Today, while watching Psych on our computer, a 6.2 magnitude earthquake shook our eleventh floor apartment. I'd been in a few small earthquakes before, but never one that had the ability to move furniture. I stood up and got in the doorway of the room, but realizing how high up we were, I knew there was little I could do if anything catastrophic should happen. I wasn't scared so much as cautious. I even asked my wife amid the tremors if there was a safer place we could run to.
We both agreed that there was nothing we could do, but we weren't too worried because the shakes weren't that bad. We hugged each other and shortly thereafter the vibrations ceased (the power of love?).
My inability to make a move in the moment makes me wonder what should be done in that situation. Of course, the first person to ask is The Internet!
Yahoo answers gives us the following brilliant insights:
It is always better to leave a building. Head for the stairs down.
If you went to the roof there is no escape route anymore. This is the most common mistake in burning buildings, too.
and,
i think it will be safer to head for the roof cause the stair will colspe first.
Most websites seem to give the generic advice of get under a desk near an interior wall. So, I guess my door frame idea wasn't the best.
Still, it makes me feel completely powerless, but maybe that's the point. Life is incredibly delicate. We are just frail organisms on a small planet orbiting an inconsequential star, but we are each full of life, the most elegant of all creations in the universe, and we must recognize that this force is not entirely in our control. We need to make the most of it.
No comments:
Post a Comment