Rick Johnson
I'm sure this is like many situations, the best answer depends on
circumstances. The primary consideration in this case being, are you in
a structure built to modern earthquake codes? If so, DCHOT will probably
be most effective in preventing you from being injured by the primary
hazard - falling objects such as light fixtures, etc.
However, if you're in a severe earthquake and in an older collapse prone
structure the Triangle of Life will likely be a better option. The
reality is you will know at the moment only one of those factors and you
will have to make a quick decision about what your greatest danger is.
The American Red Cross guidelines attempt to simplify advise in
consideration of averages. But you as an individual are better
positioned to know if your situation is average or not.
I've been in quite a few earthquakes. Each one is different in
intensity, type of movement and duration. They can occur any time; in
the middle of the night, while driving, when you're eating breakfast.
But they're all the same in that you get no warning and no idea how bad
it will be when it starts.
A wise person will consider their environmental hazards ahead of time
because when the earth starts bucking you won't have the luxury of
thinking about it for very long.
Rick
Rick Johnson
Bend Oregon
* * *
Liberal intercourse - founding father approved since 1796
On 3/17/2011 9:32 AM, Mark J. Ginsberg wrote:
> What Kevin said.
>
> DCHOT is the current preferred model, Duck Cover Hold On Tight. some
> places don't use the T.
>
> safety people get all hot and bothers b/c they don't like the T of Life.
>
> How about shoes next to your bed, b/c if/when the earthquake happens,
> glass will be everywhere and you'll be wanting shoes to get around.
>
> but if you want info Portland and other places have a ton. To Wit:
> http://www.pdxprepared.net/72hour.php
>
> Mark
> Mark J. Ginsberg
> Berkshire Ginsberg, LLC
> Attorneys At Law
> 1216 SE Belmont St.
> Portland, OR 97214
> (503) 542-3000
> Fax (503) 233-6874
> markjginsberg@yahoo.com
> www.bikesafetylaw.com
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> *From:* Kevin
> *To:* steve marcy ; obra@list.obra.org
> *Sent:* Wed, March 16, 2011 10:17:37 PM
> *Subject:* Re: [OBRA Chat] Triangle of Life - quick read & worthy
>
>
> Here's what Snopes says about this:
>
> http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/household/triangle.asp
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> *From:* steve marcy
> *To:* obra@list.obra.org
> *Sent:* Wed, March 16, 2011 10:06:02 PM
> *Subject:* [OBRA Chat] Triangle of Life - quick read & worthy
>
> *This is great info and particularly good timing while the devastation
> of this type of tragic event is fresh in our minds.*
>
>
> GREAT INFO. about protecting yourself in an earthquake!
>
> EXTRACT FROM DOUG COPP'S ARTICLE ON THE: "TRIANGLE OF LIFE"
>
> My name is Doug Copp. I am the Rescue Chief and Disaster Manager of
> the American Rescue Team International (ARTI), the world's most
> experienced rescue team. The information in this article will save
> lives in an earthquake.
>
> I have crawled inside 875 collapsed buildings, worked with rescue
> teams from 60 countries, founded rescue teams in several countries,
> and I am a member of many rescue teams from many countries...
>
> I was the United Nations expert in Disaster Mitigation for two years..
> I have worked at every major disaster in the world since 1985, except
> for simultaneous disasters.
>
> The first building I ever crawled inside of was a school in Mexico
> City during the 1985 earthquake. Every child was under its desk. Every
> child was crushed to the thickness of their bones. They could have
> survived by lying down next to their desks in the aisles. It was
> obscene, unnecessary and I wondered why the children were not in the
> aisles. I didn't at the time know that the children were told to hide
> under something.
>
> Simply stated, when buildings collapse, the weight of the ceilings
> falling upon the objects or furniture inside crushes these objects,
> leaving a space or void next to them. This space is what I call the
> "triangle of life".
>
> The larger the object, the stronger, the less it will compact. The
> less the object compacts, the larger the void, the greater the
> probability that the person who is using this void for safety will not
> be injured. The next time you watch collapsed buildings, on
> television, count the "triangles" you see formed. They are everywhere.
> It is the most common shape, you will see, in a collapsed building.
>
> TIPS FOR EARTHQUAKE SAFETY
>
> 1) Most everyone who simply "ducks and covers" WHEN BUILDINGS COLLAPSE
> are crushed to death. People who get under objects, like desks or
> cars, are crushed.
>
> 2) Cats, dogs and babies often naturally curl up in the fetal
> position. You should too in an earthquake... It is a natural
> safety/survival instinct. You can survive in a smaller void. Get next
> to an object, next to a sofa, next to a large bulky object that will
> compress slightly but leave a void next to it.
>
> 3) Wooden buildings are the safest type of construction to be in
> during an earthquake. Wood is flexible and moves with the force of the
> earthquake. If the wooden building does collapse, large survival voids
> are created.. Also, the wooden building has less concentrated,
> crushing weight. Brick buildings will break into individual bricks.
> Bricks will cause many injuries but less squashed bodies than concrete
> slabs.
>
> 4) If you are in bed during the night and an earthquake occurs, simply
> roll off the bed. A safe void will exist around the bed. Hotels can
> achieve a much greater survival rate in earthquakes, simply by posting
> a sign on The back of the door of every room telling occupants to lie
> down on the floor, next to the bottom of the bed during an earthquake.
>
> 5) If an earthquake happens and you cannot easily escape by getting
> out the door or window, then lie down and curl up in the fetal
> position next to a sofa, or large chair.
>
> 6) Most everyone who gets under a doorway when buildings collapse is
> killed. How? If you stand under a doorway and the doorjamb falls
> forward or backward you will be crushed by the ceiling above. If the
> door jam falls sideways you will be cut in half by the doorway. In
> either case, you will be killed!
>
> 7) Never go to the stairs. The stairs have a different "moment of
> frequency" (they swing separately from the main part of the building).
> The stairs and remainder of the building continuously bump into each
> other until structural failure of the stairs takes place. The people
> who get on stairs before they fail are chopped up by the stair treads
> - horribly mutilated. Even if the building doesn't collapse, stay away
> from the stairs. The stairs are a likely part of the building to be
> damaged. Even if the stairs are not collapsed by the earthquake, they
> may collapse later when overloaded by fleeing people. They should
> always be checked for safety, even when the rest of the building is
> not damaged.
>
> 8) Get Near the Outer Walls Of Buildings Or Outside Of Them If
> Possible - It is much better to be near the outside of the building
> rather than the interior. The farther inside you are from the outside
> perimeter of the building the greater the probability that your escape
> route will be blocked.
>
> 9) People inside of their vehicles are crushed when the road above
> falls in an earthquake and crushes their vehicles; which is exactly
> what happened with the slabs between the decks of the Nimitz
> Freeway... The victims of the San Francisco earthquake all stayed
> inside of their vehicles. They were all killed. They could have easily
> survived by getting out and sitting or lying next to their vehicles.
> Everyone killed would have survived if they had been able to get out
> of their cars and sit or lie next to them. All the crushed cars had
> voids 3 feet high next to them, except for the cars that had columns
> fall directly across them.
>
> 10) I discovered, while crawling inside of collapsed newspaper offices
> and other offices with a lot of paper, that paper does not compact.
> Large voids are found surrounding stacks of paper.
>
> Spread the word and save someone's life... The Entire world is
> experiencing natural calamities so be prepared!
>
> "We are but angels with one wing, it takes two to fly".
>
> In 1996 we made a film, which proved my survival methodology to be
> correct. The Turkish Federal Government, City of Istanbul , University
> of Istanbul Case Productions and ARTI cooperated to film this
> practical, scientific test. We collapsed a school and a home with 20
> mannequins inside. Ten mannequins did "duck and cover," and ten
> mannequins I used in my "triangle of life" survival method. After the
> simulated earthquake collapse we crawled through the rubble and
> entered the building to film and document the results. The film, in
> which I practiced my survival techniques under directly observable,
> scientific conditions, relevant to building collapse, showed there
> would have been zero percent survival for those doing duck and cover.
> There would likely have been 100 percent survivability for people
> using my method of the "triangle of life." This film has been seen by
> millions of viewers on television in Turkey and the rest of Europe,
> and it was seen in the USA, Canada and Latin America on the TV program
> Real TV.
>
> Marcy Commercial Real Estate
> www.marcycre.com
> steve@marcycre.com
>
>
>
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