Safety Measures Against Earthquakes
Earthquakes do not give any warning before they strike. It is therefore important that we take some steps to protect ourselves beforehand. Let us look at some things that we can do as safeguards before an earthquake hits.
Safety Measures in Seismic Zones
- Homes constructed in these zones need to get the home plan approved by a professional architect or a structural
- Roofs of houses built should be very light and walls should be made up of mud or timber. Unlike homes made from stone or brick or concrete, which are heavy, the lighter structures ensure that even if the house collapses during an earthquake, the damage is
General Safety Measures
- Heavy objects should not be kept at a height from which they can easily
- Cupboards and shelves should be attached or fixed to the wall. They should not be simply kept in support with the wall such that with a tremor, they fall off
- Gadgets like water purifiers or water heaters and glass frames or clocks should be fixed to the walls properly so that chances of them falling, would
- During an earthquake, many other accidents can occur simultaneously. This is because homes are equipped with cooking gas cylinders, with electronic gadgets and also the wires that run throughout the buildings, resulting in unexpected fire accidents. Hence, every building should have a fire
Safety Measures During an Earthquake
- First and foremost, we should not
- If travelling in any vehicle like a car or a bus, we should try and remain inside the vehicle
- If travelling on a two-wheeler like a bike or a bicycle, we need to search for a safe spot like an open ground or any open
- When outside, avoid taking shelter of trees, power lines and huge buildings because the tremor can cause these structures to
- If we are inside the house, the first thing we should try doing is coming out of the house to open
- Do not take the lift to reach the ground floor. The next best thing to do is to take shelter under a tabletop, making sure that it is not near a huge cupboard or a heavy object.
- We can also lie down straight on the bed on our stomach, with a pillow covering our head. Make sure that the bed is not placed next to a cupboard or any tall and heavy object. Do not get up until the tremor
 Summary
| Safety Measures Against Earthquakes | Heavy objects should not be kept at a height from which they can easily fall.
Cupboards and shelves should be attached or fixed to the wall. They should not be simply kept in support with the wall such that with a tremor, they fall off easily. |
| Safety Measures During an Earthquake | First and foremost, we should not panic.
If travelling in any vehicle like a car or a bus, we should try and remain inside the vehicle itself. If travelling on a two-wheeler like a bike or a bicycle, we need to search for a safe spot like an open ground or any open space. |
Did you know?
Most earthquakes in the world occur in Japan. The entire country is in a very active seismic zone.
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