A rare 4.8 magnitude earthquake struck the region Friday morning, shocking millions of people across the East Coast of the United States.
The quake, with its epicenter in New Jersey, struck densely populated areas where residents are less accustomed to earthquakes, such as the New York City metropolitan area. Unlike the earthquake-prone West Coast, the region does not have an early warning system in place, giving people time to prepare before the shaking begins. Few people on the East Coast have practiced or experienced what to do in the event of an earthquake.
Dangerous earthquakes can occur across the United States, but know-how and preparation can save lives, according to the USGS. So what should you do if the building starts shaking?
After decades of research and recovery from the aftermath, the official protocol was to “drop, cover, and wait.”
It has long been believed that people should rush to the door frame, but that advice is outdated and only applied before building codes improved. “People are worried about structures collapsing, but it’s actually shelves, books, televisions, and all the nonstructural parts that pose a greater risk to human health,” said Earthquake Engineer and University of California, Los Angeles University of California. said Scott Brandenburg, Ph.D., a professor at .
The first thing you need to do is stand up on all fours. This is the best position to avoid falling or being hit by falling objects. Next, protect your head and neck with one arm and hand. If possible, your best bet is to find something sturdy near where you are that you can climb under. That could be your desk if you’re working, or a table at a coffee shop. If that is not possible, you can also position yourself next to an interior wall. Next, grab the table leg with your hand that doesn’t cover your head and neck, and prepare to cling to the table leg even if it shakes.
“The idea is that you’re trying to protect yourself from something that might hit you,” said Dr. William Yek, a research geophysicist at the USGS National Earthquake Information Center. “Trying to move around during the shaking can cause injury, so it’s best to hold on tight and wait for the shaking to stop.”
For people in wheelchairs, authorities advise locking the wheels, getting as low as possible, and covering your head and neck when you fold your arms until the shaking stops.
“First of all, resist the urge to run outside when you feel an earthquake,” the California Earthquake Authority wrote in a post about best practices. In addition to the potential hazards of falling when the ground shakes, shattered windows, falling debris from buildings, and fallen trees and power lines can pose major hazards.
Experts hope Friday’s earthquake will leave a lasting mark on the minds of those who experienced it and serve as a wake-up call for people to learn about safety and preparedness.
“This is a great learning opportunity,” Yeck said. “This earthquake reminds people of earthquakes and that they need to be prepared for earthquakes and know what to do when they feel a shaking. That’s drop, cover, and hold on. However, the earthquake was small enough that it did not cause any significant impact. ”
There was also an earthquake, This is a metric that helps scientists better map and understand future risks. Earthquakes in the East are not as frequent as in the West, but they are not unheard of. New York City was hit by earthquakes in 1737 and 1884, according to the USGS, and moderate-impact shaking occurs “approximately twice every 100 years somewhere along the urban corridor,” the agency said Friday. This was stated in an analysis released this morning.
“Although there are many known faults in the urban corridor, many smaller or deeply buried faults have yet to be discovered. Even the known faults are poorly located at seismic depths. ,” the USGS said, adding that the best guide to the region’s earthquake risk “is the earthquake itself.”
