Here's EXACTLY What to Do When the Next Megaquake Hits: Cascadia Subduction Zone

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Subduction zone earthquakes are the largest and most destructive on earth. In 2004 a 9.1 megaquake hit Sumatra off the coast of Indonesia, unleashing a massive tsunami and killing 227,898 people. And in 2011, the Tohoku earthquake struck Japan, killing around 20,000 and triggering the infamous Fukushima nuclear disaster. In the Pacific northwest lurks the Cascadia Subduction Zone, which has been dormant for centuries and is overdue for its next “big one.”
In this episode we’re going to tell you what experts think is the best way to survive this inevitable disaster.
Link to Portland's Unreinforced Masonry Building map: projects.oregonlive.com/maps/...
Weathered is a show hosted by weather expert Maiya May and produced by Balance Media that helps explain the most common natural disasters, what causes them, how they’re changing, and what we can do to prepare.
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[@PabloMiranda1]

You should check out what people do in Mexico city during an earthquake. We have an alarm system in the whole city. That gives us mostly a minute to evacuate the buildings. We do evacuate when it's possible, if we are in an upper floor we might go to the roof and wait. We learned this at school and reinforce it every year on a national earthquake drill, we actually don't enforce the drop and cover action nor the triangle of life. If we cannot escape the building we should go to the restroom so if in case we're stuck we might have water access. I hope you find this information useful

[@honkhonk8009]

Yeah same in here. We only do the drop and cover if were in a building and cant get out.

[@SuperCaliforniaBarbi]

Watch the Japanese for tips. They squat and don't run

[@guysumpthin2974]

Good talk !

[@rdklkje13]

@@SuperCaliforniaBarbi That makes sense since these days (post Kobe) many more buildings in Japan can withstand strong earthquakes than in Mexico City.

[@reikicowgirl9817]

Had a colleague who was in a hotel in Mexico City during one of the big quakes in the 90s. They all ran outside, but masonry started falling off the buildings all around them.

[@samudroprem6936]

I was in a 7.6 earthquake in Taiwan in 1999. It happened at 01:47 a.m. We were in bed. There was nowhere to drop, cover and hold onto. In the darkness of the night, with glass crashing all around, there was no way even to make it to the bathroom door frame. We were lucky, only 1 person dies in our 10-storey apartment block. The first earthquake in Turkiye last week happened in the middle of the night. People were in bed. The advice given to drop, cover and hold on, is only useful in daylight hours. Better advice is: if you live in an earthquake zone, have an emergency backpack prepared and placed next to your bed - with a battery torchlight, heat protection blanket, a bottle of drinking water, a charged up mobile phone, your wallet with cash in it. Before going to sleep make sure the route to the exit door has no obstacles. In reality if you are in bed when a earthquake begins, and you are lucky to survive the first shake, then do get out as you can before the inevitable aftershock hits.

[@pyrovania]

The drinking water is most important.

[@paulettemaximun2505]

Wow. Thanks

[@claudiamm7849]

I used to live in so cal. They would wake me up and I would jump out of bed and get in a door jam. I always looked for safest place before a enevidible earthquake. I have ran out of a builing because matainece just told me they stored unsafe metal beds on 2nd story at pounds per square ft that were beyond code. My outdoor adventure continued till I was safe from brick building. When I stopped EQ still going. I saw other buildings swaying.

[@sabinemiller994]

Door jambs can be extremely dangerous, they literally cross over in an extreme quake acting like a giant pair of scissors. Roll out of bed, pull the covers over you if possible, and lie right beside it. If the ceiling collapses, the bed leg's may collapse but the frame, mattress etc, whilst compressed, will be as high or higher than you. The angle between the bed and floor creates what experts have come to call 'The triangle of life' - Couches perform a similar function . People in offices survived concrete floors coming down because they were beside boxes of copy paper - they don't compress. 2/ a go bag is a great idea, but don't forget shoes! Broken glass, tiles etc, no emergency response for hours if not day's...... . All this is now taught in New Zealand since Christchurch..... 🇳🇿

[@sabinemiller994]

PS: Most of our homes are wooden frame - so flexible- and we're strongly encouraged to fix big furniture etc to the wall so it doesn't walk in a quake. Most danger/ death is caused by falling objects. The most deaths in Christchurch came in one building which pancaked - poor engineering design/ oversight, and 2/ falling brick facades. As stated, situational awareness is key!!!

[@bfg1836]

I have about 40 friends who went through the 2011 Japanese quake. Several of them were on the refuel floor of Fukushima Unit 4. I went there a month later and spent 9 months. During that time we had hundreds of 5 and 6 magnitude aftershocks. One of them was a 7.3. This is spot on. Here’s something I learned. ALWAYS have a light. Your cell phone has a light. My friends at Fukushima had a hell of a time getting out. Few lights and collapsed stairwells.

[@jordanr5832]

You have 40 friends!?

[@nandy9285]

​@@jordanr5832imagine how many he has outside of that earthquake's range

[@freshmarcent2741]

they could just be classmates or people he has talked to, but i would be surprised if they are meaningful friends@@jordanr5832

[@juanzamarripa3778]

Thats why i always wear cargo pants and carry a 10,000mah power bank, charge cable, knife with glass breaker, box cutter, and 1000lumen flashlight, and a Leatherman Surge multitool.

[@stevegarcia3731]

Thanks for your input! WOW. Glad your friends made it okay.

[@Bumblee31]

We live in a little town in Oregon and we voted to rebuild our city building to withstand earthquakes. Its even a place we're told to go to if we're close and an earthquake happens ❤️ Watching them build it was amazing.

[@stevegarcia3731]

That is what most of Japan did in recent decades, and it helped a lot in the 2011 Tohoku quake and tsunami. OTOH, Sumatra had not done much, and neither did other places around the NE Indian Ocean, and over 200,000 died. But they really did not KNOW they were much at risk, even with Indonesia right next door. (I get alerts from USGS for any quakes over 4.5. The 9.0 Sumatra quake, I got an automated alert and was on my PC at the time, and I got it maybe 10-15 minutes after it hit. I saw the 9.0 rating and I realized that the tsunami had not even hit most of the Thailand coast yet, which is NOT far. I started worrying for people. It was late morning there, I think, and even with the daylight, people just didn't know what to do. And the beach communities were flat for a few miles inland, and going up hills was not an option. No really big tsunami hadn't hit anywhere since about 1755, and nobody anywhere had paid any attention to any possibility.)

[@ThanksForTheLaugh]

Lived through 2 Southern California earthquakes in different homes, both times our chimneys collapsed and belched black soot into rooms. One I was standing in doorway and dog was running in circles barking. Then he was coated in soot and just stood there in shock. Broke the tension for me…😂

[@JusNoBS420]

😂that’s funny to think about

[@ouzi9122]

Hahahahaha

[@jenniferhouse1939]

Lol

[@Jedimindset]

😂 it’s the little things sometimes. Glad you survived.

[@jasondrummond9451]

After one moderate earthquake, my two housebunnies THUMPED loudly, and alternately, for the next half hour.

[@briangarrow448]

I grew up on the Pacific coast of Washington state. I drove by the Ghost Forest of the Copalis River nearly every day for years. I worked in a coastal city and my final job before retirement was helping install tsunami warning sirens across the city. Being retired and knowing a bit about surviving a disaster, I started building bug out bags as Christmas presents for my family and friends. If you care about someone, helping them prep for a disaster is a gift of love. And disasters can happen anywhere, tornadoes in the south or Midwest, hurricanes in the Gulf or East Coast, earthquakes or tsunamis in the West. A few buck and a couple of hours can significantly improve your safety. Call it the cheapest insurance you can get.

[@roxyiconoclast]

Sounds great. What would you recommend for a bug out bag?

[@bradleyharris4183]

Yeah, you've perked our interest in the gift of bug bag givin

[@LoriCurl]

Do you sell them, or can you recommend one?

[@traceytrotter9934]

You sound like a wonderful person to be around! Hope it happens soon.

[@roxyiconoclast]

@@briangarrow448 thanks for the tips. I tried doing this in the past, but this time found something by the state, as you suggested. 😊

[@teresa9760]

Wow, 8:45 Surprised! That's picture where I lived during this 1989 Prieta quake. We were Red Tagged and not allowed back inside. Entire neighborhood was crumbled. Lived there many years, but uncontrollably moved out THAT day, with no belongings. Had beautiful views right on the San Francisco Bay. It WAS a frightening, day that I never forgot. I was at work in morning. I wore a red dress to work and an hour prior to the quake , I became suddenly deeply tearful and sad for no reason, lasting an hour. An hour later, when the quake hit, I knew exactly why. Listen to your body. Being tearful is not something one does wearing a red dress. I was working in a brick building downtown. Beware, yes, brick falls outward into streets as I saw first hand brick flying past windows. I called the people away from the exterior windows and flying brick. LOL,One lady stood between a doorway jam. I yelled for her to come to my spot, because there was nothing but interior glass walls surrounding her chosen door jam. Running to me, she looked like wabbling drunk. As soon as the quake stopped, I told everyone get home fast. Those that were slow, ended up stranded in San Francisco traffic jams all night. I was one of the first who rapidly got across Golden Gate Bridge to Marin County. Later, I co-founded our town and county's first Disaster Preparedness Plan, and Neighborhood Responses Team, including medical, fire, school children and senior watch phone-tree, and Fire and Police Dept CERT training and Certification. Now, yep, I live far away from the coast high in the pine trees. Will do without my SF view.

[@stevegarcia3731]

You leaned some real life lessons, and made it. ALL GOOD ADVICE, for us and for that lady.

[@steveturansky9031]

My wife and I are 2 buildings from the beach in Socal, in a 2 story wood framed stucco duplex. Less than 1/4 mile away is a hill that would climb us above all but the worst Tsunami waves. During the last big Cascadia earthquake/tsunami about 12 years ago, our tenants jumped in their car almost immediately after we got the tsunami warning to evacuate via car to higher ground. The prediction was about 60-70 minutes for the wave to get this far south. About 2 hours later, they returned home. As it turned out, they got into a massive traffic jam of people thinking the same thing and only got about 200-300 feet where they were stuck for 2 hours. They'd have made much more progress walking or on bikes. In any highly populated area, your 4 wheeled vehicle will be stuck in a huge traffic jam, even if you leave just minutes after a warning.

[@MirorR3fl3ction]

watching videos like this feels like watching pandemic risk analysis videos in the 2010's

[@ambulocetusnatans]

You may have just written our epitaph.

[@email4664]

@@ambulocetusnatans I just made a sandwich

[@maplenook]

99.98% survival rate. Not a pandemic.

[@ChairmanMeow1]

tell me about it

[@drscopeify]

It really is not that dire, Seattle is 100 miles from the ocean and obviously has a giant mountain range between it and the ocean so a lot of the force will be absorbed by the mountains and overall very few people live along the coast comapred to Japan so many aspects here reduce risk comapred to Japan. Seattle also suffered a 6.8 earthquake in 2001 from Nisqually fault which really woke up the city with all new earthquake proof bridges and major upgrades to infrastructure. In all aspects it is probably much safer to take on a 9.x megathrust in Seattle than Japan for a number of reasons, the mountains between Seattle and the Ocean and North American plate itself is much thicker than an island like Japan which reduces the impact greatly however there are risks that I do not see people discussing such as the risk of avalanches from the earthquake and many people like myself live in such an area so there is some unknown risks like this but not many people overall just rural living like me near the mountains. Another risk is that the Cascadia fault could trigger volcanic eruptions however that did not happen in Japan so it's hard to know.

[@solveigsstudio7858]

I moved back to Kyoto, Japan from Wakayama, where I lived 5 minutes from the ocean. The Nankai Trough subduction zone is predicted to generate a megaquake within the next 10 - 30 years with an accompanying 9m high tsunami (in my area) in about 1/2 hour. For the year that I lived there I was in constant fear of it happening. Even here, when it hits, Kyoto will get a 7.5, but at least no tsunami. I went through one that size in Hawaii. Your mind goes totally blank. I lived in Vancouver, BC and Victoria for years, and preps are still woefully inadequate. Thank you, Dr. Goldfinger - I've watched you on TED and on many other videos. Thank you PBS for this video. The CSZ and what it will do needs to be broadcast as much as possible. Denial is still an overpopulated state.

[@melodiefrances3898]

The 89 Loma Prieta quake was a mere 15 seconds. Had it gone on longer I would have started freaking out. Having it go on for minutes would just be terrifying.

[@youtubeisproCCP]

I live between Ibaraki and Takatsuki but right up against the northern mountains. 2nd floor apartment. I sleep with my clothes on since moving here 😂.

[@LaughingInTiny]

Yes, I just moved back to Victoria and it's like absolutely nothing has changed in twenty years. People still living without any idea of what to do. I'm trying to educate my kids so this is very helpful.

[@markwiles9100]

I was living in Arashiyama, Kyoto when the 6.8 Kobe quake occurred in 1995.

[@gerryl6227]

Your right about Vancouver's Emergency planning. Pretty nonexistent except for a myth that an emeg and evacuation lane to expedite a run to nowhere. I'm pretty sure if I read the space right, downtown is so rundown there is no evacuation plan. People living in that location (D.E.S) are on their own. Mud will churn and smother what remains of 100 year old buildings and city services available. Then the wall of water will smooth everything over. I doubt if there will be much warning either... Our old way of the tuck and roll thing was bend over and kiss your nether region goodbye. It pays to NOT to depend on anything when Murphy Laws are unfolding.

[@SeattleCrimeGal]

I live on an island, directly west of Seattle, about 50 feet from the shore of Puget Sound, in a building that was constructed before the 80's... I am not sure how much riskier a living situation can be. But I can tell you that I do live in paradise, and I am grateful every day...

[@stevegarcia3731]

Lisbon, Portugal, had their big quake and tsunami in 1755 AD. It was THE worst before Sumatra 2004. I do not think they have had a killer one wince then. You just can't know when. (Maybe someday we will be able to know fairly precisely, but right now, nope.)

[@SeattleCrimeGal]

@@stevegarcia3731 I will go to sleep with my floaties on!! 💜 That is so scary, but yet, so many of us are willing to gamble.. The sea draws us in….

[@bobcharlotte8724]

I have been in Japan for 15 years and the differences between the same magnitude quake in Kyoto and Tokyo really surprised me. Kyoto's were a surprising and quick, violent upward jolt. Whereas Tokyo's were a slow side to side rocking motion that I prayed would not get stronger. .

[@k9builder]

Reinforcing buildings can only go so far. One of the problems, and especially in a place like Seattle, is the risk of soil liquefication. Seattle is built primarily upon fill dirt from the Great Seattle Fire of 1889, and so the risk of the soil sifting out from under many of the building is quite high, and we saw some of that during the Nisqually quake. Sadly, much of western Washington will see soil liquefication during a 9.0+ quake, and it is hard to say with any certainty just how much damage that will cause.

[@roxanne533]

Many of the newer buildings and stadiums were built with this liquefaction in mind and have pylons that go deep into the ground to account for it.

[@Bojonni]

Said a whole lot of nothing

[@jasondrummond9451]

A lot of new condos and townhomes are being built along the Gorge waterway in Victoria - on fill. Not only are they in the Tsunami zone, but they are in liquefaction hell zone. You couldn't PAY me to live there.

[@lacey1714]

@@jasondrummond9451 natural selection

[@flightographist]

I've pretty much rolled the dice in my life with regard to where I live. 15 yrs on a mountainside in the Fraser canyon, now on top of a geologic graben dominated then glacially modified landscape, on top of about 75 feet of grey clay ancient glacial lake bed, if and when the big shake comes here again it's gonny be blub blub blub.

[@freedomthroughspirit]

Well done - glad to hear someone speak about the P-wave opportunity to decide what to do -- and the recommendation to have a plan ahead of time. There's not enough time to think through "what should I do" for the very first time during a quake, a lot of people just freeze (based on all the videos I've seen). : ) When I go somewhere it's habit for me now to think, "where would I go if there was an earthquake right now?" A good habit.

[@brentlanyon4654]

I've heard P-waves in every earthquake I've experienced. It's not immediately apparent what it is, at least not to me. It's kind of like a rumbly super low bass that can barely be heard, and I've only recognized it after shaking starts. Your habit is a good one, I do it too. Look for table, doorways, and try to avoid sitting under things that might fall.

[@TB86000]

Thanks for this great, informative video. My comment and concern is this: The city of Portland backed down on a plan to have all URM buildings be made to display a sign that made it clear to residents, workers, etc that they were in a dangerous building in the event of any earthquake. The idea was shot down out of fear that this would hasten the possible demolition and gentrification of these buildings and this would unduly harm a lot of poorer folks who often live and work in these very structures. Ouch!! So instead of working on a financing mechanism "we" have decided to cover our eyes. Out of supposed concern for these vulnerable people we decided as a city to simply wait for these building to kill the very people we pretend as a city to care so deeply about. How will we explain this irresponsible neglect to the world the day after the big one?

[@kellyscott6361]

Excellent comment. I hope the people who wanted to keep things the way they have been can see the error of their ways long before they realize their mistake!

[@namedrop721]

Classic Portland

[@sethtenrec]

@@kellyscott6361send money, lots of it, if you want that fix

[@sallyisabel]

😒

[@TB86000]

@@namedrop721 It is not just Portland. Our whole country has dangerously neglected critical infrastrucure intentionally for 50 years...because "Government is bad." We are waiting for someone to fix wildly expensive problems for profit. Guess what? That just won't happen.

[@ohasis8331]

I was in Tokyo not long before the 2011 quake and I was interested in engineering for quakes. I noticed things like cross road rail bridges had been retro fitted to keep them on their bearing blocks, there were lots of open areas dotting the city, buildings were retro fitted with bracing, pile wraps for anti spalling etc. After the quake, there was lots of shaking in Tokyo but no obvious real damage. A friend's 5 year old did a duck under the table in their apartment building, everything on shelves came down, bookcases and wardrobes went over but he was unscathed. We'd gone to the earthquake centre a few months before and did sessions with exercises on shaker tables etc, all good fun but handy.

[@Olympia_Independent_Pictures]

I definitely think we should teach situational awareness. From someone that lives in Olympia Washington I would love to see more videos on this subject. Thank you for all the great videos!

[@pbsterra]

Thanks for watching!

[@warpdriveby]

Yes, right along with critical thinking, but will it actually happen? I'm not gonna hold my breath 🤢

[@jeffdunnell6693]

Go see Dutch sense

[@amandasunshine2]

@@speedomars3869 porque no los dos? Also.. did you finish the video before you wrote this?

[@amandasunshine2]

@@warpdriveby there are some hippie schools that teach critical thinking. We also learned media literacy 👍 We also learned the truth about native Americans. We read from the textbook and then the teacher would say "actually, what happened was ..." and we often had Native American speakers come talk to us. We took field trips to missions (California if you hadn't already guessed lol) and we learned how horribly the Native Americans abused. They didn't hide things from us, but it was all age appropriate I'm very grateful for my education. I talked to a man who grew up in the south, and it became very clear very soon that he'd been taught from a Daughters of the Confederacy textbook. If you haven't heard about that, look them up. They literally rewrote history.

[@ponyote]

Thank you. As someone living in the PNW, this is appreciated

[@annepankau8329]

MY DAUGHTER Was working in a lab when the DC earthquake hit (2011?). My daughter had no idea what to do.One of her Asian lab mates grabbed her hand and said outside. There was little damage from that incident, but it was the people from places that usually have earthquakes that were prepared.

[@rnupnorthbrrrsm6123]

I live in Minnesota so the threat of an earthquake is not on anyone’s mind. A few years ago I went to a little island in Mexico with a bunch of gals from work, while sitting around late one evening discussing our plan for the next day, the cement permanent couch I was sitting on began to move 😮 We were on the 3rd floor and I don’t know why but I yelled “earthquake” and started telling each person what to do. Tammy-get the passports and cash from the safe, Tonya-get the golf cart keys and room keys, Annette-get all the water bottles filled, Nancy-get your bag of protein bars, I ran to the kitchen and got the peanut butter, cheese, granola, beef jerkey and crackers….I told everyone to get shoes and a jacket/sweater……we filed out with our backpacks full, down the stairs while discussing if we get out golf cart from the underground garage, NO was the decision! It was like clockwork ☺️ We stood outside while waiting for more trembles and instructions on what was happening and what to do. It was all fine, there was no damage, no one was hurt, it was a long ways away. The funny part is, I am not a leader, I am not a boss, I can’t make decisions and I don’t ever take charge and tell anyone what to do 🤷🏼‍♀️ we were all laughing at me, like, “who is this”?

[@gentlespiritjw4904]

You are amazing!! 👍

[@DonnaMcMasterRiver]

Some people panic in a dangerous situation; others become very calm and focused. Sounds like you fall into the latter category. That’s good!

[@vondahe]

Sometimes, you may surprise yourself. I would say, however, that golf cart keys and room keys could have been done without, but that’s looking back from my armchair at home. You did well!

[@robertcoulter2072]

Funny im similar but qhen i get in an emergency ive seen myself leading to charge...must be spirirual...

[@ravinraven6913]

but when it does come to that area, its BAD.

[@danerogers1178]

Congratulations Chris for getting your situational awareness message to a wide audience. We had this discussion about 5 years ago following your presentation to the Corvallis CERT meeting. Great to see you are still fighting to update public messaging.

[@AllysonJFlagg]

Much more needs to be shared with the public. Such as how far will the shaking go - all the way to the Cascade Range? Will the soil liquify in what areas of the valley? Will the Cascade Range drop and the coast range as well? Just saying that anything West of the I-5 is toast, IS NO HELP. Thinking the insurance companies and realtor board are gagging him.

[@ninemoonplanet]

Liquifaction is definitely a hazard for any buildings on either flood plains or coastal shorelines. That's exactly why I won't live anywhere near those. My experience with a minor earthquake living in a townhouse built on an old riverbed shook the house violently. Never again.

[@AllysonJFlagg]

@@vschroeder4062 thank you! I have not been able to locate the maps that would give me the details you suggested. I have no idea if you can provide a link here, or some way to direct me to where those maps are. thank you very much for your help!

[@vschroeder4062]

@@AllysonJFlagg I edited to include a link. You can zoom in with your keyboard.

[@ArchaicAnglist]

​@@vschroeder4062KZbin isn't always hospitable to comments that include links: the only comment from you that _I_ see here is your reply saying you'd posted a link. I keep having to remind myself that KZbin does this - it's a pain. Now I'm retraining myself to provide enough information to help someone find the link I have in mind: one or more search strings, in quotation marks ('los angeles basin earthquake impact maps"), plus a given webpage's title, when I remember it. Some folk prefer to give the link anyway - but they break it up so KZbin doesn't recognize it as a link, by either inserting a space before ".com" or by spelling ".com" out as "dot com".

[@rickeras]

This weathered series can actually be a full KZbin Channel in it self! Amazing work

[@hansonel]

The Big One striking when I'm on vacation in California or the west coast (which isn't often) is a worry of mine.... Anyone within 100 miles of the New Madrid Fault also needs to watch this and be prepared. When the New Madrid went the first time in 1811 it was on of the largest quakes in American history. It re-routed the Missisipi River, rang the bells in Philidelphia and the plains indians in the Dakota's described it as a "great thundering." Even as a Chicagoan my grandmother told us about a small earthquake in southern IL that many people felt all the way up to Milwaukee and rocked her apartment in Hyde Park in the 70's. In 2007 a similar small quake centered in Evansville, IL woke me up from bed, shook my blinds and even broke storefront windows of some businesses in my suburb near Chicago. Earthquakes can happen almost anywhere and so many places around the world (except Japan) aren't prepared for larger ones.

[@MrJones-ge5sl]

One thing that isn't mentioned is that with the modern, earthquake-resistant buildings, there's a lot of glass that will end up in the street with a strong quake. Unless you can get well away from the base of these types of buildings, you're probably better off staying inside.

[@Snowstar837]

Anyone else find it ironic that their geology building isn't made to withstand earthquakes?

[@rileyjackson1762]

I was living in Ridgecrest when the 2019 earthquake happened. And all I can remember is screaming at my sister to get outside and away from tall objects, struggling to kick the dogs out and keep a hand on them at the same time. Her heart was in the right place, but she was thinking of the wrong disaster and trying to get to the tub. Did not let her live that down when everything calmed down.

[@nancykelly9393]

🤣🤣

[@MzBAnthony]

Lol

[@thereginacarpenter2230]

The safest thing to do in an earthquake is to make sure you are wearing a mask, sanitize your hands and stand 6 feet away from it

[@nickyamber777]

😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@sdean1978]

You are such a great host. I hope they pay you well, cause you deserve it. Thanks PBS.

[@justforplaylists]

I lived in California for a while. Most people I knew didn't have emergency food/water. Apparently in Portland they have the Emergency Toilet Project to educate people about how to deal with human waste after earthquakes.

[@gaywizard2000]

Sounds like New Yorks hottest nightclub! ETP!

[@Galen_G]

I think they need the toilet project now since the homeless just use the streets.

[@flossyraven]

I too have always lived in California and barely anyone I know is prepared. I find it so strange, maybe normalcy biases perhaps. 🤷 I'm prepared as much as I can be. Water, food, emergency kit clothes, shoes next to beds, important papers in the back etc. At the end of the day it's in The Most High's hands.

[@porkyminch1640]

My guy the people in Cali would fucking welcome the Earthquake

[@ginajones2328]

Alaska great rolling Earthquake land Or Alaska Last Frontier full of shaking going on

[@billrichards7713]

Be prepared, avoid injury, help others, don't worry too much.

[@kimberlyperrotis8962]

I’m a geologist and live in earthquake-prone Northern California. If the epicenter of a quake is far enough away, and the magnitude strong enough, I generally feel the hard, sideways jolt of the P wave first before the greater shaking of the other seismic waves arrives. I can also often tell which of the major fault zones (north, south, east or west of my location) it comes from by the directional shaking of my house. I’ve lived in this home for 35 years and have gone through this many times, so I know how my old house reacts. I was actually on the bus in North Beach when Loma Prieta hit, but there were plenty of strong aftershocks in the days that followed. My poor cat jumped into my arms at every one; she had been home alone and was traumatized when I got home from work that day, about 35 minutes afterward. The smaller or closer the epicenter/focus is, the more difficult it is to tell anything about a quake. One time I was watching the SanFrancisco news live break-in reporting a quake on San Jose when it hit them in San Francisco a second later, then it hit my North Bay location within a half second or so.

[@davidr6447]

Wow! You did not mention the 9.2 earthquake that hit Alaska in 1964! I was only in 1st grade but I will never forget the way the trees were dancing while the ground was shaking so bad you could not stand! It is something you would never forget! It was NOT just a little ground shaker! I am not looking forward to experiencing the future mega-thrust earthquake from the Juan De Fuca plate. Anchorage was pretty far from the fault but still got a good shaking. Olympia and the I-5 corridor wont get it as bad as Ocean Shores, Ilwaco, Aberdeen, and other coastal communities but the warnings state that everything west of I-5 will experience major damage. The last big one in this area was in January, 1700. We are past due!

[@MexicanTeTe]

Many of the buildings in my neighborhood pancaked during the last big earthquake we had here in Mexico. To be trapped under tons of concrete is one of the worst scenarios you could ever be in, so I fully recommend that people take earthquake warnings seriously and download whatever warning apps are available to help you to evacuate quickly. My family always sheltered in place before that earthquake, but now that our home is nothing more than one of many empty lots where buildings used to stand, it puts it into perspective and we've been talking about evacuation plans for where we currently live. Sheltering in place wasn't even a viable option for what they were teaching it for back in the day. It was simply a drill to make people feel more falsely prepared for the possibility of the uncontrollable scenario of nuclear war. A desk was never going to be the deciding factor in whether or not you survive an apocalyptic event, and it's no different from how standing in a doorway will not protect you if the building collapses around you during an earthquake. Don't be soothed into a false sense of security by antiquated procedures they taught you in school.

[@danielwatson5595]

Lol I keep seeing people talk about Mexico but a huge reason for so much damage was how poorly built those structures are over there. Not much more than a shanty house for most people. Of course your bubble gum and balsa wood house fell over. It’s a bit different here in the States.

[@MexicanTeTe]

@@danielwatson5595 Your statement is wildly ignorant. My 12 storey high rise was not a shanty building. It was not built with wood either, but reinforced concrete and steel. Most buildings in Mexico have been specifically built to withstand earthquakes. The problem is that buildings older than 30 years weren't built to withstand earthquakes stronger than 8.0 and many buildings that were have become weakened over the years from previous earthquakes. The USA has a really high number of older masonry buildings that were not designed to withstand any strong earthquakes that will collapse during the next "big earthquake". Wood is the most popular building material for smaller homes in the USA, but you won't find anyone outside of rural areas using it to build in México for the same reason no one is using it to build more than one or two storey houses in seismically active Japan.

[@teagan_p_999]

They literally said in the video that wood is BETTER than concrete when it comes to earthquakes.

[@hamletcabrerart]

@@danielwatson5595 Don’t worry, next one please just stay inside to prove your point!

[@dgcbarton]

I experienced 2 significant earthquakes while living in California. 1st one in the middle of the night when it was too dark to see, and I woke to the terror of my bed moving back and forth on the floor. 2nd one in the middle of the afternoon when my wife and I were relaxing in the living room. I firmly agree with the evacuation strategy, but both times it was impossible to get up and walk! I since learned to stay near furniture or structure that would support the weight of the ceiling and everything above it. Same thing while driving in San Francisco after the bay bridge collapse. Whenever traffic on the freeway came to a standstill, I wouldn't stop underneath an overpass. And if I were on the lower level of a double high freeway, I'd make sure I stopped under the spaces between the overhead concrete beams.

[@suehowie152]

I absolutely believe in getting alongside something like a couch that would break falling debris.

[@windy7957]

As someone who's lived in the pnw their whole life, I'd love to see more informative videos like this! Particularly coastal cities - what kind of damage is to be expected based on the soil types and subsequent flooding. How far inland should be safe to live? And what kind of high ground? Is it "safe" even if you are on high ground? A quake could level that anyway, right? I appreciate your videos and I love Goldfinger! I love a helpful realist!

[@namedrop721]

You want to look at your local geological maps. Sand and clay can liquify if enough water and shaking is present.

[@amartinez97]

I'd say just go to Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, or Anywhere east of the west coast at high altitude.

[@RandoPandaSmiles]

@@amartinez97 teleporting can be unreliable in the moment. /s Or are you suggesting people move from the PNW to Arizona? lol. Talk about out of the frying pan and into the fire!

[@persephonewolf]

In Beaverton oregon here,I'd love to know what category building the numerous 2 and 3 story apartment buildings are. Built in 76 there's cracks in our ceiling so I will probably try to evac but it'd be nice to know how they are constructed for sure.

[@ArchaicAnglist]

​@@persephonewolfThe plans for a specific building are on file with a city's planning office (unless the building predates the planning and permitting process), though one might have to pay to get a copy. But by searching "beaverton oregon earthquake construction" I just found that the Beaverton city website has a page on earthquake mitigation, which suggests an office that might be able to answer your questions.

[@prettypic444]

As a Angeleno, I'm a little disappointed you didn't tap our pet seismologist, Dr. Lucy Jones, to be in our video. She's always on the news answering questions whenever there's an earthquake over 4, even if it hits at 3:00 am (shes also has several great informational podcasts about natural disasters). the woman is a saint!

[@norml.hugh-mann]

We have our experts

[@LtNduati]

I grew up in Southern New Jersey, and vividly remember the earthquake we had in late August 2011 - if the first warning sign isn't your ears popping from the p & s wave (sounds like a distant heavy military helicopter is approaching) I'll be high disappointed. I was screwing around home alone for the first time and took the screen out of my bedroom window to recreate a physics project from the prior year that I found really interesting (I know, what a nerd/loser). I'm an avgeek and lived beneath a busy air corridor and Army Chinooks or blackhawks would fly by every so often. I heard what I thought were the helicopter and ran to my parent's master bedroom (which I realize now looks towards the south) wondering why I couldn't see the helicopters then the ground started shaking and I immediately ran downstairs to my foyer, saw our chandelier swinging back and forth, and then stood at the stairwell knowing the doorway I was in was probably the strongest part of our house, seeing the ceiling move the opposite direction of my floor was jarring, and as soon as the shaking subsided I went outside, the entire block was shocked, and we all shouted from our houses, "Did we just have an earthquake!?" Called my mom and dad, my mom was station in San Diego for over a decade in the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s, and said, yup that was an earthquake. Californians will laugh, but a 5.8 on the east coast is CRAZY, then we had a Category 3 Hurricane on the friday of that week - what an insane week that was...

[@davidbonner2803]

Nicely done. Smooth mix of general info with brief explanatory technical bits folded in. Many thanks.

[@whoever6458]

It's the sound of the building that makes you want to run outside! I've been in wood-frame buildings for basically every large earthquake I've experienced in the US since I live in California and only experienced one 5 earthquake when I lived in Peru and I was on the second story of a reinforced masonry building. In any case, buildings make terrible sounds during an earthquake and increase your feeling of anxiety that already wants to arise during an earthquake. You mainly worry about whether it will get bigger and then, if it lasts for more than a second or two, you actually start to wonder if it will ever stop even though your rational mind knows that all earthquakes have stopped shaking thus far. There was one time that I did run outside during an earthquake and it was this one that happened in Mexico in 2010 I want to say and it happened on Easter. I was at my mom's house helping her with something outside and I was just walking in the front door when the earthquake started. I felt that first little bump and I just thought, "Hell no!" and ran right back outside. Then I thought of the fact that the outside of buildings collapses first so I ran into the road. The light post looked forbidding so I kept running down the street. The trees at the end of the street also looked foreboding so I literally went running for the hills. LMAO Pretty soon, my old ass is practically sprinting uphill and it suddenly dawns on me that I've run quite a ways and so fast that I literally can't even tell if there's still an earthquake. So I stopped running to see if there was still an earthquake but it had passed and then I sheepishly walked the solid half mile or so that I had run in just a few minutes and all because I had ran back out the door and then away from the house. Literally nothing at all happened anywhere near me as far as damage but I guess it was a good bit of cardio.

[@geekcollage]

It was either Easter 2007 or 2011 I think and yeah that one we went outside for. An Uncle even helped my grandma's elderly neighbor outside too. Normally we just wait in place.

[@whoever6458]

@@geekcollage The sound really does just make that impulse irresistible. I knew as I was running back out the door that I had learned it was a bad idea to do that, which only made me run away from the house faster, and it's kind of why I ran so far afterwards too. I kept thinking about things that could possibly fall on me. First it was stuff on the outside of the house, then it was the street light, then it was the trees. Once you get your mind in that mode, you're just going to go for it.

[@jwrightgardening]

This video needs a lot more than 250K views! It's so important for everyone to understand what to do in an emergency and that depends on the current situation/location.

[@pbsterra]

Welp, share it around, please!

[@SometimesTurtle]

So you mean, it's important for people to use their brains? I agree.

[@HoepRemains]

It got a lot more

[@DanielWSonntag]

Up to 2.3 mil!

[@grandpashreddypants]

As a risk manager I like the idea of a simple message, however we get the most bang for the buck when we challenge and empower our peers with strong knowledge. It isn't easy to do the complicated messaging, but doing it in an organized and equitable way should be our top priority. Thanks for the great content, and happy Great Shake-Out!

[@saintpreferred9223]

"...but doing it in an organized and equitable way..." WOKE language....get lost.

[@AllysonJFlagg]

Really???????? Risk Managers do NOT want you to understand the truth because that impacts real-estate values, insurance premiums and more. Simple message???????? GIVE THEM THE TRUTH. See my above comment, Dude!!!

[@sedg03]

@@AllysonJFlagg massive misses of life? Fed hovt unable to helo so.. they font address this :(

[@gregcampbell4538]

Waaaay too many buzzwords, Dude. Try straightforward English, please. :/

[@sharpedance]

I live near the coast of Southern California and very much appreciate the updated information in this informative and useful video. Please do more on this subject with specific information and advice for the various areas with the greatest risk. I’m most concerned with the San Andreas that is not far from my location. Thank you for your work and… your spokesperson is engaging and speaks clearly. I could listen to her everyday :)

[@bob_frazier]

The Oregon Department of Emergency Management states that 41 Cascadia subduction zone earthquakes have occured in the last 10,000 years. The most recent of these quakes was an estimated 9.0 that shook on January 26, 1700. Cascadia subduction zone earthquakes have the potential to occur every 190 to 1,200 years.

[@cebas23]

A good recommendation for the authorities and the researchers is to develop an earthquake alarm system to alert before the shaking waves hit the zone as they have in Mexico and in Japan.

[@Theballonist]

This answered so many questions I had and so many I didn’t know to ask. Fantastic, and I’m glad to hear that a more nuanced approach is going to become the norm.

[@danielchavira5698]

Good information! There was a lot spoke about I did not know with earthquake safety and buildings.

[@gfisher7765]

I heard a story on South American earthquakes several years ago on NPR. The reporter explained a DIY alarm that was used in remote areas. They used two common household items, a tin cooking pan and an empty wine bottle or similar. The bottle was set inside the pan, balanced upside down, and when the earth moved the bottle would tip and make a racket when it hit the pan. Maiya looks safe and happy under that desk at 1:30!

[@Opalmiller19]

Glass bottle? wouldn’t that shatter

[@Kknah91]

@@Opalmiller19 it could, but it doesn’t matter. If there is enough of a quake to knock it over, it’s purpose is to make lots of noise to get your attention.

[@oitsamy]

Yes, as a resident of Eureka CA (very near the subduction zone), more specific and nuanced advice is needed. We're taking part in the Great Shake Out drill today, and all the local OES info is drop and cover. With the minimal warning time that might be most appropriate here, but I would like to know more.

[@shereygould9307]

Just a bit north of you near Crescent City. I went to a few local seminars on tsunamis which will follow the quakes. From what I learned, I'm more concerned now about the volume of inrushing water into streams and creeks and rivers than the actual tsunami waves themselves. Always good to know more (even if a bit scary!)

[@woollygoat8921]

I am sorry to tell you, but the likelihood of surviving in Eureka, CA, during this event is extremely low. The actual earthquake is not the real danger: it's the tsunami. Everyone trapped in buildings will be drowned. There will be no rescue in time. We're talking about a 20m+ tsunami in addition to the actual ground possibly dropping several meters beneath sea level. If people are lucky, they will have about twenty-minutes to get to high ground away from the coast. If you feel the ground shaking, get outside and literally run for the hills. Don't stop. A 65ft+ wall of water is coming, and it's not stopping.

[@indybill4]

There was a 6,5 earthquake today. Northern California

[@oitsamy]

@@indybill4 There were a ridiculous number of earthquakes yesterday, and they are ongoing today.

[@joedalton45]

Fortunately, I live in a low seismic risk area ( St-Lawrence valley, province of Quebec, Canada). Cold winter blasts and ice storms (power outages) are our biggest concerns....along with inept politicians!!

[@MrRonnmaui]

Great video! Thanks for making. Here outside Seattle and have "dug deep" into simulations that have been done for the tidal surge here in Puget Sound. I would like to see video on preparing a "day pack" of necessities when you need to leave fast and cannot drive.

[@toughbutsweet1]

I live about 10 miles form the San Andreas Fault in So Cal, and when I was purchasing a home, I found a wood frame house built in 1924 on bedrock, next to a mountain. From what research I have done, my biggest worry will be the chimney. My home is also bolted to the foundation which was a requirement for the seller to complete before the sale.

[@alvaromedinagarcia]

There is something missing in this dicotomy: being able to evacuate or hide depends on wether you can walk. In very strong quakes you just can't keep standing up. Having experienced at least one megaquake and its many, many aftershocks, I would recommend: try to evacuate if possible, always watching for possible objects falling like furniture or electric posts outside. If it cames to the point you can't keep standing, crawl to an area free of falling objects or windows. The center of a room for example. Also, keep in mind that a building can be said to be built to modern standards but be deffective anyway. Trust the building only if it has survived a strong earthquake before. Search "Alto Rio Concepcion" to see an example of a supposedly modern building that collapsed catastrophically because of poor construction. And if you're near the sea, and the quake made impossible to keep standing, run for high ground the moment it stops. By foot, never car.

[@CortexNewsService]

And just in case anyone wonders why to go by foot, cars will be flooding the roads, slowing traffic to a crawl.and that's assuming bridges survived. A few years ago a town on the Oregon coast held a tsunami drill. Some walked, most drove. Everyone who walked got to the safe zone easily. a very small fraction of the drivers did.

[@freedomthroughspirit]

Excellent point! Mobility is a HUGE factor that greatly impacts our decisions. And very strong quakes aren't walkable exactly so also an important distinction. I hope they keep making videos on this topic because more should be said.

[@drscopeify]

The subduction zone earthquakes are less violent at first as they ramp up power as he mentioned the P-Wave and the quake is occurring around 200 miles out under the Pacific ocean floor which provides around 1 minute of warning with the P-wave for easy moment out of danger. Southern and central California has a totally different type of fault zone called a strike-slip fault and in addition the fault is right under California it is located just east of Los Angels and runs directly under San Francisco so the force is immediate and starts of with full force, very different type of earthquake and it's effects. However, due to the length the San Andreas is limited to around 7.x size quakes unlike Cascadia which can reach the maximum possible force in the 9.x range so it is multiple times more powerful.

[@shlby69m]

I would only work or do business in wooden or reinforced structures. Just like learning where bthrms & fire escapes are for new jobs, just be aware.

[@emwhite6796]

Yes I agree about brand new buildings. Here in Wellington with the 2019 Kaikoura quake, we lost the brand new BNZ building that had to be demolished due to the floors pancaking. Luckily it happenned at night on a weekend. Wellington NEw zealand due for a big one in the coming decades 😪

[@srofv7805]

I always figured the children hiding under desks was about control: you have a lot of scared children who might not be aware of the danger around them, and not enough adults to take care of them. By teaching them to hide underneath their own desks, you eliminate the danger of a stampede on the hallways and overall panic of people trying to get out. That way they are also in recognizable areas that rescuers can focus on, rather than forcing them to dig through the rubble, pause to listen for lifesigns and then continue digging. Guess I was wrong.

[@faithrada]

I do think you bring up some valid points, so it goes back to 'situational awareness'... knowing the type of structure one is in. Not one size fits all.

[@razingculture]

That’s insanity. Not every building is going to collapse in every earthquake. Most modern buildings WILL survive. What’s important is to know the building you live and work at especially. Drop, cover and hold on is still the best advice.

[@cathrineflanagan6617]

I grew up in Los Angeles and have rode out many earthquakes. The reason they tell you to get under your desk and cover is quite simple. When buildings really start to shake things start falling, and worst of all building materials, heavy light fixtures ect. It's just to protect you from falling debris. Another good example is your kitchen. Being hit with heavy glass plates or canned goods can really do some harm.

[@gaywizard2000]

I think you are right! Also everyone please look up The triangle of life. Hiding under something gets you squished flat!

[@freedomthroughspirit]

@@gaywizard2000 I wonder why they don't talk about the Triangle more often. It seems the next best thing if you can't get under something truly sturdy like a wood or metal or stone table (non IKEA quality).

[@Hollowelldena70]

Thank you for this excellent educational video. I’m going to share it with my son who lives in Eugene Oregon. It’s really good for anybody who lives in an earthquake area. Thank you again.

[@khilorn]

Hello from Oregon. We've be prepping for this quake for decades. This is very good knowledge to know.

[@TheLakingc]

I grew up on the Oregon coast and saw places, even where i lived, where there were ghost forests. No one knew why, but that was over 60 years ago. Oh, yes, and places where you could see whole sections of land had dropped or risen...like a broken puzzle .

[@pbsterra]

Yep! Creepy ghost forests were a big clue!

[@maddennis55]

1989, I was on the edge of the big 'Frisco quake. I was trucking, just unloaded near Oakland, and went to Sacramento for the night. I was out of the damaged area, just had some good shaking. A short time after, news of what happened was coming out. A few hours earlier, I was on that collapsed freeway.

[@juliebradley6961]

Thank you for this most important information Dr. Goldfinger and everyone else involved! I live in Newberg, Oregon and concerned about being ready. Stay safe 💙

[@sallyisabel]

As someone in the Portland metro, this is soooo informative. Thank you! I went to an earthquake safety training the other day and they kept telling us to duck and cover, probably with the assumption that we all live in a single family home.

[@joek81981]

We had one in Kansas City maybe 7 or 8 years ago. Until I felt it, I couldn't comprehend the power it takes for all the dirt under a whole city to be moving. Like, its bit of a chore to move two or three cubic yards of rock and dirt. Now, all the dirt everywhere? And all the things built on top of it. That sh*t boggled my mind. My house moved like it was nothing.

[@sparklessyd88]

Beautiful presentation of this very important information. Thank you Maiya and PBS Terra!

[@Lulwa5]

The one scary thing about all these tactics it assumes it’s mid day & you’re fully awake and ready to spring into action immediately.

[@lindamcneil711]

Your message here is on topic and yes, more information on situational awareness and earthquakes are needed. Keep up the good reporting. This could save lives.

[@francismarcelvos9444]

Just as with other calamities, most calamities that hit people are those that were not envisioned by those people or were ignored. Earthquakes come with multiple calamities. Not mentioned in this video are other calamities that will follow the earthquake and tsunami. Fires will break out, people will start looking for relatives and endanger themselves doing so. People will panic and flee and get overrun by people and cars. People start collecting their valuables before fleeing and get hurt or killed. People will drown in floodwaters. Prevention of getting caught in all these subsequent calamities will determine wether you will get caught up in the calamities or wether you have to trust luck or Gods help. MAKE AN EARTHQUAKEPLAN FOR YOURSELF AND FAMILY AND DISCUSS IT WITH THEM AND TRAIN YOUR FAMILY.

[@honkhonk8009]

Best thing to do in an earthquake, is to hide under a desk, or to just go in ur car(as long as the car ain't near anything.)

[@ArbitraryOnslaught]

they didn't mention it here but one of the biggest death tolls associated with a quake is electrocution

[@davidmurray6176]

@@honkhonk8009 a desk isn't stopping a roof from collapsing and crushing that desk with you under it.

[@MerlinOrtegas]

Nothng could be better than this to happen to the west coast and all of you libtards.

[@linamarie84]

Great comment minus the amount of "calamities" repeatedly mentioned 😀

[@ComfortRoller]

I was 40 miles south of the nisqually quake in a brick warehouse. I saw the timbers holding the roof trusting back and forth, the door was right there so i decided braving the brick facade was better then being inside so I put my hand on my moms back and ran us out the front into the middle of the street covering our heads. We moved toward the one story next door and watched the light poles settle. A few bricks came off buildings across the street, luckily it wasn't a big quake.

[@roxyiconoclast]

Good thinking! According to a geology awareness session I attended, brick facades are far less dangerous than brick in reinforced masonry buildings. Another thing I learned was that reinforcement if unreinforced masonry homes is extremely expensive and not very effective. One speaker related how he and his wife sold their house, since they have children. As people become aware of this issue, unreinforced masonry houses are more likely to sell as tear-downs, so they still can be sold but at lower prices. However, in my area most houses are unreinforced masonry, so it’s very difficult to obtain a stick built house. People who can afford it may demolish and rebuild. Wish we could do that.

[@brycenmccrary4193]

Sure felt big 😂😂😂

[@nikitakayurov9812]

Very interesting video. Thanks for the team for publishing it.

[@Monticello_Bonifacio]

I think situational awareness is extremely important in earthquake-prone area, and don't forget the socio-economy aspects of the region where we stay. Like, if I'm in Japan, where the building code is strictly enforced and the locals are well-prepared, I may just simply duck and cover then follow evacuation orders that being disseminated by the authority. But if I'm in a developing country that has low compliance or even doesn't have any building codes and the locals are ill-prepared, then I need to be more aware about any possible evacuation route and protective items to shield from any falling debris. That way I may safe myself independently amidst the chaotic situation.

[@christbw]

I didn't know about the Weathered series on PBS Terra, but I'll be binge watching all the episodes now. Well researched with the type of information I want as someone living near a large fault. Keep up the good work!

[@DJAUDIO1]

Great timing. It was October 17th yesterday and that day will forever be significant to people in Northern California.

[@roxyiconoclast]

My husband was on the Bay Bridge during the Loma Prieta quake, although he usually commuted via the Nimitz Freeway that collapsed and killed many people. Yet we still are unprepared for future quakes - the water and food stores in particular seem overwhelming and expensive. Wish they’d do a video on that.

[@email4664]

I recall being stunned by the live reporting of a mother and her child pinned in a car on the Nimitz- The Mother was dead, but they had to cut her in two, in order to get to the child, who was alive and very aware of what was going on.....Pure hell. Truly the most graphic and shocking thing to introduce a young lad to.

[@roxyiconoclast]

@@email4664 how horrifying! In our area we didn’t see much coverage of what happened on the Nimitz, I guess to avoid panic and looting. Later we did see reports that some bad actors crawled into the collapsed area to loot the cars of credit cards etc., without helping surviving drivers. Mind boggling.

[@freedomthroughspirit]

@@roxyiconoclast I just got a few water storage jugs from Walmart - Ozark Trail brand - and cleaned and filled them following instructions I found here on YT, very helpful and not expensive. I can store them for up to 6 years. At least I have some drinking water if things go truly sideways. Foodwise, I'm sticking to basic stuff - fruit bars, rice, beans, lentils, pasta, growing a garden, etc. Here's the video that helped me with the water storage: kzbin.info/www/bejne/e4WVlZqQq5qJo7M

[@roxyiconoclast]

@@freedomthroughspirit thanks for the info on the water bottles. Water is the most important supply! One problem we have is that we live in a small unreinforced masonry house. I think it will collapse, so we need to store emergency supplies outdoors or in a freestanding wooden garage. Yet we have very hot summers, with many days over 100 degrees, so I am concerned about degradation - this is what has stumped me in the past. Hope I can find containers that would stand up to the heat. For food, I want to stick to things that can be eaten without cooking. So I do like the bars, as well as canned food. Later, if I ever get that far, I can get some kind of camp stove and pans, then branch out into items that need cooking.

[@SunnyIlha]

I felt the 1991 Quake there. It *snapped* after the weird p-waves sensation. I ran outside of a house with an infant in my arms to get out of the house. I knew the sensation the second it began. I got *out* of the house. We were safe outside. The second snap moved the entire earth northward. I watched the entire house bottom half yanked to the right while the upper whole half of the house stayed in place, appearing as if it was yanked to the left. My square house momentarily turned into a *parallelogram* The TREES *swayed* *weird* The power lines *swayed* I thought my house was going to collapse onto itself. I went to my knees to the ground as to not be thrown, with infant in my arms. Yea, I can tell you, it was SCARY.

[@pbsterra]

Wow! So glad you got out of the house! Thanks for sharing.

[@bcatblues725]

I’m surprised you did not mention the mega quick in Alaska in 1964. That was a 9.2.

[@Asri_]

Where I live now, major earthquake damage is unlikely but there are other risks. We keep (and regularly check) bug out bags, basic water and food storage, gas and generator, a repository with tools to shut off utilties and other disaster prep essentials. A few hours of prep can save your lives, yet most people don't do it. For sure more comprehensive messaging is needed.

[@tess5844]

I am just imagining the experience of those two professors when they both felt the earthquake coming. All of that work studying this natural thing, and the moment when you realize you are presently feeling the real p waves coming in. Amazing

[@janeentumbao8690]

This here is great information!!! Thank you!

[@watrgrl2]

Excellent documentary! Thank you! I learned some valuable things here. Please do more!

[@victoriaeads6126]

Great content. I think nuanced preparation dependant on where you live and work is probably best. We live in Northern Virginia. We do occasionally get perceptible quakes, and it is important to know that our quakes are near crust quakes. The quake that damaged the Washington Monument was centered around Mineral Virginia, very close to the North Anna NUCLEAR power station. After event reports showed that the staff of the North Anna facility knew their jobs and did them well, keeping many people safe even in a highly stressful, unpredictable situation. Quake preparedness for the win!

[@Research0digo]

Victoria, I'm curious, how old is the plant & who built it? If it was a company like Brown & Root (Dick Cheney), you were right to be. oncerned. If it was a reputable company such as Bechtel, you can be reassured that it is a superior build. Everything is triple redundant. Our San Onofre plant's snubbers are as big as Fiats. The rebar within both 'domes' is so well done that when I dropped a wrench it only fell 10". Super safe plant.

[@victoriaeads6126]

​@@Research0digo It was built in the early 70s, has Westinghouse reactors, and is owned/run by Dominion, but I didn't see anything about the company contracted to build the original structures. Everything I know about the facility suggests that it's well run and well maintained, though. It's actually quite lovely there-the lake created for the cooling facilities includes a State Park and there's a fairly good winery very close by...well, it's Virginia, so there are several fairly good wineries in the area. We've been there several times because the Lake Anna winery hosts the Virginia Renaissance Festival every June, which is a lot of fun. I know it doesn't guarantee safety, of course. I was born in PA only a few months after TMI, and several members of my family live near Limerick in PA. Limerick has always had a huge problem because it's both illegal to store nuclear waste on the property AND illegal to transport nuclear waste through populated areas on PA, and Limerick is surrounded by suburban developments. Last time I heard, they had to essentially sneak out the waste products in the middle of the night on trains to thread that needle, but I might be wrong. My grandfather's company, Associated Steam Specialty Inc (they used to put out a hilarious donkey themed calendar every year...) actually did some of the HVAC systems at Limerick.

[@superfreakmorris4251]

I live in Astoria Oregon. I've told my family to head to the column if they feel the ground shake. I've watch many videos of that tsunami in Japan in 2011 to know what could possibly happen. I've an emergency tote filled with 4 days of food and supplies.

[@ravinraven6913]

to the column or the nice area that its built on? definitely smart idea

[@mrpoopoohead7668]

Have you ever taken a walk and tried to get further inland and up into the local surrounding hillsides and timed yourself?? you have to assume you will have to travel on foot...and you may not have more than 20 minutes to get into the hills because the ocean level could rise as much as 100 feet like it did in Thailand...and since you live in an area where the water column could be compressed the water level could be even higher?

[@superfreakmorris4251]

@@mrpoopoohead7668 good idea on timing our escape. I've seen what happened to Japan in 2011 . Mother nature is scary... Thank you ☺️

[@alicejohnson4128]

Our planet is dуіng. By 2028 there will be 1,000 destruсtive earthquakes every (!) day (this was warned about in the international online forum *"Global* *crisis.* *Our* *survival* *is* *in* *unity"* 2:16:00). Only together, by combining the efforts of the best scientists, we can solve the climate problems. It's time to stop cоnflicts and build a peaceful *Creative* *Society,* where everyone's life, safety and well-being will be the highest value not on paper, but in action.

[@alanjameson8664]

I was born near the Mendocino Triple Junction, the most seismically active place in North America, and grew up farther away but still within sight of Cape Mendocino. I was about 32 years old before I saw a brick building that did not have cracks in it.

[@alanjameson8664]

Continued: There is a LOT that is not covered in this video. Allow me to suggest reading “Peace of Mind in Earthquake Country” by Peter Yanev. In California the 1933 Long Beach Earthquake (which fortunately happened on a Sunday) seriously damaged and in a number of cases destroyed school buildings, which moved the Legislature to quickly pass the Field Act, governing construction of school buildings. It has been amended from time to time, but no school built to even the original 1933 Field Act standard has ever failed in an earthquake. Time and again, the same sorts of buildings fail in earthquakes. Balloon frame (“stick built”) houses *can* be pretty safe, but if not built well they can be destroyed by even a moderate earthquake. The good news is that the unsafe ones can often be recognized and reinforced.

[@EllenLBuikema]

Helpful information, thank you!

[@glennjones6004]

I live in a relatively earthquake-free zone, the piedmont of North Carolina. Some years ago, a minor quake occurred up around Maryland. We suspected that there had been an earthquake somewhere when an engine we had hanging on a chain hoist in the garage began to gently swing by itself.

[@potluck712]

So within 60 seconds I’m supposed to remember what type of building I’m in, remember where the exit is, and run on ground that is shaking while other people are also panicking to run. It can’t be too hard

[@Sashazur]

Those are all good things to get in the habit of paying attention to every time you’re in a new building and honestly aren’t hard to do. After a while it’ll become automatic.

[@marcjohnson7882]

That's what they mean by situational awareness

[@vickielewis3848]

I live in Sunnyvale in the Southern San Francisco Bay area. I am on the valley floor not far from the San Andraes faultline. I live in a Mobilehome with standard earthquake bracing underneath front and back. I remember sitting at my dining room table when the 1989 Loma Preita 7.0 hit. I remember experiencing how flexible the place is. I could feel the steel main beams under the home flexing up and down. I thought this is what it's like for these to travel down the roads in two halves before being set in place. The earthquake braces did a good job of supporting the movement and I sustained no damage. Spooky though. 🇺🇲🔜👊

[@HandsomeDanVacationRentals]

I live on the south coast of Vancouver island about 18 meters above sea level. In the event of a mega quake I immediately head to a nearby walking path that gives me another 15m of elevation and takes about 10 minutes to get to/ascend. Then I wait as, at that point, there is not much else to do but wait to see how big the tidal wave is.

[@pamtawhara7029]

I've lived through some large earthquakes here in New Zealand. I have never ducked under anything unless in bed and it wakes me up. Then I burrow down in the bed with the pillows on top of my head. Usually we get outside away from falling debris etc. The biggest toll on the body is the nerves and it takes some time to get a restful night's sleep in the weeks afterwards. We are always aware of them, especially in the east Marlborough area of the upper South Island. The last one that came our way was in Nov 2016. It was over the 7 when it hit our place. We are prepared for any more with water, food cooking (camping style), thermal tents, medical supplies etc, etc.

[@michaelrae9599]

I grew up in So Cal and went to school there. We have earthquake drills. They are different than fire drills, because you have to get under your desk. All the municipal entities got involved, including fire, police, hospitals etc. We practiced for the big one.

[@saintpreferred9223]

Stay in CA.

[@TS-sx7kr]

Great video! I’ve been thru so many quakes in Central CA & LA, and as a Red Cross responder in 2009 to American Samoa we always head to open spaces out buildings. Lessons learned quickly at first shake google recent quakes near me, 150 miles away / 500mph = 0.3 x 60 min an hour = 18 minutes before landfall and for boats on a dock: stay secure with dock lines until peak of wave 1, have motor on, cut lines at peak motor to deep water. I have photos of real-time survivor. If moored stay aboard and ride the boat 400yards inland every captain survived. When on high ground looking at ocean waves look for white water of waves to stop, it means tsunami is coming as water recedes.

[@LilyGazou]

Punctuation is helpful.

[@clamk77]

I think situational awareness is essential. I would also like to see a video on what to do after the shaking ceases.

[@morgagnomic]

Great info. Would love more videos on Situational Awareness and so on.

[@judil3294]

We live far from major faults but occasionally get small quakes. I hadn't realized they can make noise until one evening I hear this rumbling noise and start to worry about the furnace. I had just called the pets and was about to evacuate when my husband called from work to ask if I heard it. I was so relieved and called a friend up the road who was also wondering and relieved. Turned out the epicenter was over 60 miles away.

[@ninemoonplanet]

I have family members that are geologist and I knew 40 years ago about the subduction plates along the west coast of North America. I find it odd that people in Portland only learned about it a few decades ago. I have a wood deck above the basement door, so I chose to use supports between the deck and supports to enable stability. There are people in wheelchairs that must use the deck and adjoining ramp to evacuate. I understand the physics behind subduction, the increase in stress then a slight reduction in the stress, but it's been climbing consistently for the last decade. The earthquake in Japan added more "push" to the Pacific plate, and in turn the stress on the subduction plates. Unfortunately the condo towers have large amounts of glass, especially some of the more expensive ones. The windows may just shatter, but that means glass shards falling. Don't underestimate the power of an earthquake.

[@brothermayihavesomeloops7048]

When they learned about it in the mid-80s was about 40 years ago...

[@tonics7121]

Thank you. Very helpful.

[@anngodfrey612]

I live in Christchurch (where the Cathedral collapsed in your video), New Zealand where the entire country is on the infamous ring of fire. Faultlines run more or less throughout the country with the most dangerous being the Main divide Alpine fault in the South Island and the Hikurangi subduction zone just off the east coast of the North Island both of which are capable of generating an 8+ earthquake and these seismic zones are 50 years overdue for an earthquake of that magnitude which happens about every 250 years.. I still have very vivid memories of the bigger quakes in the sequence that began in 2010 with a 7.1 at 4.35 am on September 4th, followed by the smaller 6.3 more damaging earthquake on February 22nd 2011. As young schoolchildren we were drilled in seeking a door frame which is exactly what I did before I was even awake and conscious of of what I was doing. A lot of those killed were outside or ran out of masonry buildings in the city, but most were in the two modern buildings which collapsed in the Feb earthquake. Our suburban houses are mostly timber framed and performed quite well. Christchurch is built on a swamp and there was a lot of liquefaction in many parts of the city. Earthquakes feel less severe outdoors so if you can keep on your feet then outside will feel less scary, but with ours they were often over before you were able to do anything helpful.

[@marya6445]

Being from California I am used to many different sizes and types of earthquakes. I was in a Costco during a violent shaking 4.6 earthquake. We all ran to to front, away from the ceiling high pallets of merchandise! The metal ceilings rattled as the huge hanging industrial lamps swayed. The scariest moments of our lives!

[@heidihill2361]

I always thought the going under table routine was ridiculous while building around you collapses on top of you. I live along California's coast and I plan on running out of building to higher ground.

[@Lenas206]

Very informative! Thank you for the clear and concise video. :D

[@j10001]

Phenomenal video! Thank you so much!! You’re saving lives 🏆

[@alanjameson8664]

I once had a small job up in Kodiak, Alaska. One notices the clearly marked tsunami evacuation route signs, and among the room service menus and suchlike in my hotel room was a map of evacuation routes and centers, together with a notice of the weekly alarm tests. They got clobbered in the Good Friday quake and tsunami of 1964.

[@ginajones2328]

I live in Alaska I realize this near Seward AK....a couple mountains over

[@alanjameson8664]

I was in Seward back around 1972, after it had been rebuilt. It was easy to see how high the tsunami had been.

[@angelab4652]

@@alanjameson8664 How high was the tsunami? Thank you

[@user-gj8mn4ce8d]

Every city on the pacific coast has these routes with signage in place.

[@aikanae1]

I grew up north of Seattle and there can be tremors several times a day. That's the problem with this advice. When the Alaskan quake hit, we knew it was more due to the shaking didn't end and the SOUND. It was too late by then to do much than drop and cover. I'll never forget that sound.

[@LilyGazou]

It was spooky.

[@h-di4qd]

what did it sound like?

[@johnplump5503]

Valuable info. Thank!

[@jasonnugent963]

Thank you for this !.. as someone who recently moved from Colorado to Portland,. this is crucial information for me :P