r/interesting • u/HomeNowWTF • 22d ago

NATURE Experiencing an earthquake in an airport

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u/IamUnbelievable 22d ago edited 22d ago

If these guys had studied basics of earthquake or just watched Doremon show, they would have known that one should hide under table during earthquake.

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u/sayko666 22d ago

Sorry but not always true. It only protects you from falling objects, from being thrown to the floor and if a ceiling or roof partially falls. This strategy assumes the building you are in "will sustain". If the building collapses you are pretty much dead under the table.

People who survived from major earthquakes under collapsed building are found always near big sturdy objects. lying near a big bed on the ground, near washing machine or some strong pillar. It really depends if you are in a first world or third world country.

Source: I am Turkish, lots of major earthquakes happen here and lots of people die because of buildings not built up to code.

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u/alteransg1 22d ago

Americans are taught to hide under their desks, because it's the best advice for them. In Europe we're better off in a doorframe or near a load bearing wall. 

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u/Great-Egret 21d ago

I grew up in California, it’s because desks they buy have sturdy steel legs.

I remember a teacher driving this point home in high school by showing us a picture of a multilevel school in Mexico that had collapsed during an earthquake but the children in classrooms were mostly okay because the desks had protected them from the ceiling collapse.

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u/Signal_Interest7870 21d ago

Yes, it's all nice and well people are sharing their experiences but the fact of the matter is that every country has different building standards and so what works in one country may not work in another. The moral of the story is that as natural disasters become more commonplace every country needs to start having plans in place for when they become prevalent in areas they are not expected, BEFORE disaster occurs. Southern Ontario is woefully underprepared for tornadoes and it will remain that way until there is significant tragedy.