Understanding Earthquakes
What is an earthquake?
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What Do I Do If An Earthquake Occurs?
If you find yourself experiencing an earthquake, try your best not to panic. It is necessary to protect your body; try to look for a stable structure to crawl under. In the past decade, it has been widely accepted that a table is one of the best structure to hide underneath. If you are not near a table, it is best to find either a sofa or a bed.Once you have stationed yourself by some sort of protective shelter, curl into a fetal position, by tucking your head into your knees. If you can, try and place your hands on top of your head in oder to protect your face, neck, head, brain, and spine, from serious injury.
Remember that if you are inside a building, there are a few places you should avoid. Contrary to what many believe, standing beneath a doorway is extremely dangerous, as the ceiling could either collapse, or the door jam could give way. In addition, it is important to steer clear of any stairs or stairways, as they are often the part of the building with the least amount of support. If you are in a car, and you feel an earthquake, turn your car off and exit vehicle. Then slowly crouch down next to your vehicle and lie in a fetal position, so that if anything above falls the impact of the hit is concentrated in surrounding areas. How Can I Prepare For An Earthquake? Here are a list of steps you and your family should discuss when preparing for an earthquake: 1. Familiarize yourself with possible places to take cover in. Find these safe "shelters" in places where you often spend time, such as a classroom, work office, or bedroom. 2. Hold disaster drills, and rehearse finding and getting into your safe "shelters". 3. If you live somewhere where earthquakes occur often, be sure to secure all dangerous or fragile items that could fall, such as bookshelves and mirrors. 4. Talk with your family, to create A Family Emergency Plan. Discuss where to meet if an earthquake ever occurs. Also ensure that all members of the family know one another full names, addresses, and phone numbers. Also ensure to have a secondary emergency contact such as a family friend; your children should also memorize their names and cell phone numbers. It is also useful to know your medical insurance and policy number. If it is too hard to memorize all of these things, keep a paper with all this information in either your wallet, your phone, or your child's backpack. 5. Create a disaster kit to be stored in a few rooms of your house, and in your car. Find out how to make one here: 6. Be involved with the community! If your state or neighborhood has a reserved day to practice disaster preparation (such as California's Great Shake Out) then participate. Also, feel free to communicate with you local policeman and firefighters to find out more on how to prepare for an earthquake.
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