Next week is Shake Out, the annual Californian earthquake drill with over 10 million participants. In light of this, we have an earthquake special.
First things first: what to do in an earthquake:
DON'T: stop, drop and roll, unless you're on fire!
The "triangle of life" is a myth. While triangles are strong, its dangerous advice.
"DO NOT get in the "triangle of life": In recent years, an e-mail has been circulating which describes an alternative to the long-established "Drop, Cover, and Hold On" advice. The so-called "triangle of life" and some of the other actions recommended in the e-mail are potentially life threatening, and the credibility of the source of these recommendations has been broadly questioned"
We also talked about earthquake kits. Ideally you should have one for the home and car. You can build this yourself piece-by-piece or buy ready made ones. It's easy to get carried away with what you need to put in your kit, as we can't plan for every eventuality. Start with the scenario of being without running water, electricity or access to stores and think what you'd need to keep you going for 3 days.
The Red Cross has good recommendations on their website.
