How to stay safe during earthquake

How to stay safe during earthquake

Deadliest and largest quakes

247 people were reported killed and dozens more were missing or feared dead after a magnitude 6.2 earthquake and a series of aftershocks struck several towns in central Italy on August 24, 2016. On the same day, a powerful earthquake of 6.8 magnitude struck central Myanmar, killing 3 people and shaking buildings across the Southeast Asian nation and the region. Tremors were felt as far away as Bangkok, where witnesses reported high rise buildings swaying, and the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka.

PanARMENIAN.Net - Earthquakes release huge amounts of energy and are incredibly dangerous to human life, especially if they trigger tsunamis or are centered near areas of high population.

An earthquake is the perceptible shaking of the surface of the Earth, resulting from the sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. Scientists can predict where major temblors might occur in a general sense, but research does not yet allow forecasts for specific locations or accurate predictions of timing. Major earthquakes, some generating tsunamis, have leveled entire cities and affected whole countries. Relatively minor earthquakes can also be induced, or caused by human activity, including extraction of minerals from Earth and the collapse of large buildings.

In earthquake-prone countries, like Japan, people have emergency kits that include all the supplies a family will need to stay safe and healthy for up to three days after the disaster. The kit consist of food, water, medicine, a flashlight, a whistle, and shoes (in case there is any broken glass, plates, or anything else you could step on with bare feet and injure yourself). Here are some safety tips if shaking begins

-Drop down; take cover under a desk or table and hold on.

-Stay indoors until the shaking stops and you're sure it's safe to exit.

-Stay away from bookcases or furniture that can fall on you.

-Stay away from windows. In a high-rise building, expect the fire alarms and sprinklers to go off during a quake.

-If you are in bed, hold on and stay there, protecting your head with a pillow.

-If you are outdoors, find a clear spot away from buildings, trees, and power lines. Drop to the ground.

-If you are in a car, slow down and drive to a clear place. Stay in the car until the shaking stops.

Massive earthquakes can trigger tsunamis that can be even more devastating than the shaking itself. The most destructive tsunamis are generated from large, shallow earthquakes with an epicenter or fault line near or on the ocean floor.

These usually occur in regions of the earth characterized by tectonic subduction along tectonic plate boundaries. The high seismicity of such regions is caused by the collision of tectonic plates. When these plates move past each other, they cause large earthquakes, which tilt, offset, or displace large areas of the ocean floor from a few kilometers to as much as a 1,000 km or more. The sudden vertical displacements over such large areas, disturb the ocean's surface, displace water, and generate destructive tsunami waves. The waves can travel great distances from the source region, spreading destruction along their path. More than 80% of the world's tsunamis occur in the Pacific along its Ring of Fire subduction zones.

The deadliest quake of all time occurred nearly 450 years ago. Centered in China's central Shaanxi province, the 1556 quake claimed the lives of some 830,000 people. Measuring 8.0 on the Richter scale, the geological effects with the earthquake included ground fissures, uplift, subsidence, liquefaction and landslides. The structures were utterly unable to withstand a quake of such force, and massive landslides contributed to the casualties. An area some 500 miles wide was wiped out.

The world's largest earthquake with an instrumentally documented magnitude occurred on May 22, 1960 near Valdivia, in southern Chile. It was assigned a magnitude of 9.5 by the United States Geological Survey. It is referred to as the "Great Chilean Earthquake" and the "1960 Valdivia Earthquake." The earthquake occurred beneath the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Chile. Ground motion from this earthquake destroyed or damaged thousands of buildings. The Chilean government estimated that about 2,000,000 people were left homeless. It was fortunate that the earthquake occurred in the middle of the afternoon and was preceded by a powerful foreshock. That foreshock frightened most people from their buildings, placing them outside when the main earthquake occurred. There are many different casualty estimates for this earthquake, ranging from 1000 to 6000.

This can also be useful:What you should know about tornadoes

Lusine Mkrtumova / PanARMENIAN.Net
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