Chile Forum

The sound I heard coming from the earthquake was just a few seconds before it hit. I think it was buildings and roads moving as the energy wave passed.

Wow... so wild how casual this conversation is! My parents just arrived in Temuco 2 days after. Loved how the cat is even used to it now! We're headed down the end of the month... hoping to be like the cat and get used to it pretty quickley! Glad everyone is ok!!

cant find source...but much of this does make a whole lotta sense when looked at it logically..



>>>>
>>>> Remember that stuff about hiding under a table or standing in a
>>>> doorway?? Well, this guy has a completely reverse opinion.This is
>>>> very interesting, different from what we were all taught.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Boy! Is this ever an eye opener. Directly opposite of what we've
>>>> been taught over the years! I can remember in school being told
>>>> to, 'duck and cover' or stand in a doorway during an earthquake.
>>>> This guy's findings is absolutely amazing. I hope we all remember
>>>> his survival method if we are ever in an earthquake!! !
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Please read this and pass the info along to your family members;
>>>> it could save their lives someday!
>>>>
>>>> EXTRACT FROM DOUG COPP'S ARTICLE ON THE: 'TRIANGLE OF LIFE'
>>>>
>>>> My name is Doug Copp. I am the Rescue Chief and Disaster Manager
>>>> of the American Rescue Team International (ARTI), the world's most
>>>> experienced rescue team. The information in this article will
>>>> save lives in an earthquake.
>>>>
>>>> I have crawled inside 875 collapsed buildings, worked with rescue
>>>> teams from 60 countries, founded rescue teams in several
>>>> countries, and I am a member of many rescue teams from many
>>>> countries.
>>>>
>>>> I was the United Nations expert in Disaster Mitigation for two
>>>> years. I have worked at every major disaster in the world since
>>>> 1985, except for simultaneous disasters.
>>>>
>>>> The first building I ever crawled inside of was a school in Mexico
>>>> City during the 1985 earthquake. Every child was under its desk.
>>>> Every child was crushed to the thickness of their bones. They
>>>> could have survived by lying down next to their desks in the
>>>> aisles. It was obscene, unnecessary and
>>>> I wondered why the children were not in the aisles. I didn't at
>>>> the time know that the children were told to hide under something.
>>>>
>>>> Simply stated, when buildings collapse, the weight of the ceilings
>>>> falling upon the objects or furniture inside crushes these
>>>> objects, leaving a space or void next to them. This space is what
>>>> I call the 'triangle of life'.
>>>> The larger the object, the stronger, the less it will compact. The
>>>> less the object compacts, the larger the void, the greater the
>>>> probability that the person who is using this void for safety will
>>>> not be injured. The next time you watch collapsed buildings, on
>>>> television, count the 'triangles' you
>>>> see formed. They are everywhere. It is the most common shape, you
>>>> will see, in a collapsed building.
>>>>
>>>> TIPS FOR EARTHQUAKE SAFETY
>>>>
>>>> 1) Most everyone who simply 'ducks and covers' WHEN BUILDINGS
>>>> COLLAPSE are crushed to death. People who get under objects, like
>>>> desks or cars, are crushed.
>>>>
>>>> 2) Cats, dogs and babies often naturally curl up in the fetal
>>>> position.
>>>> You should too in an earthquake. It is a natural safety/survival
>>>> instinct. You can survive in a smaller void. Get next to an
>>>> object, next to a sofa, next to a large bulky object that will
>>>> compress slightly but leave a void next to it.
>>>>
>>>> 3) Wooden buildings are the safest type of construction to be in
>>>> during an earthquake. Wood is flexible and moves with the force of
>>>> the earthquake.
>>>> If the wooden building does collapse, large survival voids are
>>>> created.
>>>> Also, the wooden building has less concentrated, crushing weight.
>>>> Brick buildings will break into individual bricks. Bricks will
>>>> cause many injuries but less squashed bodies than concrete slabs.
>>>>
>>>> 4) If you are in bed during the night and an earthquake occurs,
>>>> simply roll off the bed. A safe void will exist around the bed.
>>>> Hotels can achieve a much greater survival rate in earthquakes,
>>>> simply by posting a sign on The back of the door of every room
>>>> telling occupants to lie down on the floor, next to the bottom of
>>>> the bed during an earthquake.
>>>>
>>>> 5) If an earthquake happens and you cannot easily escape by
>>>> getting out the door or window, then lie down and curl up in the
>>>> fetal position next to a sofa, or large chair.
>>>>
>>>> 6) Most everyone who gets under a doorway when buildings collapse
>>>> is killed. How? If you stand under a doorway and the doorjamb
>>>> falls forward or backward you will be crushed by the ceiling
>>>> above. If the door jam falls sideways you will be cut in half by
>>>> the doorway. In either case, you will be killed!
>>>>
>>>> 7) Never go to the stairs. The stairs have a different 'moment of
>>>> frequency' (they swing separately from the main part of the
>>>> building).
>>>> The stairs and remainder of the building continuously bump into
>>>> each other until structural failure of the stairs takes place. The
>>>> people who get on stairs before they fail are chopped up by the
>>>> stair treads - horribly mutilated. Even if the building doesn't
>>>> collapse, stay away from the stairs.
>>>>
>>>> The stairs are a likely part of the building to be damaged. Even
>>>> if the stairs are not collapsed by the earthquake, they may
>>>> collapse later when overloaded by fleeing people. They should
>>>> always be checked for safety, even when the rest of the building
>>>> is not damaged..
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Get Near the Outer Walls Of Buildings Or Outside Of Them If
>>>> Possible
>>>> - It is much better to be near the outside of the building rather
>>>> than the interior. The farther inside you are from the outside
>>>> perimeter of the building the greater the probability that your
>>>> escape route will be blocked.
>>>>
>>>> 9) People inside of their vehicles are crushed when the road above
>>>> falls in an earthquake and crushes their vehicles; which is
>>>> exactly what happened with the slabs between the decks of the
>>>> Nimitz Freeway. The victims of the San Francisco earthquake all
>>>> stayed inside of their vehicles. They were all killed. They could
>>>> have easily survived by getting out and sitting or lying next to
>>>> their vehicles. Everyone killed would have survived if they had
>>>> been able to get out of their cars and sit or lie next to them.
>>>> All the
>>>> crushed cars had voids 3 feet high next to them, except for the
>>>> cars that had columns fall directly across them.
>>>>
>>>> 10) I discovered, while crawling inside of collapsed newspaper
>>>> offices and other offices with a lot of paper, that paper does not
>>>> compact.
>>>> Large voids are found surrounding stacks of paper.
>>>>
>>>> Spread the word and save someone's life...
>>>>
>>>> The Entire world is experiencing natural calamities so be prepared!
>>>>
>>>> 'We are but angels with one wing, it takes two to fly'
>>>>
>>>> In 1996 we made a film, which proved my survival methodology to be
>>>> correct. The Turkish Federal Government, City of Istanbul ,
>>>> University of Istanbul Case Productions and ARTI cooperated to
>>>> film this practical, scientific test. We collapsed a school and a
>>>> home with 20 mannequins inside. Ten mannequins did 'duck and
>>>> cover,' and ten mannequins I used in my 'triangle of life'
>>>> survival method. After the simulated earthquake collapse we
>>>> crawled through the rubble and entered the building to film and
>>>> document the results. The film, in which I practiced my survival
>>>> techniques under directly observable, scientific conditions ,
>>>> relevant to building collapse, showed there would have been zero
>>>> percent survival for those doing duck
>>>> and cover.
>>>>
>>>> There would likely have been 100 percent survivability for people
>>>> using my method of the 'triangle of life.' This film has been seen
>>>> by millions of viewers on television in Turkey and the rest of
>>>> Europe, and it was seen in the USA , Canada and Latin America on
>>>> the TV program Real TV

take it for what it's worth to you.

pirate,

I saw the Doug Copp article a few weeks ago but, unfortunately, don't remember the source either. I subsequently spoke to a civil engineer friend who told me that Doug Copp's advice for what to do in an earthquake is indeed sound.

I'm hoping I have enough posts now to be able to link this: http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/household/triangle.asp

While the advice seems sound - particularly if the buildings are such that you have a good idea it will collapse in an earthquake, it has been refuted in areas such as the US b/c of way the guy did his testing, as well as the different building rules across the world. What works well in one area probably doesn't in another (and might even be dangerous).

What I got out of the whole discussion was 1) be aware of the various opinions on what you should do 2) take each with a grain of salt, b/c your circumstances and location may well be very different that what they're describing, and 3) ultimately make your own decision as to what to do. Probably a good philosophy for life as well

The bigger myth is the myth of how well USA structures will withstand the next mega quake whether it be in the Pac NW, So Cal or on the New Madrid fault.

In Chile, I do not recall seeing any horrendous pancake failure situations. If an 8.8 hit the US, I bet you the death toll will be 10x Chile's approx. 500 or so deaths and videos of pancaked multistory structures will abound.

eeuunikkeiexpat wrote:The bigger myth is the myth of how well USA structures will withstand the next mega quake whether it be in the Pac NW, So Cal or on the New Madrid fault.

Good point. This is definitely where my own "grain of salt" philosophy comes in.