Earthquakes

https://www.fastcompany.com/40523707/earthquake-in-alaska-desert-pupfish-death-valley

Show students latest local quakes: http://scedc.caltech.edu/recent/Maps/116-34.html

Idea for a student earthquake preparation activity.

Pick out 10 things that you should do and rank them in order of important. Rank the other items according to how dangerous they are to do.

http://www.getprepared.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/pblctns/rthqks-wtd/rthqks-wtd-eng.pdf

Student Activities: http://www.shakeout.org/california/downloads/fema-527.pdf

Local Earthquake map: http://www.data.scec.org/recenteqs/Maps/117-34.html

http://news.yahoo.com/1964-alaska-earthquake-shook-science-151850298.html

Earthquakes double in 2014 http://news.yahoo.com/big-earthquakes-double-2014-theyre-not-linked-114124469.html

DURING THE EARTHQUAKE
 4. Stay calm, but move fast. I know this is a bit cliche, but it makes a difference. Earthquakes can be scary, and it’s okay to be scared, but don’t panic or you decrease your chances of survival. 5. Take cover. Falling objects are one of the primary dangers during a major earthquake, so find a desk or a table and get under it quickly! 6. Turn off gas items. Fire is another major hazard during an earthquake. Gas stoves are quite common in many Japanese apartments, if you just turn off the gas valve after each use, you won’t have to rush and do it during an earthquake. But make sure it’s off. 7. If you’re inside stay inside. I remember hearing story last year about a man who died during an earthquake simply because he went outside… he was killed by a falling object. This sad part was that there were few casualties during the quake. 8. If you’re outside, take cover. Find a something to cover yourself. If there is nothing. DROP (get down) and COVER (your head and neck). 9. If you’re driving, stay in your car, it will serve as your cover. Try to pull over to a safe area. Stay away from bridges and overpasses, as they can collapse during a quake.

AFTER THE QUAKE
10. Go to your designated meeting area that you established during the pre-earthquake steps and use your radio for updates.

During an Earthquake If you're indoors, stay there. Get under -- and hold onto --a desk or table, or stand against an interior wall. Stay clear of exterior walls, glass, heavy furniture, fireplaces and appliances. The kitchen is a particularly dangerous spot. If you’re in an office building, stay away from windows and outside walls and do not use the elevator.

If you're outside, get into the open. Stay clear of buildings, power lines or anything else that could fall on you.

If you're driving, move the car out of traffic and stop. Avoid parking under or on bridges or overpasses. Try to get clear of trees, light posts, signs and power lines. When you resume driving, watch out for road hazards.

If you're in a mountainous area, beware of the potential for landslides. Likewise, if you're near the ocean, be aware that tsunamis are associated with large earthquakes. Get to high ground.

If you’re in a crowded public place, avoid panicking and do not rush for the exit. Stay low and cover your head and neck with your hands and arms.

After an Earthquake Check for fire or fire hazards. If you smell gas, shut off the main gas valve. If there's evidence of damage to electrical wiring, shut off the power at the control box.

If the phone is working, only use it in case of emergency. Likewise, avoid driving if possible to keep the streets clear for emergency vehicles.

Be aware that items may fall out of cupboards or closets when the door is opened, and also that chimneys can be weakened and fall with a touch. Check for cracks and damage to the roof and foundation of your home.

Listen to the radio for important information and instructions. Remember that aftershocks, sometimes large enough to cause damage in their own right, generally follow large quakes.

If you leave home, leave a message telling friends and family your location.

What to Do During an Earthquake  What to Do After an Earthquake 
 * **Stay calm!** If you're indoors, stay inside. If you're outside, stay outside.
 * If you're indoors, stand against a wall near the center of the building, stand in a doorway, or crawl under heavy furniture (a desk or table). Stay away from windows and outside doors.
 * If you're outdoors, stay in the open away from power lines or anything that might fall. Stay away from buildings (stuff might fall off the building or the building could fall on you).
 * Don't use matches, candles, or any flame. Broken gas lines and fire don't mix.
 * If you're in a car, stop the car and stay inside the car until the earthquake stops.
 * Don't use elevators (they'll probably get stuck anyway).
 * Check yourself and others for injuries. Provide first aid for anyone who needs it.
 * Check water, gas, and electric lines for damage. If any are damaged, shut off the valves. Check for the smell of gas. If you smell it, open all the windows and doors, leave immediately, and report it to the authorities (use someone else's phone).
 * Turn on the radio. Don't use the phone unless it's an emergency.
 * Stay out of damaged buildings.
 * Be careful around broken glass and debris. Wear boots or sturdy shoes to keep from cutting your feet.
 * Be careful of chimneys (they may fall on you).
 * Stay away from beaches. Tsunamis and seiches sometimes hit after the ground has stopped shaking.
 * Stay away from damaged areas.
 * If you're at school or work, follow the emergency plan or the instructions of the person in charge.
 * Expect aftershocks

WHAT RESCUERS AND EXPERTS *DO NOT* RECOMMEND YOU DO DURING AN EARTHQUAKE Based on years of research about how people are injured or killed during earthquakes, and the experiences of U.S. and international search and rescue teams, these three actions are not recommended to protect yourself during earthquakes: DO NOT run outside or to other rooms during shaking: The area near the exterior walls of a building is the most dangerous place to be. Windows, facades and architectural details are often the first parts of the building to collapse. To stay away from this danger zone, stay inside if you are inside and outside if you are outside. Also, shaking can be so strong that you will not be able to move far without falling down, and objects may fall or be thrown at you that you do not expect. Injuries can be avoided if you drop to the ground before the earthquake drops you. DO NOT stand in a doorway: An enduring earthquake image of California is a collapsed adobe home with the door frame as the only standing part. From this came our belief that a doorway is the safest place to be during an earthquake. True- if you live in an old, unreinforced adobe house or some older woodframe houses. In modern houses, doorways are no stronger than any other part of the house, and the doorway does not protect you from the most likely source of injury- falling or flying objects. You also may not be able to brace yourself in the door during strong shaking. You are safer under a table.

Here are FEMA's recommendations for surviving an earthquake, with a few additions.

If you are indoors:

 * DROP to the ground; take COVER by getting under a sturdy table or other piece of furniture; and HOLD ON until the shaking stops. If there isn’t a table or desk near you, cover your face and head with your arms and crouch in an inside corner of the building.
 * Stay away from glass, windows, outside doors and walls, and anything that could fall, such as lighting fixtures or furniture.
 * <span style="color: #191919; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;">Stay in bed if you are there when the earthquake strikes. Hold on and protect your head with a pillow, unless you are under a heavy light fixture, window or anything else that could fall. In that case, move to the nearest safe place (i.e. under a desk or in an inside corner).
 * <span style="color: #191919; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;">Use a doorway for shelter only if it is in close proximity to you and if you know it is a strongly supported, load-bearing doorway. Brace yourself on the side with the hinges to avoid the door swinging at you.
 * <span style="color: #191919; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;">Stay inside until shaking stops and it is safe to go outside. Research has shown that most injuries occur when people inside buildings attempt to move to a different location inside the building or try to leave.
 * <span style="color: #191919; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;">Be aware that the electricity may go out or the sprinkler systems or fire alarms may turn on.
 * <span style="color: #191919; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;">DO NOT use the elevators, even if they are working. There may be aftershocks.
 * <span style="color: #191919; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;">If you're in your hotel room, stay there. There are usually aftershocks, and sometimes they may be worse than the original earthquake. Under a sturdy desk or in an inside corner of your room is the safest place to be, even if you're on the 40th floor. If there's a heavy bookcase next to a match-stick desk, don't get under the desk.
 * <span style="color: #191919; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;">If you are in a restaurant, get under the table.

<span style="color: #191919; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px; vertical-align: baseline;"> CAVEAT: All the advice about getting under furniture assumes that you are in California in an earthquake retrofitted building, and that the biggest danger is from falling and flying debris. If the walls are crumbling and the ceiling is falling in, it is recommended that you lie down NEXT TO a bed, sofa, desk or heavy piece of furniture. In these conditions, the triangle of space created when a bookshelf, wall or part of a ceiling falls against a large piece of furniture is your best chance of not getting crushed.

<span style="color: #191919; font-family: Sans,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 21px; vertical-align: baseline;">If outdoors

 * <span style="color: #191919; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;">Stay there.
 * <span style="color: #191919; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;">Move away from buildings, streetlights, and utility wires.
 * <span style="color: #191919; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;">Once in the open, stay there until the shaking stops. The greatest danger exists directly outside buildings, at exits, and alongside exterior walls. Many of the 120 fatalities from the 1933 Long Beach earthquake occurred when people ran outside of buildings only to be killed by falling debris from collapsing walls. Ground movement during an earthquake is seldom the direct cause of death or injury. Most earthquake-related casualties result from collapsing walls, flying glass, and falling objects.

<span style="color: #191919; font-family: Sans,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 21px; vertical-align: baseline;">If in a moving vehicle

 * <span style="color: #191919; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;">Pull over to the side of the road and stop as quickly as safety permits and stay in the vehicle. Avoid stopping near or under buildings, trees, overpasses, and utility wires. (Guide Note: an earthquake while you're driving feels like there's something wrong with your car. Don't stop in the middle of the freeway if traffic is still moving around you. Slow down and put on your turn signal to get to the side of the road. If everyone else is doing the same thing, it was most likely an earthquake.)
 * <span style="color: #191919; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;">Proceed cautiously once the earthquake has stopped. Avoid roads, bridges, or ramps that might have been damaged by the earthquake.

<span style="color: #191919; font-family: Sans,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 21px; vertical-align: baseline;">If trapped under debris

 * <span style="color: #191919; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;">Do not light a match.
 * <span style="color: #191919; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;">Do not move about or kick up dust.
 * <span style="color: #191919; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;">Cover your mouth with a handkerchief or clothing.
 * <span style="color: #191919; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;">Tap on a pipe or wall so rescuers can locate you. Use a whistle if one is available. Shout only as a last resort. Shouting can cause you to inhale dangerous amounts of dust.

<span style="color: #191919; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px; vertical-align: baseline; vertical-align: baseline;">Nine things not to do:

Stand Next to a Window

What's going on outside? Best to leave that to your imagination. During an earthquake it's a big mistake to stand next to a window, under a big mirror or a heavy lighting fixture, or next to a wall. Anything heavy or sharp that could fall on you could be deadly.

Seek Out Power Lines

Outside isn't safer than inside, if you stand next to power lines, streetlights, buildings, etc. The greatest danger exists directly outside buildings. Many of the 120 fatalities resulting from a major quake in 1933 occurred when people ran outside only to be killed by falling debris from collapsing walls.

Climb on Top of a Desk

Being under a heavy desk or doorway can be a great way to protect yourself from falling debris. But being on top? Not so smart.

Run Outside as Fast as You Can

Research has shown that most injuries occur when people inside buildings rush to move to another location inside the building or outside. Better to stay put until the shaking stops.

Get Out of Bed

If you're in bed when the shaking starts, stay there, say experts. Hold on, and protect your head with a pillow. Only exception? If your bed is under a heavy light fixture that might fall, move someplace safe.

Ride the Elevator

If you need to get out of the building, take the stairs. If the quake KO's the power in your area, you might get trapped inside the building.

Drive Over Bridges

If you're in your car when the quake hits, the last thing you want to do is drive over a bridge or ramp that might have been damaged. Stop your car, and stay inside - making sure not to stop under a tree, overpass, or utility wires - or near a building.

Light a Match

Trapped in debris? Maybe you could use a smoke. But hold off. If there's a gas leak, lighting a match could cause an explosion.

Shout for Help

Think yelling is the best way to attract rescuers' attention if you're trapped inside a building? Think again. Shouting can cause you to inhale dangerous amounts of dust. Better to tap on a pipe or wall - or blow a whistle, if one happens to be handy.