Oregon earthquake preparedness and protective measures

Whenever there is an earthquake in a densely populated area, the place and its residents may have to face widespread property damage along with casualties and injuries. An earthquake may cause the buildings to collapse and bridges to fall. It can dislocate electric supplies, gas lines, as well as the phone service. It can further lead to more disasters like floods, fires, landslides orgreat,vicious ocean waves also known as tsunamis.The damage that it can cause might be unprecedented. We cannot stop it as it is a natural disaster but we can certainly be prepared for it.

Measures to be taken for Oregon earthquake preparedness:

• Move to a nearby safe place as quickly as possible. Go out of the building and keep your distance from tall structures that are more likely to collapse. If you are not able to leave the building, stay away from walls and hide below any strong furniture that you can find. Try to keep your head covered with your arms.
• In case you are outdoors, search for a clear spot that is away from the streetlights, trees, buildings, and power lines.
• If you are driving during the earthquake, pull your vehicle to a clear site, till the shaking has stopped; you should remain stationary with your seat belts fastened.
• Keep away from the doors and windows.
• Since Oregon is a coastal area, it is more prone to Tsunamis, therefore, you should move towards higher ground in case of an earthquake.
• Landslides usually occur after the earthquake. Hence, if you are near cliffs or unstable slopes, you should be alert for rocks and other debris which can be loosened due to the earthquake.

Protecting your property during an Oregon earthquake:

• You should make sure that your house is properly anchored or not, as the ones that are set to their foundations have less vulnerability to damages as compared to the ones that are not, at the time of an earthquake.
• During an Earthquake, taller furniture items like bookcases or cabinets can cause harm to you by falling over. So you should keep them bolted to the floor or to the wall and safeguard fragile items like TVs, computers, etc. Use strongly latched or bolted cabinets so as to avoid its contents from falling.
• Shift heavy objects to lower shelves.
• Store chemical and flammable products like pesticides securely inside closed cabinets.
• At the time of earthquakes, support overhead light fixtures, as they are one of the most common items that fall down, and in turn cause damage or injury.
• Shut down all gas appliances as earthquakes can further lead to fire hazards.
• Another bigger problem can be that of cracks formation. It can be extensively harmful to your construction. Therefore, make sure that you get all the cracks in your ceilings as well as the foundations repaired.

Since Oregon is an earthquake prone area, you should consider to have your building evaluated with the help of a professional structural engineer and take advice on how to overcome the shortcomings of your property and protective and preventive measures are to be taken.For detail information and tips for earthquake safety in Portland, visit the site www.ezsystemspdx.com.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Shawn DoHerty is an expert when it comes to earthquake safety issues and loves writing interesting articles and blogs, helping people in making the right safety choices. He recommends EZSystemsPDX.com as the best name to trust for any kind of information related to earthquake preparedness in Portland.

Shawn DoHerty is an expert when it comes to earthquake safety issues and loves writing interesting articles