Earthquake Awareness
INTRODUCTION
Earthquakes, especially major
ones, are dangerous, inevitable, and a fact of life in some parts of the United States.
Sooner or later another “big one” will occur.
Earthquakes:
It describes:
Earthquake Safety Guide for Homeowners 1
*For the purpose of this document, “home” includes: single-family residences, duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes.
Source: Earthquake Safety Guide for Homeowners - FEMA 530 September 2005
To read full article please click this page or go to www.fema.gov
Earthquakes:
- Occur without warning
- Can be deadly and extremely destructive
- Can occur at any time
- In a 2000 study titled HAZUS 99: Average Annual Earthquake Losses for the United States, FEMA estimated U.S. losses from earthquakes at $4.4 billion per year.
- Large earthquakes in or near major urban centers will disrupt the local economy and can disrupt the economy of an entire state.
- Save lives
- Reduce injuries
- Reduce property damage
It describes:
- Common weaknesses that can result in your home being damaged by earthquakes, and
- Steps you can take to correct these weaknesses.
Earthquake Safety Guide for Homeowners 1
*For the purpose of this document, “home” includes: single-family residences, duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes.
Source: Earthquake Safety Guide for Homeowners - FEMA 530 September 2005
To read full article please click this page or go to www.fema.gov
WHAT TO DO DURING AN EARTHQUAKE
1. IF YOU ARE INDOORS—STAY
THERE! “DROP, COVER, AND HOLD ON.” Get under a sturdy desk or table and
hang on to it, or move into a hallway or get against an inside wall. Stay clear
of windows, fireplaces, and heavy furniture or appliances.
Get out of the kitchen, which is a
dangerous place in earthquakes since it’s full of things that can fall on you. Don’t run downstairs or rush outside
while the building is
shaking or while there is danger of falling and hurting yourself or being hit
by falling glass or debris.
2. IF YOU ARE OUTSIDE--GET INTO THE OPEN, away from buildings, power lines, chimneys, and anything else that might fall on you.
3. IF YOU ARE DRIVING--STOP, but carefully. Move your car as far out of traffic as possible. Do not stop on or under a bridge or overpass or under trees, light posts, power lines, or signs. Stay inside your car until the shaking stops. When you resume driving, watch for breaks in the pavement, fallen rocks, and bumps in the road.
4. IF YOU ARE ON OR NEAR A STEEP HILLSIDE, WATCH OUT FOR LANDSLIDES, falling rock, trees, and other debris that could be loosenedby earthquakes.
If You Feel a Strong Earthquake or Receive a Tsunami Warning When You are on the Coast
1. DROP, COVER, AND HOLD ON. Watch for falling objects until the earthquake is over.
2. MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND or inland away from the coast immediately. A tsunami may be coming. Go on foot if possible. The first waves may reach the coast within minutes after the ground shaking stops. The first wave is almost never the largest. Later waves may be spaced tens of minutes apart and can continue arriving for many hours.
3. THERE MAY BE NO TIME FOR AUTHORITIES TO ISSUE A WARNING. If you do not hear an evacuation announcement, but noticea sudden drop or rise in water level or hear a loud noise comingfrom the water, nature may be warning you of impending danger.
4. STAY AWAY FROM THE COAST. Do not return to the shore after the first wave. Waves may continue to arrive for hours.
5. LISTEN TO A RADIO FOR AN “ALL CLEAR” before returning to the shore.
Source: Earthquake Safety Guide for Homeowners - FEMA 530 September 2005
To read full article please click this page or go to www.fema.gov
2. IF YOU ARE OUTSIDE--GET INTO THE OPEN, away from buildings, power lines, chimneys, and anything else that might fall on you.
3. IF YOU ARE DRIVING--STOP, but carefully. Move your car as far out of traffic as possible. Do not stop on or under a bridge or overpass or under trees, light posts, power lines, or signs. Stay inside your car until the shaking stops. When you resume driving, watch for breaks in the pavement, fallen rocks, and bumps in the road.
4. IF YOU ARE ON OR NEAR A STEEP HILLSIDE, WATCH OUT FOR LANDSLIDES, falling rock, trees, and other debris that could be loosenedby earthquakes.
If You Feel a Strong Earthquake or Receive a Tsunami Warning When You are on the Coast
1. DROP, COVER, AND HOLD ON. Watch for falling objects until the earthquake is over.
2. MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND or inland away from the coast immediately. A tsunami may be coming. Go on foot if possible. The first waves may reach the coast within minutes after the ground shaking stops. The first wave is almost never the largest. Later waves may be spaced tens of minutes apart and can continue arriving for many hours.
3. THERE MAY BE NO TIME FOR AUTHORITIES TO ISSUE A WARNING. If you do not hear an evacuation announcement, but noticea sudden drop or rise in water level or hear a loud noise comingfrom the water, nature may be warning you of impending danger.
4. STAY AWAY FROM THE COAST. Do not return to the shore after the first wave. Waves may continue to arrive for hours.
5. LISTEN TO A RADIO FOR AN “ALL CLEAR” before returning to the shore.
Source: Earthquake Safety Guide for Homeowners - FEMA 530 September 2005
To read full article please click this page or go to www.fema.gov
EARTHQUAKE WEAKNESSES
IDENTIFY WEAKNESSES
4 Earthquake Safety Guide for Homeowners
The earthquake weaknesses identified in this section, if not corrected, can result in one or more of the following:
- Injury to occupants
- Severe damage to your home
- Broken gas and utility lines
- Fires from broken gas lines
- Damage to floors, walls, and windows
- Damage to the contents in the house
- Damage to the foundations
Please remember that:
- Retrofitting before an earthquake is relatively cheap.
- Doing major structural repairs to your home after an earthquake is very expensive.
- Sometimes the damage is extensive enough to require the entire house to be demolished.
- After an earthquake, there is usually a shortage of available licensed contractors and engineers in the impacted area, because of the sudden high demand for their services.
- An appropriate seismic retrofit will reduce damage and save you money.
Please consult your local Building Department and/or a licensed architect or engineer for more detailed information.
Source: Earthquake Safety Guide for Homeowners - FEMA 530 September 2005
To read full article please click this page or go to www.fema.gov
4 Earthquake Safety Guide for Homeowners
The earthquake weaknesses identified in this section, if not corrected, can result in one or more of the following:
- Injury to occupants
- Severe damage to your home
- Broken gas and utility lines
- Fires from broken gas lines
- Damage to floors, walls, and windows
- Damage to the contents in the house
- Damage to the foundations
Please remember that:
- Retrofitting before an earthquake is relatively cheap.
- Doing major structural repairs to your home after an earthquake is very expensive.
- Sometimes the damage is extensive enough to require the entire house to be demolished.
- After an earthquake, there is usually a shortage of available licensed contractors and engineers in the impacted area, because of the sudden high demand for their services.
- An appropriate seismic retrofit will reduce damage and save you money.
Please consult your local Building Department and/or a licensed architect or engineer for more detailed information.
Source: Earthquake Safety Guide for Homeowners - FEMA 530 September 2005
To read full article please click this page or go to www.fema.gov
Earthquake Safety Guide for Homeowners
Click the PDF file
| earthquake_awareness.pdf |
Lehigh Construction Company
714 South Plymouth Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90005
T: (323) 931-1306 F: (323) 931-2033
email: [email protected]
714 South Plymouth Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90005
T: (323) 931-1306 F: (323) 931-2033
email: [email protected]
