Are stairs safe during an earthquake?

Remain in place, wherever you are at the time of the earthquake. Strong earthquakes make it difficult to move around anyway, but make sure you wait it out until the shaking stops. After the earthquake has passed, only use the stairs if you need to get to a different floor.

Should I use the stairs during an earthquake?

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.

Is it better to be upstairs or downstairs during earthquake?

In major earthquakes, it is usually safer upstairs than being on ground level. It can be dangerous trying to run hastily downstairs.

What is the safest place to go during an earthquake?

COVER your head and neck (and your entire body if possible) underneath a sturdy table or desk. If there is no shelter nearby, get down near an interior wall or next to low-lying furniture that won't fall on you, and cover your head and neck with your arms and hands.

What is the safest place to be during an earthquake and why?

A. One can go under strong furniture. Under a strong table or bed, for example. Generally the experience has been that when a building collapses, and the roof falls on a table and you are sitting under the table you might survive.

SAFE STEPS: Earthquake

Where should I go in my house during an earthquake?

Drop, Cover, and Hold On in an Earthquake

If available, the safest place is under a strong table or desk. If no sturdy object is available, get next to an interior wall with no windows. Finally, HOLD ON to your shelter if you have one, as the temblor will likely involve great shaking.

What are the 5 steps during an earthquake?

What do you do in a 2 story house during an earthquake?

What should you not do during an earthquake?

Do and don'ts during earthquake?

If indoors

Stay away from glass, windows, outside doors and walls, and anything that could fall, (such as lighting fixtures or furniture). Stay in bed if you are there when the earthquake strikes. Hold on and protect your head with a pillow, unless you are under a heavy light fixture that could fall.

Will my house collapse in an earthquake?

What happens to your house? If it's a wood-frame house, as most houses in the Northwest are, it probably would not collapse, although your brick chimney might topple over. If your house is made of brick or concrete block, unreinforced by steel rebar, then the entire house might collapse.

What to do if you live in an upstairs apartment during an earthquake?

If you live in a high rise and are stuck because of an earthquake, here is what you should do. Drop to the ground and seek cover under a sturdy table or any heavy furniture. Hold your position until the trembling stops.

Is a car safe during an earthquake?

Your car is a safe place to be during an earthquake, as long as it is not in the path of anything that could be dangerous, like a bridge, power line, or pillar. Turn on the Radio: During an earthquake, instructions from the government or local authorities are broadcast over the radio.

Should you stand in a door during earthquake?

Injuries can be avoided if you drop to the ground before the earthquake drops you. DO NOT stand in a doorway: An enduring earthquake image of California is a collapsed adobe home with the door frame as the only standing part.

What should we do before an earthquake?

Secure heavy furniture, hanging plants, heavy pictures or mirrors. Keep flammable or hazardous liquids in cabinets or on lower shelves. Maintain emergency food, water and other supplies, including a flashlight, a portable battery-operated radio, extra batteries, medicines, first aid kit and clothing.

How long does an earthquake usually last?

How long do earthquakes last? Generally, only seconds. Strong ground shaking during a moderate to large earthquake typically lasts about 10 to 30 seconds. Readjustments in the earth cause more earthquakes (aftershocks) that can occur intermittently for weeks or months.

What are two things people should do during an earthquake?

Get under a desk or table and hang on to it (Drop, Cover, and Hold on!) or move into a hallway or against an inside wall. STAY CLEAR of windows, fireplaces, and heavy furniture or appliances. GET OUT of the kitchen, which is a dangerous place (things can fall on you).

Do trees fall during earthquakes?

Overhead items, street signs, poles, power lines, and trees may fall during an earthquake. If you stop your car, the risk of injury will be reduced.

Is it better to be inside or outside in an earthquake?

But experts have long warned the public against leaving a building and heading outdoors during a quake. The safest place to be as the earth moves is inside, protected from potentially crushing debris, drooping power lines, falling trees or building extremities that could crumble.

Is a basement safe during an earthquake?

While a powerful earthquake could be catastrophic, it's important to note that it's falling debris, and not the ground's movement, that causes most injuries and deaths. Basements are safe during an earthquake, but you shouldn't try to get there once the shaking starts.

Why is a high rise the safest place to be in an earthquake?

High-rise or low-rise, the design of any building would largely determine its survival during an earthquake. Modern high-rises, in low seismicity areas, are designed to withstand lateral loads, especially wind forces which may be much higher than those from earthquakes.

What to do before during and after the earthquake happens?

How are houses built to withstand earthquakes?

To withstand collapse, buildings must redistribute forces that travel through them during a seismic event. Shear walls, cross braces, diaphragms and moment-resisting frames are central to reinforcing a building. Shear walls are a useful building technology that can help transfer earthquake forces.

Why do you think one should go under a table during an earthquake?

During an earthquake, the house or the building can collapse and the bricks etc. can fall on the people and injure them, even causing their death. Therefore, if we would sit under a strong object like a table and hold it firmly. Was this answer helpful?

Can you feel earthquake while flying?

So, what happens to these seismic waves when you're high above the ground? Will you able to feel or hear the sound of the rumble in an airplane? The short answer is NO.