it occurred to me in the wake off recent earthquakes all over, that i've moved to SOCAL with no safety info!

Question

living on the south east coast my whole life, i'm very familiar with hurricane safety, and tornado safety, but that won't do me any good in southern california! i've looked online at earthquake safety, but i want DETAILED answers, like, am i safer on the 1st or 2nd story of my house in and after an earthquake? online so far basically all i've found is to stay inside. to which i have to reply...DUH. can anyone give me or point me to safety tips as to which story of my house i should be on (no basement), and other good information? thanks!

Answer 1

The info you just got is quite outdated, as far as where to locate yourself. The following is from 7 months ago and is quite different. Read on...

If indoors, go to the first floor then
DROP to the ground; take COVER by getting under a sturdy table or other piece of furniture; and HOLD ON on until the shaking stops. If there isn’t a table or desk near you, cover your face and head with your arms and crouch in an inside corner of the building.
Stay away from glass, windows, outside doors and walls, and anything that could fall, such as lighting fixtures or furniture.
Stay in bed if you are there when the earthquake strikes. Hold on and protect your head with a pillow, unless you are under a heavy light fixture that could fall. In that case, move to the nearest safe place.
Use a doorway for shelter only if it is in close proximity to you and if you know it is a strongly supported, loadbearing doorway.
Stay inside until shaking stops and it is safe to go outside. Research has shown that most injuries occur when people inside buildings attempt to move to a different location inside the building or try to leave.

And last but not least, don't worry! I've lived in CA since 1986 and have only felt a couple tiny aftershocks.☺

Answer 2

If you are in or on any structure of 2 stories or higher (office buildings, churches, houses, freeways) that was built before 1972, and an earthquake of magnitude greater than 6.0 strikes, you are in trouble.

Make sure you have plenty of batteries, a radio, flashlights, clothing, blankets, and food and water enough for three days. Many people also recommend a firearm to defend against looters and other scumballs.

Your water heater is a source of good water. If you have a family, and the quake hits during the day when no one is at home, you need to agree upon a place to meet, like a park, a church, a school, that is close to home.

Note that many public buildings and structures have been retrofitted.

The link below is an excellent article about earthquake safety and survival.

Answer 3

Usually if a building doesn't totally collapse it is the first floor that does. As for the uninformed answerer that said building usually do not collapse in a So Cal earthquake has not been here during the '71 Sylmar quake when a whole wing of the veteran hospitable collapsed or the '94 Northridge where numerous first floors of apartment building collapsed and the parking structure at the Northridge fashion Center totally collapsed, not to mention freeways. You need to strap objects to the walls, water heater, tv and other things that if they fell would cause great harm. Make sure all latches on cupboards and storage area are working securely. Know where your gas and water shutoffs are and how to turn them off. Have several working flashlights placed around the house where you know to get them in the dark. Have bottled water stored in a safe place and the usual food for emergencies. If you take medication that is critical for you health have at least 2 weeks always available.

Answer 4

I was born in California in 1945 just a few miles from a fault line. I have never been in a big quake but the odds are I never will and you probably won't be either. Be prepared for it, but don't worry about it too much. The odds are higher that you will be run over and killed before you would be in an earthquake that would do enough damage for you to get hurt. There may be several smaller quakes and chances are you may not even feel them. Even the larger ones usually do not do all that much damage. The exception is the San Francisco quake and the Loma Prieto quake. Those are the only two big ones that I can recall in my 61+ years of life here.