A number of readers responded to my last column about earthquake preparedness with questions about what steps they could take to get ready.
Questions ranged from what the contents of an emergency go bag should be, what one should do if living in a highrise apartment rather than a detached frame house, what to do if kids are involved and so on.
I’m not a disaster expert and this isn’t a comprehensive guide, so the first thing everyone should do is become informed.
Canada records about 5,000 earthquakes a year. The vast majority of them are inconsequential, but the sheer number of seismic events is evidence of how active various regions of the country are. We happen to live in one of the most active zones.
B.C. is home to some of the best earth scientists on the planet, many of whom make careers at the Pacific Geosciences Centre of studying forces that trigger earthquakes along the West Coast where a number of huge plates of rock are having a slow motion collision.
Natural Resources Canada’s earthquake site earthquakescanada.nrcan.gc.ca/index-eng.php?tpl_region=west or the U.S. Geological Survey’s constantly updating map of the world’s seismic events earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map/ are good places to begin.
Getting informed provides parents with a teaching tool for demystifying earthquakes for youngsters. It creates an opportunity for talking calmly about what to do if a really big earthquake occurs. And it provides a way into engage kids in designing a sensible family disaster plan that they own and that empowers them to adapt to different scenarios, including those where adults may not be immediately available to take charge.
So the first thing do is to have a plan. The second thing is prepare.
Once again, there’s plenty of advice on the Web about what to do. One of the best sites is the federal government’s self-help page at www.getprepared.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/pblctns/rthqks-wtd/ which provides detailed information about what to expect and what you need to cope with it.
A lot of this is common sense. Most of us would recognize right away that water, food, rudimentary shelter, first aid kit, a change of clothing and simple tools like a knife, cord, flashlight and radio are essentials.
But some of it is counter-intuitive. For example, never try to flee a building during an earthquake. Whether you’re in a bedroom in your mobile home or on the 24th floor of a highrise, your safest option is to fall to your hands and knees and get under the nearest cover — a desk, a table — hang on and ride it out.
If there’s nothing to get under, crouch or lie as close as you can to a solid interior wall, a corner or a low piece of furniture that won’t fall on you. These are the spaces most likely to remain intact even if a building collapses. Stay out of doorways unless you want to get clobbered by a swinging door knob.
And while it seems obvious to secure heavy furniture to a wall stud and to latch kitchen cabinets so contents stay inside during a shake, many people don’t think about where they spend most of their time when they’re at home — in bed. So, don’t leave framed art work, heavy fixtures or ornaments on walls, shelves or night tables where they can brain you. Closing curtains or drapes at night will prevent broken glass from spraying into a room.
If you’re outdoors, the advice is to not seek shelter in doorways but to get away from buildings quickly and into the most open space you can find. In a big earthquake, some of the first things to go flying are chimneys, decorative brick facings and masonry, heavy roof tiles and glass from upper storey windows popping from their frames. More casualties are attributed to falling debris than collapsing structures and near exterior walls is the most dangerous spot to be.
If you’re in an elevator when the building starts to sway, the advice is to hit every button on the panel and get out as soon as it stops — you’re safer in a corridor than an elevator shaft. If you’re in your car, pull over, turn off the engine, get your head below the window frame and stay inside. Avoid bridges and overpasses, they tend to collapse.
Emergency Management BC provides detailed advice in the form of downloadable files at embc.gov.bc.ca/em/hazard_preparedness/earthquake_information.html and is well worth a visit online. Those is living in low-lying areas, particularly in river estuaries, are susceptible to special hazards from tsunamis — the fast-moving surges generated by submarine earthquakes — and the provincial government has a manual about what to expect and what to do embc.gov.bc.ca/em/hazard_preparedness/Earthquake_and_Tsunami_Smart_Manual.pdf in a format that can be easily downloaded.
The Red Cross offers advice at redcross.ca/what-we-do/emergencies-and-disasters-in-canada/for-home-and-family and the University of Canterbury in New Zealand has a site with a tip sheet about how to help kids cope in the aftermath of an earthquake, at ir.canterbury.ac.nz/bitstream/10092/5215/1/12630286_Children%27s%20stress-final.pdf
None of this requires big budget outlays. It just requires paying attention, thinking about the hazards and taking a few steps to mitigate them.
Nothing will make any of us a hundred per cent safe but one’s risk remains at 100 per cent as long as we don’t do anything.
A basic emergency “Go Bag” for home, office or car
Water — at least two litres of water per person per day. Include small bottles that can be carried easily in case of an evacuation order
Food that won’t spoil such as tins, energy bars and dried foods (remember to cycle through the food and water once a year)
Manual can opener
Wind-up or battery-powered flashlight and radio
Extra batteries (remember to check expiry dates)
First aid kit
Special items such as prescription medications, infant formula and equipment for people with disabilities
Extra keys to car and house
Cash in small bills and change for pay phones
A copy of your emergency plan and contact information
More extensive home survival kit — keep it in a place that’s easily accessible
First aid kit and instruction book
Outdoor survival manual
Shelter — tarp or small tent, space blankets,
Rope, duct tape, a crowbar or pry bar, 40-litre plastic pail or garbage can with a lid — you can use it to store gear or line it with a plastic bag for use as an emergency toilet
Box of large garbage plastic garbage bags — they can be used to make rainproof ponchos
Water — four litres per day per person in tight-lidded shatterproof containers. For 72 hours you need 12 litres per person.
Water purification tablets
Non-perishable food sufficient for 72 hours and a manual can opener
Flashlight and batteries — keep a flashlight by the bed with spare batteries in the kit
Radio and batteries — stored separately in waterproof bags
A week’s supply of any essential medication, a written list of medication and dosages, a copy of your prescription for eyeglasses and spares.
Supplies for infants, seniors or family members with special needs
Personal toiletry items
Earthquake buddies — familiar stuffies, toys or games for young children
Sturdy shoes — keep them under the bed
A sturdy knife
Cash in small denominations and coins