest type of construction to be in during
>an earthquake. Wood is flexible and moves with the force of the earthquake.
>If the wooden building does collapse, large survival voids are created.
>Also, the wooden building has less concentrated, crushing weight. Brick
>buildings will break into individual bricks. Bricks will cause many injuries
>but less squashed bodies than concrete slabs.
> >
> >
> > 4) If you are in bed during the night and an earthquake occurs, simply
>roll off the bed. A safe void will exist around the bed. Hotels can achieve
>a much greater survival rate in earthquakes, simply by posting a sign on the
>back of the door of every room telling occupants to lie down on the floor,
>next to the bottom of the bed during an earthquake.
> >
> >
> > 5) If an earthquake happens and you cannot easily escape by getting out
>the door or window, then lie down and curl up in the fetal position next to
>a sofa, or large chair.
> >
> >
> > 6) Most everyone who gets under a doorway when buildings collapse is
>killed. How? If you stand under a doorway and the doorjamb falls forward or
>backward you will be crushed by the ceiling above. If the door jam falls
>sideways you will be cut in half by the doorway. In either case, you will be
>killed!
> >
> >
> > 7) Never go to the stairs. The stairs have a different "moment of
>frequency" (they swing separately from the main part of the building). The
>stairs and remainder of the building continuously bump into each other until
>structural failure of the stairs takes place. The people who get on stairs
>before they fail are chopped up by the stair treads horribly mutilated.
>Even if the building doesn't collapse, stay away from the stairs. The stairs
>are a likely part of the building to be damaged. Even if the stairs are not
>collapsed by the earthquake, they may collapse later when overloaded by
>fleeing people. They should always be checked for safety, even when the rest
>of the building is not damaged.
> >
> > 8) Get Near the Outer Walls Of Buildings Or Outside Of Them If Possible
>- It is much better to be near the outside of the building rather than the
>interior. The farther inside you are from the outside perimeter of the
>building the greater the probability that your escape route will be blocked.
> >
> > 9) People inside of their vehicles are crushed when the road above falls
>in an earthquake and crushes their vehicles; which is exactly what happened
>with the slabs between the decks of the Nimitz Freeway. The victims of the
>San Francisco earthquake all stayed inside of their vehicles. They were all
>killed. They could have easily survived by getting out and sitting or lying
>next to their vehicles. Everyone killed would have survived if they had been
>able to get out of their cars and sit or lie next to them. All the crushed
>cars had voids 3 feet high next to them, except for the cars that had
>columns fall directly across them.
> >
> > 10) I discovered, while crawling inside of collapsed newspaper offices
>and other offices with a lot of paper, that paper does not compact. Large
>voids are found surrounding stacks of paper.

[ShooterMcGavin]

for u lazy bastards out there, cliff notes:

-in case of an earthquake, DO NOT seek to hide under something solid, simply lay next to something solid (bed, sofa, car, etc) in a fetal position.

[RandomGuy]

will use this for the next major GA earthquake... heard we had a nine pointer last year but it happened in the middle of night during a mexican concert so no one knew.

[ShooterMcGavin]

see a smart individual would apply this info to any occurrence which involves a building collapsing (no, 9/11 does not apply...)

[Jecht]

Very useful thread! I will take these hints into consideration next time I am in an earthquake!

[SloWRX]

i hope u die in the next earthquake for posting this...

[aaronfelipe]

fetal position FTW