How do you use your 45 seconds?
There is actually a clear, concise and actionable answer to this question:
- Hide under the nearest table or desk (if you are at home or in the office).
- Grab the nearest pole or handrail (if you are on a train).
The basic idea is that the most common cause of death in an earthquake is being crushed by falling objects, so you should use every second to minimize the risk.
Here are a few common mistakes:
- Do not attempt to stop furniture from falling (you'll get crushed by it)
- Do not try to run outside (you'll get hurt by falling walls)
- Do not try to turn off the gas (most systems have automatic shutoffs)
- And for Catfish's sake, do not use your precious 45 seconds to open the social media.
If it were 8+ or somewhat closer, I'd get under my desk. (then pull up social media on my phone)
I'm a kiwi and that's what I was taught. We're also ring of fire dwellers.
Maybe turn off any gas stove, secure any dangerous tools, stop your car, that kind of thing.
In practice for anything short of the very biggest earthquakes, if you're close enough for the earthquake to truly be a big deal you're only getting a few seconds of warning. It's not a task list, it's stop doing the immediate dangerous thing you might be doing and grab immediate cover.
For me I always just turn on iPhone screen recording and marvel at this amazing app and wish we had something like this in California.
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/myshake-earthquake-alerts/id14...