Earthquake survival tips!

[KiwiChic]

This is an article that was sent to me today - interesting reading.

EXTRACT 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, and I am a member of many rescue teams from many 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.

The first building I ever crawled inside of was a school in Mexico City during the 1985 earthquake. Every child was under its 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. I am amazed that even today schools are still using the "Duck and Cover" instructions- telling the children to squat under their desks with their heads bowed and covered with their hands. This was the technique used in the Mexico City school.

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, 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.

TIPS FOR EARTHQUAKE SAFETY

1) Almost 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 foetal position. You should too in an earthquake. It is a natural safety/survival instinct. That position helps you 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. Concrete slab buildings are the most dangerous during an earthquake.

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 foetal position next to a sofa, or large chair.

6) Almost 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.

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 lying in the foetal position 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, which paper does not compact. Large voids are found surrounding stacks of paper.

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 building 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.

Spread the word and save someone's life... The entire world is experiencing natural calamities so be prepared!

[louise41]

Thank you, that was very interesting, I hope I never need to utilise it, but I will remember that!!

[winghama]

There was an item on the news tonight saying to disregard this information, just adds to our confusion at the moment!!!!

Andrea

[Kohinoor]

Hi Andrea,

Aww, THAT wouldn't help.....

There was an item on the news tonight saying to disregard this information, just adds to our confusion at the moment!!!!

I'm a practical bloke, and the thread seemed to make sense to me. Like many, I'd heard all of the words re "Stand in a doorway" (I still don't think this is a BAD way to go..... but hey....)

or get under a bed/table/desk... Now, having read the words, I suspect that would NOT be such a good way to go.

In essence, heading for a "triangle" (alongside a big, bulky item of furniture) seems to make sense to me... I'd rather a bed be crushed, with me NOT under it, and having its crushed remains providing me with a triangle of safety alongside it.

Of course, I'm open to other experts who say "Don't do this!" - as they must have THEIR reasons for saying that. again....

Can you add any more, Andrea?

Koh

[forfreddie]

Hi

I had read this email and was fully convinced about 'the triangle of life' but they interviewed a guy from civil defense on Campbell Live last night who said that this info was "a hoax" (his actual words).

As you say more confusion, more anxiety. Their advice was to stop drop and hold. He did make the point that, providing the structure you got under was sturdy it wouldn't collapse and crush you. If you couldn't get under a table etc then to crouch in the fetal position with your arms over your head next to an external wall.

Standing in doorframes NOT advised as you need to be on the ground.

So...clear as mud then.

Am not too worried as if sat is anything to go by my brain just froze and with a 2 year old clinging round my next and a labrador squashing himself as close to me as he could plus the incredible shaking I couldnt move at all!

Hopefully anything less than 7.1 and the houses will still hold. Anything more than that youre probably toast no matter what you do...

Happy days.

ff

[KiwiChic]

I saw the Campbell live article too.
Grrr stupid conflicting info!
The triangle concept seems fairly sensible to me though. It would certainly protect you from large things (like ceilings) dropping on you - whereas being underneath a table or a bed would protect you from smaller things (like single bricks)dropping on you. Personally I'd just rather have no earthquakes at all, and not have to worry about what I'm going to hide underneath!

[Katriana]

http://canterburyearthquake.org.nz/2...-in-nz-9-30am/

The triangle of life has been totally discredited

[Soon2BSlim]

I like to check snopes out when there are emails doing the rounds. They are pretty good with finding out what's accurate and what's a hoax.

Anyway, they do have something on the earthquake information and I thought I would post the link here. It's fairly long but worth a read.

http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/household/triangle.asp

Louise

[mcpsych]

At least in nz you only have grass huts falling on you eh bro

[Katriana]

[KiwiChic]

Hi Admins - please delete this thread? Don't want to be supplying incorrect info!
Thanks.

[louise41]

Lets just hope there are no more quakes and you dont have to worry about where to go!

[Kohinoor]

Hi Kiwichic,

Hi Admins - please delete this thread? Don't want to be supplying incorrect info! Thanks.

Ah, you are good for suggesting that - IF it were wrong.... But, do note that even Snopes are having "two bob each way" on it. In short, we are still not sure there is a right, or a wrong, answer.

Just today, I was talking to my son about this very thing. He is in a relationship with a Taiwanese girl who is used to living with earthquakes. Her parents have taught her to "Stay OUT of doorways, but go crouch beside a big solid object" - like, the fridge, or the sofa.

When I was young, my Mum would tell me to go stand in a doorway, or jump under a table.

So, WHO is right?

No, Kiwichic, I won't be deleting this - instead, I want to THANK YOU for bringing up a very important point for discussion.

I'd earlier seen that same email, and, to me, he made a lot of sense. But then, so did others, who mentioned that you could well be "showered with small stuff" if you weren't under cover. And that is ALSO VALID !!!

It is too important a discussion point to delete, so let's leave it for more points of view. But, thank you for your integrity in wanting to remove "false information".

Koh

PS With further thought, it strikes me that there could be a bit of "tall poppy syndrome" coming into play with all of this "discrediting" talk. And, lets face it, we've just faced the whole alarmist "global warming" issue, with each side claiming the moral high ground. I suspect this is another example of such.... Me, I just want to know the FACTS so I can choose my survival rate for myself..... Whose facts are right????

[mcpsych]

I was always taught that in an emergency, the steps to take were Bldy Big Ones

[Kohinoor]

Hi KiwiChic,

Further to my earlier comment :-

But then, so did others, who mentioned that you could well be "showered with small stuff" if you weren't under cover.

... maybe a combination of the two is the RIGHT answer.

e.g. crouch, or lie, beside a big solid object, BUT also cover yourself with something that will protect you from those smaller missiles - blanket, mattress, panel of wood, etc.

Best of both worlds perhaps?

Koh