How is it right to act to preserve our health and life in a natural and hard-to-predict disaster like an earthquake?
At first glance, the answer is simple. “Fire Safety and Protection of the Population” has made sure that all public places have a set of instructions with the most popular tips in a critical situation. Some of them, however, turn out to be outdated and given the new construction – creating a greater risk for those in distress.
There is hardly anyone in our country who is not familiar with these instructions, what we can do to save ourselves in a cataclysm.
If we can’t leave the building immediately, the usually recommended measures are to stand under the door frame or under a solid table as the quickest way.
For example, on the website of the National Service “Fire Safety and Protection of the Population” the following most urgent measures are listed when the first tremor is felt:
– You should not leave the building you are in, only do so if you think you can get outside for about 10 seconds.
– Take the safest place in the building – under the door frame, near an interior wall, column, under a stable table or bed.
– After the first vibrations the rocking will intensify, keep your composure and
don’t run to the elevators and stairs
– If you are on the street, stay away from buildings and power lines.
– If you feel a tremor behind the wheel, pull over in an open, safe place and wait.
– In public transport, it is better to wait for the end of the shaking in the vehicle.
However, it turns out that the problem is much more complicated, because according to construction experts, purely mechanical rewriting of these norms over the years will not only not help, but may turn out to be even more dangerous. What’s more, according to them, some of the most popular advice on how to protect yourself in an earthquake is completely wrong.
“During an earthquake, it is wrong to hide under the door frames, as advised by the Civil Protection. This is the weakest place in the wall, because above it is the so-called “crate”, which in brick buildings is strengthened by only 10 cm, and in monolithic construction with about 50-60 cm of cement.
In the event of a disaster, a strong X-shaped pressure occurs on it, and therefore, logically, there is the greatest probability of the wall splitting and collapsing,” warns Prof. Dr. Eng. Todor Barakov, long-time head of the department at UASG.
“Just the opposite of what is said – the stairs, especially in newer buildings,
are among the most sustainable places in buildings,
as they are usually additionally reinforced with concrete washers. In view of the weight of the ceilings, the advice to hide under the table also sounds ridiculous,” the construction engineer also shares.
The best tactic in an earthquake is to stand next to the thickest wall or supporting columns, as practice shows that when a building collapses, only the strongest building elements remain standing, he advises.
“As we saw from the reports and in Nepal, brick buildings predominate – there are concrete with brick filling, brick, and even adobe.
They are fastened with a clay mortar, which is not even mortar, and it has no strength whatsoever. Every single horizontal movement displaces the individual bricks and therefore the consequences are fatal.
But our experts from Civil Protection, without thinking, repeat worn-out and incorrect instructions.
How could they not think or at least ask civil engineers when they write them?! They advise people to stand under the door frames or hide under tables – well, that’s the easiest way to get buried by the remains…
Can a wooden table save you if the ceiling collapses, or will you just be buried under it?!”, the specialist indignant.
Construction quality is key to surviving a strong earthquake.
