What to Do if An Earthquake Strikes

As the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission scrutinizes the safety of nuclear plants located on or around the many faults in the country, it's probably a good idea to review how to remain safe should an earthquake strike.

And that includes everyone, not just the Californians living near the San Andreas fault.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey National Seismic Hazards Project, 45 states and territories are at moderate to high risk of having an earthquake. And it turns out that Missouri, not California, claims the longest series of quakes, occurring in the 1800s. Three of the many quakes that rattled the Midwest over a three month period had magnitudes of 7.6, 7.7, and 7.9 on the Richter Scale, and were felt in Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Alabama, Arkansas, and Mississippi. Earthquakes have also shaken Alaska and Washington State, and have mildly rattled the Northeast.

In the Northeast, where I grew up and live, we don't get much education on earthquake preparedness, and all I could think of is heading to a doorway (see below for why this is not helpful). But in California, the mantra, drop, cover and hold on, is drummed into kids as young as toddlers. That means if you're in bed, grab a pillow to cover your head and curl up. Or duck under your desk if you're at work. This is why, according to the American Red Cross:

Most earthquake-related injuries and deaths result from collapsing walls, flying glass, and falling objects caused by the ground shaking. It is extremely important for a person to move as little as possible to reach the place of safety he or she has identified, because most injuries occur when people try to move more than a few feet during the shaking.

• If you're in an office building, stay away from windows and outside walls.
• Know the emergency exit route out of your office.
• Don't use an elevator, because you could get stuck if there's a power outage.
• Don't hunker down in a doorway for protection, the American Red Cross says. Doorways are not part of the structural integrity of buildings and offer no more protection than any other part of a building. And you could get hurt running to the doorway.
• Keep a flashlight, face mask to protect against dust, and sturdy shoes in your office.
• If you live in an area that has a higher risk of earthquakes, you might want to keep a full earthquake kit in your office.

But the Red Cross has strongly refuted this:

What the claims made by Mr. Copp of ARTI, Inc., does not seem to distinguish is that the recommendation to "drop, cover, and hold on!" is a U.S.-based recommendation based on U.S. Building Codes and construction standards. Much research in the United States has confirmed that "Drop, Cover, and Hold On!" has saved lives in the United States. Engineering researchers have demonstrated that very few buildings collapse or "pancake" in the U.S. as they might do in other countries.

most injuries were from falls caused by people trying to get out of their homes, or serious cuts and broken bones when people ran, barefooted, over broken glass. There were millions of people in...affected areas, and of those millions, many of them reported to have "dropped, covered, and held on" during the shaking of the earthquake.

The American Red Cross, being a U.S.-based organization, does not extend its recommendations to apply in other countries. What works here may not work elsewhere, so there is no dispute that the "void identification method" or the "Triangle of Life" may indeed be the best thing to teach in other countries where the risk of building collapse, even in moderate earthquakes, is great.

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