How to behave in the event of an earthquake

Our region has known destructive earthquakes in the past, and according to expert opinions, will experience them also in the future. Earthquakes cannot be predicted in advance and can take place tomorrow, in a month’s time or in a few years, but one thing is certain – a powerful earthquake will take place in Israel, and we must prepare for it in advance. Experience accumulated in the world proves that advance preparations by the population and correct behavior during an event save lives and minimize property damage.
Experience shows that the principal threat and the main cause of injury and damage is not the earthquake itself but rather its consequences, such as earth slides, structure and building collapse, movement and falling of furniture and household objects, glass shards, fire, flooding and gas leaks. Incorrect behavior of earthquake victims also endangers themselves and people around them.

Initial preparations:

• Locate a safe place in your home – far from exterior walls; if your home has a MAMAD, it is preferable than any other room
• Show all members of the household where the main electrical breakers and main water and gas valves are, and how to close them
• Familiarize yourself with the emergency exits, if there are such
• It is advisable to establish a meeting point for the family members in case the earthquake takes place when you are in different locations
• Any object which can move, fall or break, is a source of danger. Make sure you perform thorough home preparations.
• Earthquakes damage infrastructure: roads are demolished, electrical and telephone cables tear and water pipes burst. Rescue and relief units will have difficulty accessing every area, and certainly every house. Preparing an emergency bag will allow you to survive for 24 to 72 hours, until help arrives.

How to identify an earthquake:

First of all, the furniture will begin to move, initially vibrating and then shaking from side to side. Many have described the experience as being on a rocking ship. Others said that the feeling is, simply, of the ground under your feet (be it the ground itself, the floor or a staircase) shaking from side to side. The first seconds are critical and offer the best chance of survival. Do not dawdle – keep your cool and react quickly.

Structural integrity of the building:

The most significant way of preventing casualties and property damage in an earthquake is to make certain that the building we live in is earthquake-resistant. It is recommended to have the building examined by a licensed structural engineer who will determine whether our building complies with the requirements of the Israeli standard for earthquake resistance (IS 413). Buildings constructed before 1980 do not, apparently, comply with these requirements. If your building does not meet the requirements, take appropriate action to reinforce it as soon as possible!
The National Outline Program for structure reinforcement against earthquakes (TAMA 38) establishes the legal framework which enables obtainment of building permits for strengthening of buildings against earthquakes and encourages its application by granting additional building rights in exchange for funding, even if partial, of the reinforcement. This program is especially suitable for buildings whose building permits were issued before 1.1.1980.
For information concerning TAMA 38, press here.

Home preparation:

Most casualties in an earthquake are caused by collapse of shelves and heavy objects or by fire and gas leaks. Therefore, it is advisable to take the trouble today and do the following:

• attach bookshelves, cupboards and television sets to walls;
• reinforce supports of water boilers, heater tanks, gas bottles, air conditioners and their compressor units;
• store hazardous and flammable materials under lock and key and far from heat sources;
• place heavy objects as low as possible.

Basic family training:

• Locate in advance, with the assistance of the family members and using the guidelines above, the safest place in your home and at work, where you will take shelter during an earthquake: for example, MAMAD or a staircase in a multistory building, open space outdoors in a ground-floor apartment or house
• Show all members of the household where the main electrical breakers and the water and gas mains are, and how to close them
• Establish an agreed-upon outdoors meeting spot for your family. Also, agree upon a contact person outside your household to be approached in case you lose contact with each other
• It is worthwhile to perform periodic family drills to test your earthquake preparedness

Household emergency equipment:

Prepare in advance some emergency gear and store it in an accessible place, such as the protected space. It should include:

• Food and water – stock of drinking water (at least 4 liters per person) and preserved ready-to-use food (of the kind routinely stored in homes); refresh the stock from time to time before it reaches expiry
• Essential equipment – a first aid kit, battery-operated light source and radio, essential medicines, spare eyeglasses, baby products
• Important documents – hard or electronic copies of medical documents, identification papers, personal and financial documents, to be stored outside the house, as backup.

How do I know there is an earthquake?
During an earthquake you will feel the floor trembling under your feet, the windows will rattle in their frames, furniture and household objects will move strangely, hanging lamps will swing under the ceiling, and your stability and mobility will be hampered by the unusual motion. The feeling is like that of standing on the deck of a rocking ship at sea.
Special appliances which provide warning several seconds before the earthquake, sufficient to take cover, can be purchased.

Correct behavior during an earthquake:
While indoors:
If you are indoors and feel the earth shaking under your feet, move quickly to a safer place – in the following order of priorities:

1. Outdoors – if you can leave the building immediately (within a few seconds), do so and go outside, into the open!
2. Protected space (MAMAD) or a staircase – if you are unable to go outside immediately (within a few seconds!), enter the MAMAD in your apartment. If you don’t have a MAMAD, go out to the staircase and stay there until the tremors are over (relevant mostly in multistory buildings or any structure you cannot exit within a few seconds)
3. Under a heavy table or in an inner corner of the room – if you are unable to go outside immediately or move quickly into a MAMAD/staircase, take cover under a heavy table or in an inner corner of the room.

Additional instructions for staying in various structures (after reaching safe place according to the guidelines above):

• Keep away from external walls, windows and shelves
• Protect yourself in the following manner: kneel, stay close to the floor and cover your head and face with your arms
• If you are in a wheelchair, lock the brakes and protect your head
• Do not use elevators during an earthquake – you might get stuck inside.

While outdoors:

• If the earthquake takes place while you are outdoors, stay in the open and move as far as you can away from buildings. It’s safest in the open!
• Beware of falling objects, such as wall sidings, air conditioner compressor units, glass shards and torn electrical cables.

While in a vehicle:

• If an earthquake takes place while you are traveling, pull over immediately and wait inside the vehicle until the tremors subside; the vehicle will protect you
• Avoid stopping under bridges, on overpasses, near buildings or sharp slopes, in case of collapse. Move away from them, in the vehicle or on foot.

While on a sea shore:

• -    If an earthquake takes place while you are on a beach, leave immediately and move as far as possible from the sea, to avoid a tsunami wave which may flood the beach
• -    A sudden and sharp ebbing of the tide is a sign of a coming tsunami wave.

Advance preparation will help you remain calm and act effectively. It is recommended to drill all the actions described above at least twice a year, so that your real-time response will be automatic.