An earthquake is defined as the sliding or sudden movement of a part of the earth's crust that occurs along a fault and is accompanied by tremors / vibrations.
Earthquakes happen everywhere, so even at school ;
in fact, they are not always safe havens for children and teachers; happen everywhere: on the playground, during a class, during recess and even on the bus on the way to or from school.
During an earthquake, the first step is to stay calm. Having a plan and practicing it will help keep calm .
Reduce your movements to a few steps , to a safe place nearby, and try to follow the recommendations below:
If indoors:
• Drop to the floor , take cover by placing under a sturdy table or other piece of furniture , and hold on to the furniture to hold it above you until the shaking stops. If there is no table or desk nearby, cover your face and head with your arms and crouch in an inner corner of the building.
• Stay away from glass, windows, doors and exterior walls and anything that could fall, such as interior lighting.
• Stay inside until it stops shaking and it's safe to get out. In fact, researchers have shown that most earthquake injuries occur when people inside buildings try to move to a different location within the building or when they try to leave.
& bull; Keep in mind that the electricity could be interrupted as well as the irrigation system or the fire alarm (opposite cases can also happen, i.e. random activations of these systems) .
• Do not use elevators .
• Stay there if possible.
• Move away from buildings, street lights and electrical cables .
• Once outside, drop to the ground and cover your face and head with your arms.
& bull; Particular attention must be paid to exits. Many of the 120 victims of the Long Beach earthquake of 1933 occurred when people ran out of buildings, dead from falling debris from the walls, which collapsed. Dying from ground movement alone during an earthquake is rare. Most of the victims related to the earthquake result from collapsing walls, flying glass and falling objects.
If in a moving vehicle:
• Stop at the speed permitted by safety and stay in the vehicle.
• Avoid stopping near or under buildings, trees, overpasses and power cables.
• Cover your face and head with your arms.
• Proceed with caution once the earthquake has stopped. Avoid roads, bridges or ramps that may have been damaged by the earthquake.
If trapped under debris:
• Do not move, stir up dust or light matches / candles / lighters.
• Cover your mouth with a handkerchief or some clothes.
• Touch a pipe or wall so that rescuers can locate you. Use a whistle if available. Shout out only as a last resort. Shouting can make you inhale dangerous amounts of dust.
Pay attention to potential hazards such as live electrical cables, floods, tsunamis, landslides, fires and aftershocks.
It is important to know when not to move trapped or injured people, as they could suffer further injury if moved by an inexperienced person. Don't move injured people unless you have specialized training.
The first step in mitigating non-structural risks is to become aware of all the elements that could become dangerous.
Examples of potential non-structural risks include:
• Libraries.
• Document boxes and drawers.
• Furniture, such as desks, tables and chairs.
• Portable dividers.
• Office equipment, such as computers, televisions and printers.
• Automatic dispensers.
It is also very important to keep in mind some small details :
During an earthquake, window frames can experience extreme tremors or distortions that could cause them to break.
The tempered glass is stronger than conventional glass, and breaks into tiny fragments that are much less dangerous.
Adhesive film applied to windows can hold glass fragments together, reducing the risk of damage and falls.
In a school environment, it becomes difficult to control all students so you need to know in advance how to behave.
There are 6 main modes:
Evacuation : clearing of the building and accounting of students , staff and volunteers in a place designated as an assembly area.
Reverse evacuation : bring all people inside the building when external conditions are more dangerous than indoors.
Close : student protection , staff and volunteers inside the building.
Block / Modified lock : protection of students, staff and volunteers inside the building for potential threats in the school area (but allowing normal classroom activities).
On-site shelter : identify a place (internal or external) and the necessary resources for students and the staff to stay there even for an extended period.
Parent-student reunification : definition of policies and procedures for reuniting students with their parents or guardians.
• Structural damage can result from ground shaking , fault breaks below or near to the building, liquefaction of the soil or other interruptions to systems which, if damaged, can weaken the bearing capacity of the soil, landslides , fires or the force of water during a tsunami .
• The risk of damage depends on the building; older buildings are more likely to collapse .
• Type : based on the type and construction of a building or structure, engineers can determine the probable amount of damage in the event of an earthquake.
• Age : Older school facilities may not meet current seismic requirements and standards.
• Maintenance : schools that suffer from deferred maintenance < / span> will take more damage than well-maintained schools.
• Position : the damage to the school can also be a factor of its proximity to the epicenter of the earthquake or to structures that can cause cascading events (for example, dams or chemical plants nearby).
• Destruction of school supplies and other content.
• Disruption of school services , including the ability to provide shelter to affected residents, a function often assigned to schools in the event of a disaster.