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Earthquake Myths - What to Believe? |
What we know is that the United States is the fourth most disaster prone country preceded in order by China, India and Iran. But what do we really know about earthquakes? Debunking the myths.
Dogs and other animals can "sense" when an earthquake is going to strike. It's impossible to determine whether a dog is behaving in an unusual manner because it smells an earthquake coming or sees a cat across the street. Changes in animal behavior sometimes have been observed prior to earthquakes, but that behavior is not consistent, and sometimes there's no perceptible behavior change prior to an earthquake.
Earthquakes occur during "earthquake weather." The common misconception that earthquakes occur during hot and dry weather dates back to the ancient Greeks. Earthquakes take place miles underground, and can happen at any time in any weather.
Big earthquakes always occur early in the morning. Just as earthquakes don't care about the weather, they can't tell time. The 1940 Imperial Valley quake was at 9:36 p.m., the 1989 Loma Prieta quake at 5:02 p.m. People who perpetuate the time and weather myths tend to remember the earthquakes that fit the pattern and forget about the ones that don't.
California could fall into the sea because of an earthquake. The San Andreas Fault System is the dividing line between two tectonic plates. The Pacific Plate is moving in a northwesterly direction relative to the North American plate. The movement is horizontal, so while Los Angeles is moving toward San Francisco, California won't sink. However, earthquakes can cause landslides, slightly changing the shape of the coastline.
The ground can open up and swallow people. You've seen the image in books, movies and TV shows. That's not how it works. If a fault could open up, there wouldn't be any friction. Without friction, there's no earthquake. But earthquakes cause settling and other ground deformation that can include open fissures into which people, cars, etc., can fall.
Earthquake injuries are all from collapsing buildings. Many people think that all injuries in earthquakes are caused by collapsing buildings. Actually, most injuries in quakes are from objects that break or fall on people. For example, in the 1994 magnitude 6.7 Northridge earthquake, 55% of quake-related injuries were caused by falling objects, such as televisions, pictures and mirrors, and heavy light fixtures.
The safest place to be in an earthquake is under a doorway. That's true only if you live in an unreinforced adobe home. In a modern structure the doorway is no stronger than the rest of the building. Actually, you're more likely to be hurt (by the door swinging wildly) in a doorway. And in a public building, you could be in danger from people trying to hurry outside. If you're inside, get under a table or desk and hang on to it.
“Triangle of Life” is the new earthquake survival model. When a building collapses, the weight of the ceiling falls down on objects or furniture and crushes these objects, leaving a space or void next to them. This space has been termed the “Triangle of Life” and some believe this is where you should protect yourself in an earthquake based upon some questionable research in Turkey. The “drop, cover, and hold on” method is the best one to execute in the United States based on U. S. Building Codes and construction standards.
We have good building codes, so we must have good buildings. That's true -- provided you're talking about buildings constructed under current building codes. In the case of older buildings, retrofitting -- bringing the building up to modern standards -- is up to the building's owners. There are plenty of buildings in areas of California prone to seismic activities that were built under older codes.
Small earthquakes keep big ones from happening. Each magnitude level represents about 30 times more energy released. It takes 30 magnitude 3s to equal the energy released in a magnitude 4, 900 magnitude 3s to equal a magnitude 5 … and 729 billion magnitude 3s to equal a single magnitude 9. So while a small quake may temporarily ease stress on a fault line, it does not prevent a large temblor.
The magnitude of an earthquake determines whether disaster assistance is forthcoming. A magnitude 7 earthquake in the middle of the desert is likely to do less damage than a magnitude 6 in downtown Los Angeles or San Francisco. It is the magnitude of the damage, not the earthquake, which determines the level of response.
Earthquakes are becoming more frequent. Research shows that earthquakes of magnitude 7.0 or greater have remained fairly constant throughout the century and have actually decreased in recent years. However, since there are a greater number of seismological centers and instruments capable of locating many small earthquakes that went undetected in earlier years, it may seem as if there are more.
There's nothing I can do about earthquakes, so why worry about them? It's true that earthquakes can't be stopped, but you can be prepared. You can prepare an earthquake kit (food, water, flashlight, etc.), practice "duck, cover and hold" drills at home with your family and at work, and develop an earthquake plan (where would you meet family members if you weren't together when an earthquake hit?).
Do earthquakes cause volcanoes? No, there are different earth processes responsible for volcanoes. Earthquakes may occur in an area before, during, and after a volcanic eruption, but they are the result of the active forces connected with the eruption, and not the cause of volcanic activity.
Our local first responders will help us. Firefighters, police or paramedics may not be available to assist you due to the expanse of the earthquake and priority assignments.
You don’t need to worry about earthquakes – the government will save you. Many people wrongly believe that the U.S. Government will take care of all their financial needs if they suffer losses in an earthquake. The truth is that Federal disaster assistance is only available if the President formally declares a disaster. Even if you do get disaster assistance, it is usually a loan that you must repay, with interest, in addition to mortgages and other financial obligations you still owe, even on damaged property. If you don’t qualify for loans, grants may be available to you. However, these are only designed to meet your most immediate needs, not to replace your losses.
Homeowner’s insurance will cover any damage to my home or belongings caused by an earthquake. Most residential property insurance policies do not cover damage resulting from earthquakes. A separate earthquake insurance policy is one way to protect your home and the investments you have made in personal belongings. Investigate your options carefully to ensure that your assets are sufficiently protected (see http://earthquakeauthority.com).
If you turn your gas off you can turn it back on. If you turned your gas off due to a leak or the smell of gas, you must not turn it back on yourself. Call your local gas company and they will do it for you and re-light pilot lights on your appliances. If done improperly it is possible to damage the pressure regulator on the gas meter.
My area is NOT susceptible to earthquakes. Virtually every state in the United States is susceptible to earthquakes. While some areas are more notably prone to earthquakes (e.g. CA, WA, NY and TN), every state has some exposure to potential earthquake activity.
Sources for the above information include: California Geological Survey/California Geology, USGS, Arkansas Center for Earthquake Education and Technology Transfer, Governor's Office of Emergency Services, Federal Emergency Management Agency, National Science Foundation, Southern California Earthquake Center, American Red Cross, Center for Earthquake Research and Information/University of Memphis. |
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