Earthquake preparedness

It is shocking to see the great damage that an earthquake has caused in South Asia. But China, for instance, has had at least two even worse earthquakes. In January of 1556, China experienced the worst quake ever recorded in world history. It killed no less than 830 people in the three provinces of Shensi, Shansi and Houan.

And only 29 years ago, an earthquake that took place on July 28 killed a quarter of a million Chinese. This has gone down in Chinese history as the Great Tang Shan earthquake. This was because they were warned of a coming earthquake, but did not even bother to warn their people because they did not want to look like fools in the event that nothing happened. How did some people know that an earthquake was coming? By observing the behavior of animals. Pigs screech for no apparent reason, most insects come out all at once and rats boldly emerged from their lairs.

But in Qinglong County, which was just a few kilometers from Tang Shan, they took the warning seriously. The leaders of the community gathered the people – including the children – and gave their instructions as to what to do when the earthquake would start. When the earthquake came, three quarters of the one million population in Tang Shan died. There were no casualties in Qinglong.

Earthquakes have been occurring in the Asian Region lately. The authorities should be taking steps to get the people prepared for such an eventuality. A magnitude 7 and above epicentered in or near Metro Manila will mean no less than 30,000 deaths, hundred of thousands injured, many high-rise buildings leveled, private homes destroyed, months of no power and food shortage, transportation and communication problems.

There is nothing we can do to prevent an earthquake. But we can be prepared, meaning that we can take the necessary steps to minimize the damage it will cause when it comes. The most important thing to know is that 98 percent of earthquake casualties happen indoors. So we must know the quickest and nearest exit points of wherever we are. It is not good to have windows and doors closed and specially locked. If one is in a high-rise building, it is better to stay in the building than take the elevator or stairs. The best defense is to go under a strong table.

In Qinglong, every household assigned one member to stay up all night so that he could warn all the household members to exit if and when the temblor occurred. Cans would be placed in locations where they would fall and make noise if the room shook.

I must thank Col. Jeff Tamayo of the University of Perpetual Help for informing me that earthquakes follow a cycle and that all indications tend to show that the Asian cycle seems to be now. The important thing is the children. They should be taught what to do if an earthquake comes.