How do I protect myself ?
Earthquakes can neither be avoided nor predicted. The most effective way to avoid damage from an earthquake is to be prepared for it. Earthquakes kill people mostly as a result of building or infrastructure collapse. Building properly, i.e. following best practice construction techniques, and knowing what to do before, during and after an earthquake are the only effective ways to protect yourself, your home, and your family. The “10 commandments” below are a summary of elements that can save lives. To apply them is to protect yourself.
Build properly:
1. Find out the level of threat for your home, your business, or your children’s school. In Haiti, this information is available from the Bureau of Mines and Energy. Remember that the threat is significant throughout the country – no place in Hait is exempt from earthquake shaking!
2. Find out about best practice in construction and build with common sense. In Haiti, this information is available from the Ministry of Public Works, which has produced simple illustrated guides. Even a simple one-storey block house, built by a master mason, can perform well in an earthquake – if the basic rules are applied. Chain-linked masonry is a simple technique, with minimal extra cost, and it saves lives. In Haiti, make your “boss maçon” use that technique!
3. If possible, use competent engineers/architects to design and build an earthquake-resistant house that adhere to a proper building code. Many engineering firms and/or architects in Haiti are familiar with earthquake-resistant construction and the standards. Ask them and demand that they apply them if they are to work for you!
Be prepared:
4. Stockpile emergency kit and supplies. After 12 January 2010, it took days for activities to resume normally. The kit should include a radio and its spare batteries, a torch with working batteries, drinking water, emergency medicines, food and equipment for a possible baby, a change of clothes, and possibly a sleeping bag or blankets. What was especially lacking in 2010 was electricity – hence the need for hand-cranked torches!
5. Secure your home. This means making sure that furniture, televisions, etc. cannot hurt you when they fall due to ground vibrations. They should therefore be secured to the walls.
6. Decide on a family contingency plan that determines (1) if at home, where the safest places to take shelter if the earth shakes, and (2) if outside, how to get in touch with family members, e.g. through people outside the immediate family.
7. Ask the headmaster of your children’s school if it is earthquake resistant and if it has evacuation and contingency plans in case of an earthquake.
React appropriately:
8. Outside: stay there, away from buildings or any infrastructure where debris could hurt you.
9. Inside: protect yourself under a table, a strong desk, a doorway, under your bed. Only go outside if you are very close to a safe exit. In a major earthquake it is very difficult to stand and run!
10. Expect aftershocks, which will be frequent in the first few days and can last for months. Buildings that are damaged but still standing are potential traps as they can collapse in the event of a strong aftershock. They should not be occupied until their safety has been validated by experts.
11. After the earthquake, stay informed. You can also share your experience on LastQuake, which is an earthquake information system that relies on detecting the online reaction of people who have felt an earthquake.