9 Must-Know Things If You Live In Earthquake Prone Area

Earthquake is one of the most devastating natural disasters faced by mankind. Apart from praying for the affected people and hoping for not experiencing such a thing, what else can we do? It’s nature. Not really. You can find out if you live in an earthquake prone area and take some safety measures according to that because prevention is always better than cure. Right?

Let’s talk about India. The entire country in India has been divided into four zones according to the probability of occurrence of earthquakes. The areas which fall under zone 5 – state of Kashmir, North East Indian Region, western and central Himalayas and Rann of Kutch run the highest risk fo facing devastating earthquakes. You can check this map to find out which zone your area lies in.

Here are things you can do to make yourself and your house earthquake safe. These tips are necessary if you live in an earthquake prone area.

1. Accept that we cannot stop them: In a country like India, such a myth is common that earthquakes can be stopped. Truth is we cannot stop them. All we can do is prepare ourselves in such a way that they do minimum damage to us and our community. How to do that? By building safer structures and taking preventive measures in advance.
2. Understand that earthquakes don’t kill people: There have been many large earthquakes which caused minimum damage whereas many comparatively smaller earthquakes created havoc. Why? Because earthquakes don’t kill people. People get killed because of the collapsed building and states of panic. This article would help bust many such myths related to earthquakes. Check it out!
3. Make sure your family knows about what to do during an earthquake: If you’re living in an earthquake prone area, first thing you can do is make sure that you tell everything you read here or at the sources mentioned in this write-up or information from a trusted source to your family. Each of your family member and friends must know about such information very well.
4. Prepare your home: The housing departments have special instructions of constructing a house in earthquake prone areas. Make it a priority to get your home checked for whether it is strong enough to face an earthquake. Take professional help for this.
5. Analyze your furniture: It is said that what’s inside your home is even more dangerous than what your house is built of. Heavy and unsecured objects that can move and break during an earthquake must either be removed or carefully placed so as to make them more secure.
6. Know where gas, power and water supply main shut offs are: You must know where the main shut offs area is and make sure they’re easily accessible in case of emergency.
7. Keep an evacuation plan: Make sure you do careful research, make an evacuation plan and share it with your family from time to time. They must remember what they must do at such times. Remember that panic is the worst thing you can do then. Stay calm.
8. Practice Drills: Plan and practise what you all should do when an earthquake strikes in. This is a must-do for families living in earthquake prone areas. Get your entire family to practice that.
9. During an earthquake: If you are indoors, stay inside. Take cover of something sturdy like a big table or move to a corner. If you’re outdoors, go for an open area away from trees, walls, buildings and power lines. If in a high rise building, stay away from windows and outside walls. Don’t use elevators. If you’re driving a car, get to the side of the road and stop. Avoid power lines and over passes. MensXP has shared these five tips for safety during an earthquake which is quite useful.

Remember, that deaths due to earthquakes happen because of getting crushed under collapsed buildings or big & heavy objects. If you’re living in an earthquake prone area, you can prevent the damage by taking the necessary preventive measures and being prepared for such an incident all the time.