Triangle of Life Video

Duck & Cover! - Nuclear War advice from the 40's and 50's

A new earthquake safety video is making the rounds of preparedness sites. It is called the Triangle of Life by Doug Copp of American Rescue Team International of San Francisco.
www.amerrescue.org/triangleoflife.htm

Doug Copp wants people to know that duck and cover is deadly for earthquakes. If you hide under something, you may be squeezed to death when something heavy falls on your cover object. His recommendation is to get down low NEXT to a strong object. When a ceiling falls the desk or cabinet or car that you are next to will pancake but it won't squeeze down to nothing. There will be a gap (a triangle) of space and THAT is where you want to be!
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According to Copp, here are the 15 safest places to be during an earthquake based on survival statistics:
1) Outside in the middle of a field where nothing can fall on top of you.
2) Outside in the middle of the street where falling glass can't reach you.
3) On a seismic resistant platform such as a boat.
4) On the top floor of a wooden building.
5) On the top floor of a concrete building
6) in the space between 2 large objects (between twin beds, between 2 cars, between 2 rows of desks).
7) Next to an office bank vault or stack of paper.
8) Next to a squashed vehicle
9) At the foot of a bed
10) In front of a hotel lobby counter or bar counter.
11) In front of a sofa.
12) Next to Kitchen Cabinets
13) Next to a big bulky object like a piece of machinery, fridge, stove.
14) Next to a large carrying beam
15) In the subterranean exterior perimeter of a building.

Where are the 15 deadliest places to be in an earthquake? (The places where most dead victims are recovered from)
1) Under an object that gets squashed (like a desk, car, bed)
2) Inside of an object that gets squashed (like a car)
3) On top of an object that gets squashed (like a bed or sofa)
4) Inside of an elevator
5) On stairs.
6) More than 10 ft away from the outside of a building and on the ground floor
7) In a brick building less than 10 ft from the outside wall.
8) In a doorway of a collapsed building.
10) On the ground floor of any building or center of a basement
11) Under a carrying beam.
12) Under an object with a high center of gravity that fell over in the earthquake (like a fridge.)
13) The middle decks of highway overpasses.
14) Places that catch fire after collapsing.
15) Places with toxins, chemicals and gases that collapse.

Bottom Line
Surviving a quake is just the start. You also need to escape.
If you're inside a building and can move - WAIT. DO NOT GO TO THE STAIRS! Copp recommends waiting until all the panicked people have fled down the stairs. If the stairs haven't collapsed under the combined weight of panicked, fleeing people then you'll know that the stairs will be safe for you.
If you are trapped- RELAX! Yelling and heavy breathing will use up your air faster. (And your voice will go raw). Instead repeatedly TAP or BANG a wall so rescuers can find you. It does not have to be loud - professional rescuers will use sensitive listening devices (or dogs). But you do have to keep tapping for hours (perhaps even days). If you get bored try tapping out songs you love.