re: #396 Gus 802

You’re forgetting the risk of fires which can spread rather quickly during such an event.

Not really, no. Evacuating during the 5-30 seconds the earthquake lasts is not really going to improve your chances of surviving any ensuing fire by any significant degree.

Heh. Did you know one signficant source of fires after the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco was people setting fire to their homes? They had fire insurance, you see, but not earthquake.

. So unless you know exactly where that shear or bearing wall is you’d be SOL.

That much is true. I think part of the thingy here is that I’m San Franciscan, and I know where the load-bearing walls are because all this earthquake survival stuff has been drilled into me since I was young.

There are atypical situation depending on when and how the building was designed. I’d rather let the event guide me as they occur rather then letting a hard and fast rule dictate my behavior.

In reality, you or I will probably panic and do whatever. Since I’m a San Franciscan, I’ll probably scramble for the interior load-bearing wall and stick there like a mollusk of some description.

My friend was outside during the 1989 earthquake, and got to see the air conditioners dropping and smashing. He said that was the craziest bit, like everyone had gone rock star at once and thrown them out the window.