My first thought was that running outside would be the best option, as you could at least see what was coming your way, and also reduce the risk of being buried among the rubble of a falling building. I take it buildings are made to withstand degrees of earthquake attack?
What is the recommended action to take when you find yourself in the middle of an earthquake?
According to the Red Cross site (which is recommended by the USGS), you are supposed to:
DROP, COVER, AND HOLD ON!
(Get down and get under something sturdy like a table or a desk, hold on, and protect your eyes by pressing your face against your arm.)
Running outside is not recommended because often during and immediately after a quake, people are often injured by debris falling from surrounding buildings on the way out the door (TV antennas, Satellite dishes, bricks, concrete blocks, roofing materials, outdoor window treatments, and all kinds of other stuff often fall "from the sky" near buildings during quakes).
If you are already outside, you should be safe as long as you move away from buildings and trees.
After the quake is over, if you feel the building might be structurally damaged you are supposed to carefully exit the building.
I didn't know this either, but the USGS survey asked "What did you do in reaction to the earthquake?" and gave a bunch of examples like:
- ducked under table/desk
- hid in closet/basement
- nothing
- panicked
- ran outside
And it made me think... "Hmmmm... Maybe running outside isn't something that I
should have done."
In this case of course, the quake was tiny enough that it didn't make any real difference. Had there been a big rockslide near my house (as there was not 30 miles away) though...
(Bet you never thought you'd get Earthquake safety tips on Interact, eh?)
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