Earthquake Survival: Drop, Cover, Hold or Triangle of Life

October 21, 2013 by

After the 7.2 magnitude earthquake that hit the Central Visayan regions, a post about the triangle of life earthquake tip started circulating again in social media networks.   Now, we all grew up being told that when an earthquake strikes, we must duck under a sturdy desk to avoid getting hit by any falling object or debris from the ceiling.  The triangle of life disputes this practice claiming that in many of their rescue and retrieval operations after earthquakes, those who hid under tables did not survive and were even squished to death.  According to this theory, the best way one can survive is to stay as low as you can beside a furniture – that’s beside not under.

However, the Red Cross still maintains that we should DROP, COVER, HOLD during an earthquake.  These infographics were posted on the Dick Gordon Facebook Page and I want to share them with you for you to understand both methods and decide for yourself which one you should follow during an earthquake.

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Safest and Deadliest Places according to the Triangle of Life Theory

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What to do During An Earthquake According to RED CROSS

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Images from: https://www.facebook.com/senatorgordon

Both methods have their merits so it’s really hard to choose which one to follow.  I guess what we could do is to survey our homes to find out which areas pose much danger or are likely to collapse.  Knowing which furniture are also sturdy enough to hold concrete slabs or wooden ceilings would help you decide where to take cover.

The best thing we all could do now is to prepare our homes and our families for disasters like this.  Aside from checking the structural soundness of your house, conduct regular earthquake drills so everyone will know what to do in case it does happen.  Do remember that no one can predict exactly when an earthquake will happen so it is best to be prepared always.

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Bohol and other Central Visayas provinces gravely affected by the earthquake are still in need of help. Please go to http://www.redcross.org.ph/donate to donate to the Philippine Red Cross which is continuously helping with rescue and relief operations in the affected regions.

Filed Under: House Matters Tagged With: ,

Our Calamity Kit

March 29, 2011 by

 With devastating earthquakes occuring one after another in various parts of the world,  we are in constant fear of the said “big one” here in our country.  Our house lies a few meters away from an active faultline, so we take earthquake preparedness seriously.

 

As a family, we have discussed where we are to meet in case we are separated during any calamity.  For those of us who are always at home, we have set a location in the house where we are to congregate when an earthquake strikes.  We have also prepared emergency boxes for each family.  Our calamity kit includes:

  • Food
    • 2 foil packs of formula milk
    • 4 tetra packs of natural fruit juice
    • biscuits/crackers/oatmeal cookies
    • 2 cans of pineapple tidbits
    • 2 cans of vienna sausage
    • 2 cans of tuna
    • 6 sachets of nesvita
    • water
  • Clothing
    • one set of clothes for each person
    • jackets for the toddlers
    • 2 packs 4-pc diapers for the toddlers
    • face towels
  • Medicines & First Aid
    • paracetamol
    • antibiotic
    • hydrasec & erceflora (for diarrhea)
    • antihistamine & anti-allergy
    • betadine & hydrogen peroxide
    • bandages/band-aids/sterile gauze
  • Emergency Essentials
    • batteries
    • flashlight
    • swiss knife

 

 I’ve just recently read “Preparing for Disasters”, an article on survival written by Erika Sauler, and have now found out that we lack a few more essentials.  We need a quick trip to the mall to purchase these items:

  • chocolate bars – these are great sources of energy
  • honey – it serves a dual purpose of providing nutrition and disinfecting wounds
  • condoms – they apparently can be used to transport water and keep electronic gadgets secure
  • crank radio – an AM frequency radio that does not need batteries
  • signalling devices – mirror and whistle
  • duct tape – it sticks to most surfaces, is waterproof, and can also be used to seal the house in case of radioactive fallout

 

 From the same article, I also learned that Betadine can be used to purify water for drinking.  You’d only need 4 drops of the iodine solution for every liter of water.  You then have to wait for 30 minutes for the organisms to be killed before the water is safe enough for drinking.  They have stated though that this is not advisable for pregnant women.

There are a lot more survival tips in the article  and I recommend you go over it.  It just might save your life when disaster strikes.

Filed Under: Mom's Corner Tagged With: , ,