Emergency Plans, Teams, Services

Earthquake

Actions for all College Staff and public:

Duck, Cover, and Hold: move only as far as needed to reach a safe place - away from mirrors, windows, and shelves. Doorways are not always safer. Cover your head and neck with a towel or coat if possible.

1. Stay indoors if you are already there. Wait until the quake stops before leaving the building; be very careful of falling objects. Move to a parking lot assembly area. There will be aftershocks.
2. If outdoors, stay outside, but move away from buildings, power lines, and overpasses. Sit or kneel on the ground until the shaking stops.
3. If in a vehicle, pull off the road to a safe place. Wait in the vehicle wearing your seat belt, with flashers on, until the shaking stops. (If on a bridge or under one, move slowly in the vehicle to a safe place with flashers on.
4. If at the coast/beach, move to higher ground as soon as the earthquake ends. Do not wait, do not carry heavy objects. Run or walk quickly).
   
   (taken from FEMA CERT training manuals, and "Living with Earthquakes in the Pacific Northwest", by R. Yates).

Watch a demonstration of Earthquake Response: Duck, Cover, and Hold & view the video What to Do (and Not Do) When You Feel the Ground Shake