What to Do, Where to Go When Big One Hits

Waking up in the middle of the night in a sloshing water bed can be a thrill, but once the reality that this might be the Big One sinks in, it may be too late.

It only takes a few seconds to jump out of bed, but during an earthquake, then what?

Avoid windows and the water heater, advises Maggie Anderson, a spokeswoman for the American Red Cross. Windows could pop free, showering glass. Gas or water lines may buckle and burst from the pressure and start a fire.

“Bathrooms tend to be pretty sturdy,” Anderson said. “Or get under a heavy piece of furniture, a table, or stand in a door frame.”

Most important, stay calm. “Panic will just mean more problems,” said Rick Graves, a disaster education consultant with the Red Cross in Orange County.

And though it may seem that the roof is going to crash down, “building collapse is not the real danger, but flying objects,” Graves said. He recommends that people avoid rooms with a lot of heavy, loose objects.

In Coalinga, where an earthquake measuring 6.5 occurred in May, 1983, “they had typewriters flying across the room at a horizontal velocity of 40 m.p.h.,” he said, “so can you imagine a microwave coming at you?”

Graves also recommends that people secure bookshelves, keep shoes or slippers by the bed in case glass shatters, know how to turn off gas, water and electricity and keep a supply of bottled water.

“State officials tell us it could be at least three days before any relief agency could get to many areas” after a major earthquake, he said.

On the road, motorists should stay in their vehicles, avoiding overpasses and power lines. Anyone outdoors should stand in an open area, away from trees, chimneys or poles.

More tips on earthquake preparedness are available through Red Cross booklets and classes, both available at 601 Golden Circle, Santa Ana. Information is available at (714) 835-5381.