4 ms·

I'm flying to LA next week for the first time, and am a little worried after the quakes. I appreciate much of the comments on preparedness and observing what's

I'm flying to LA next week for the first time, and am a little worried after the quakes. I appreciate much of the comments on preparedness and observing what's happening around you, but am looking for some more details, like: - how to spot "unreinforced masonry" in order to avoid it? - why is a strong table to be looked for inside, to get underneath it? - I would imagine basements are bad to be in, is that so? - I would imagine upstairs is a bad place to be too, right? - does the ground really split underneath your feet?

epage 7y ago
Honestly, I wouldn't worry too much. These earthquakes are far enough away that LA shouldn't be feeling too much and they should calm down soon. The likelihood of other earthquakes cropping up seems relatively low.
kyshoc 7y ago
> why is a strong table to be looked for inside, to get underneath it? Modern buildings don't usually completely collapse ("pancake"), and being under a sturdy table can absorb the weight of partial collapse: as an example, an interior wall collapsing onto you. See [0]. > I would imagine basements are bad to be in, is that so? All I know about this is that having a (code-compliant) basement makes the entire house more resilient, but I couldn't find anything about being _in_ the basement during an EQ being good or bad. Know that basements in low-density structures are quite scarce[1] in Southern California, though -- I've lived in LA for four years and don't remember ever being in one, except in large apartment buildings. Don't try to get out of a basement if you're in one when an EQ hits. Most injuries are a result of people breaking their ankles and legs trying to move while the ground is shaking. > I would imagine upstairs is a bad place to be too, right? It's a tradeoff. In the event of a structure collapse, you have further to fall but less structure to fall on top of you. > does the ground really split underneath your feet? Yes, if you're straddling the fault line and standing near the epicenter. (You won't be doing that). There has never been a confirmed case of someone falling into an "earthquake chasm", but it might be something to worry about if you're a cow grazing in a Bay Area field[2]. --- Take a look at this study[3] of the 74 deaths caused by the '94 Northridge EQ. It's the best data we can use to project what would happen if a major EQ hit LA today. [0]: http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/04/tech/innovation/the-earthquake-proof-table/index.html http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/04/tech/innovation/the-earthquake... [1]: https://www.latimes.com/home/la-hm-basement-side-20150509-story.html https://www.latimes.com/home/la-hm-basement-side-20150509-st... [2]: https://www.realclearscience.com/blog/2013/01/do-people-ever-fall-down-earthquake-chasms-yeah-when-the-earth-swallows-cows.html https://www.realclearscience.com/blog/2013/01/do-people-ever... [3]: http://www.iitk.ac.in/nicee/wcee/article/11_979.PDF http://www.iitk.ac.in/nicee/wcee/article/11_979.PDF

epage 7y ago

Honestly, I wouldn't worry too much. These earthquakes are far enough away that LA shouldn't be feeling too much and they should calm down soon. The likelihood of other earthquakes cropping up seems relatively low.

kyshoc 7y ago

> why is a strong table to be looked for inside, to get underneath it? Modern buildings don't usually completely collapse ("pancake"), and being under a sturdy table can absorb the weight of partial collapse: as an example, an interior wall collapsing onto you. See [0]. > I would imagine basements are bad to be in, is that so? All I know about this is that having a (code-compliant) basement makes the entire house more resilient, but I couldn't find anything about being _in_ the basement during an EQ being good or bad. Know that basements in low-density structures are quite scarce[1] in Southern California, though -- I've lived in LA for four years and don't remember ever being in one, except in large apartment buildings. Don't try to get out of a basement if you're in one when an EQ hits. Most injuries are a result of people breaking their ankles and legs trying to move while the ground is shaking. > I would imagine upstairs is a bad place to be too, right? It's a tradeoff. In the event of a structure collapse, you have further to fall but less structure to fall on top of you. > does the ground really split underneath your feet? Yes, if you're straddling the fault line and standing near the epicenter. (You won't be doing that). There has never been a confirmed case of someone falling into an "earthquake chasm", but it might be something to worry about if you're a cow grazing in a Bay Area field[2]. --- Take a look at this study[3] of the 74 deaths caused by the '94 Northridge EQ. It's the best data we can use to project what would happen if a major EQ hit LA today. [0]: http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/04/tech/innovation/the-earthquake-proof-table/index.html http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/04/tech/innovation/the-earthquake... [1]: https://www.latimes.com/home/la-hm-basement-side-20150509-story.html https://www.latimes.com/home/la-hm-basement-side-20150509-st... [2]: https://www.realclearscience.com/blog/2013/01/do-people-ever-fall-down-earthquake-chasms-yeah-when-the-earth-swallows-cows.html https://www.realclearscience.com/blog/2013/01/do-people-ever... [3]: http://www.iitk.ac.in/nicee/wcee/article/11_979.PDF http://www.iitk.ac.in/nicee/wcee/article/11_979.PDF