Earthquake

[kole18]

i was taking a shower when i heard a loud noise sounds like a demollution going on out our yards, but i thought it was just the next door doing renovating, the next thing i know the bat tub is moving like crazy i fell on the bat tab luckly didn't hit my head on the wall. i went out i see everyone is gathering out side our house. as soon as its stop i went back to my room to see my tank all i see all my sps colony broke apart :'(all the LR's fell apart now starting to put back all together another re-landscape , but all my fish is doing ok.

[gemmate]

I use to live in the area where earthquakes are quite often. Experienced once 7 Richter degree on 8th floor. It was quite scary as the city, where I use to live was almost totally destroyed in 1966 by 8 Richter degree earthquake. Building technologies changed since then and modern buildings much stronger in our days.
The rules of the thumb: if you are in the multiple store building, never use elevator and never run down the stairs, they crash first. You either stay under any door frame, hide under a table or even lie down to your bathtub.
The funny thing is I didn't even noticed it today. I was walking to have lunch outside.

Ooops and no any damage and spils to any of my 6 tanks;) But I live in a townhouse.

[Nerine]

First - do NOT RUN OUT SIDE! Unless you happen to be by the door. Otherwise if it is a really bad quake you could be hit by falling debris in your home. Go for the door frame or under a sturdy table!! We were in an empty house when a very bad quake hit and thank heavens because when we got home, all the dishes were on the floor, bookshelves fell over, things were EVERYWHERE!! (Fish tanks were all fine though!) and if we had been in and tried to run out, someone would have been hurt! door ways and tables tend to be safe!

I missed the excitement was on the road haha
Phoned home once I found out what was going on just to be sure my 55 was ok...it has a good stand so it was fine
We've had tanks withstand the Loma Prieta quake and nobody split, just water losses...so figured a 5.5 was really nothing!! though was surprised that they evacuated so many buildings!!

Makes me homesick!!!

[sas]

Hubby was in the beer/liquor store, when the quake occurred. Lots of bottle rattling
but no damage.

I was doing laundry, and took a break to water some plants on
our deck. Heard this racket and felt the shaking rushed into the house thinking the washing machine
was off balance . That's when I realized what was going on and just stood and watched the
water in our tanks sloshing around.
Our parrots were less than pleased with the shaking, poor things .
Phew no damage thank goodness.

[asmackay]

my 220G filled to the top didn't loose any water.  That would be a mess in the living room.  75G was fine too.

[BadTiming]

My son had 4 wisdom teeth pulled yesterday. Moved the X-BOX upstairs to play while on meds (tour of Duty or something). Was in the kitchen talking with the wife and Mother-inlaw when the earth quake hit. We all thought my son had turned up the sub woofer for the effects. Turned around to give him sh%t and the look on his face I knew it wasn't him foolin around. I rushed out to check the concrete pool for leaks first before the fish tanks, all was good.

[gemmate]

I just remembered the funny thing: when I was kid and we experienced 7 magnitude earthquake, the first thing my father did is grab to support our new colorful TV do not let it fell down as the TV stand was kind of unstable..That time (1980s) new TV sets in Russia cost tonns of money

And BTW that time we had small (40 liters) aquarium too and nothing happened to it .... So no worries guys..

[Brent Shaver]

The engineers from Head Office showed up today to check the buildings...  These buildings dont have a basement floor, everything is above ground, probably why we shook so bad.  They have found 2 new small cracks in the upper parking lot, otherwise came out ok.

I found where some of my water came from, forgot to drain my backwash bucket under the tank and it spilled.  Got to love the little green machine steamer, gets rid of the smell from the water in the carpet quickly.

[HomerJ]

i was taking a shower when i heard a loud noise...
i went out i see everyone is gathering out side our house.

You did get dressed right? ;-b

[Snider82]

(tour of Duty or something)

LOL!  that is aw some. Call of Duty i presume.  (its probably only funny to be because im a huge CoD fan)   

[blizzack1]

I filled my hoodless tank to the brim the night before the quake... it is 48 gallons and I lost about a 1/2 inch of water.. it is about 20" high so I lost probably over a gallon of water.

It had dried/evaporated/absorbed into the hardwood by the time I got home.

[FocusFin]

I filled my hoodless tank to the brim the night before the quake... it is 48 gallons and I lost about a 1/2 inch of water.. it is about 20" high so I lost probably over a gallon of water.It had dried/evaporated/absorbed into the hardwood by the time I got home.

Hmmm...that should keep the hardwood from drying out

[93GTCANADA]

Directly opposite of what we've been taught over the years!  I can remember in school being told to, "duck and cover" or stand in a doorway during an earthquake. This guy's findings are absolutely amazing.  I hope we all remember his survival method if we are ever in an earthquake!!!
EXTRACT FROM DOUG COPP'S ARTICLE ON THE: "TRIANGLE OF LIFE" 


      My name is Doug Copp. I am the Rescue Chief and Disaster Manager of the American Rescue Team International (ARTI), the world's most experienced rescue team. The information in this article will save lives in an earthquake.
     I have crawled inside 875 collapsed buildings, worked with rescue teams from 60 countries, founded rescue teams in several countries, and I am a member of many rescue teams from many countries...
      I was the United Nations expert in Disaster Mitigation for two years. I have worked at every major disaster in the world since 1985, except for simultaneous disasters.
      The first building I ever crawled inside of was a school in Mexico City during the 1985 earthquake. Every child was under its desk. Every child was crushed to the thickness of their bones. They could have survived by lying down next to their desks in the aisles. It was obscene, unnecessary and I wondered why the children were not in the aisles. I didn't at the time know that the children were told to hide under something.
     Simply stated, when buildings collapse, the weight of the ceilings falling upon the objects or furniture inside crushes these objects, leaving a space or void next to them. This space is what I call the "triangle of life".
     The larger the object, the stronger, the less it will compact. The less the object compacts, the larger the void, the greater the probability that the person who is using this void for safety will not be injured. The next time you watch collapsed buildings, on television, count the "triangles" you see formed. They are everywhere. It is the most common shape, you will see, in a collapsed building. 
TIPS FOR EARTHQUAKE SAFETY
      1) Most everyone who simply "ducks and covers" WHEN BUILDINGS COLLAPSE are crushed to death. People who get under objects, like desks or cars, are crushed.
      2) Cats, dogs and babies often naturally curl up in the fetal position. You should too in an earthquake... It is a natural safety/survival instinct. You can survive in a smaller void. Get next to an object, next to a sofa, next to a large bulky object that will compress slightly but leave a void next to it.
      3) Wooden buildings are the safest type of construction to be in during an earthquake. Wood is flexible and moves with the force of the earthquake.  If the wooden building does collapse, large survival voids are created. Also, the wooden building has less concentrated, crushing weight. Brick buildings will break into individual bricks. Bricks will cause many injuries but less squashed bodies than concrete slabs.
      4) If you are in bed during the night and an earthquake occurs, simply roll off the bed. A safe void will exist around the bed. Hotels can achieve a much greater survival rate in earthquakes, simply by posting a sign on The back of the door of every room telling occupants to lie down on the floor, next to the bottom of the bed during an earthquake.
      5) If an earthquake happens and you cannot easily escape by getting out the door or window, then lie down and curl up in the fetal position next to a sofa, or large chair.
      6) Most everyone who gets under a doorway when buildings collapse is killed. How? If you stand under a doorway and the doorjamb falls forward or backward you will be crushed by the ceiling above. If the door jam falls sideways you will be cut in half by the doorway. In either case, you will be killed!
      7) Never go to the stairs. The stairs have a different "moment of frequency" (they swing separately from the main part of the building).  The stairs and remainder of the building continuously bump into each other until structural failure of the stairs takes place. The people who get on stairs before they fail are chopped up by the stair treads - horribly mutilated. Even if the building doesn't collapse, stay away from the stairs. The stairs are a likely part of the building to be damaged. Even if the stairs are not collapsed by the earthquake, they may collapse later when overloaded by fleeing people. They should always be checked for safety, even when the rest of the building is not damaged.
      Get Near the Outer Walls Of Buildings Or Outside Of Them If Possible - It is much better to be near the outside of the building rather than the interior. The farther inside you are from the outside perimeter of the building the greater the probability that your escape route will be blocked.
      9) People inside of their vehicles are crushed when the road above falls in an earthquake and crushes their vehicles; which is exactly what happened with the slabs between the decks of the Nimitz Freeway... The victims of the San Francisco earthquake all stayed inside of their vehicles. They were all killed. They could have easily survived by getting out and sitting or lying next to their vehicles. Everyone killed would have survived if they had been able to get out of their cars and sit or lie next to them. All the crushed cars had voids 3 feet high next to them, except for the cars that had columns fall directly across them.
        10) I discovered, while crawling inside of collapsed newspaper offices and other offices with a lot of paper, that paper does not compact.  Large voids are found surrounding stacks of paper.
                   

In 1996 we made a film, which proved my survival methodology to be correct. The Turkish Federal Government, City of Istanbul, University of Istanbul Case Productions and ARTI cooperated to film this practical, scientific test. We collapsed a school and a home with 20 mannequins inside. Ten mannequins did "duck and cover," and ten mannequins I used in my "triangle of life" survival method. After the simulated earthquake collapse we crawled through the rubble and entered the building to film and document the results. The film, in which I practiced my survival techniques under directly observable, scientific conditions, relevant to building collapse, showed there would have been zero percent survival for those doing duck and cover. There would likely have been 100 percent survivability for people using my method of the "triangle of life." This film has been seen by millions  of viewers on television in Turkey and the rest of Europe, and it was seen in the USA , Canada and Latin America on the TV program Real TV.

[charlie]

Directly opposite of what we've been taught over the years!  I can remember in school being told to, "duck and cover" or stand in a doorway during an earthquake. This guy's findings are absolutely amazing.  I hope we all remember his survival method if we are ever in an earthquake!!!
EXTRACT FROM DOUG COPP'S ARTICLE ON THE: "TRIANGLE OF LIFE" 


     

Great info & thanks for posting Dougs article, that said guys please let stay on topic ( earthquake & it`s effects on our tanks & equipment) & not  let this thread wander off .
Thanks

[johnrt]

Great info & thanks for posting Dougs article, that said guys please let stay on topic ( earthquake & it`s effects on our tanks & equipment) & not  let this thread wander off .
Thanks

Seems to be on topic. The biggest, heaviest thing in my home is my SW tank.  Oh, hmmm. All for now.

[dan2x38]

I would be very concerned being close to any aquarium in an earthquake. They are top heavy at best. Sometimes when the kids get playing the African tank slushes more than any earthquake to date. I would stay clear of an aquarium in an earthquake that is for sure. the breaking glass, rocks in mine and all that water wouldn't be healthy. That quote of Triangle of Life is very good info! I am glad to have read it and totally makes sense.

[djtr]

Old thread but figured I would drop me 2 cents

No issues with my tanks but the rocks in my 29g biocube did shift a bit. no one was injured lol

[Canoe]

Directly opposite of what we've been taught over the years!  I can remember in school being told to, "duck and cover" or stand in a doorway during an earthquake. This guy's findings are absolutely amazing.  I hope we all remember his survival method if we are ever in an earthquake!!!
EXTRACT FROM DOUG COPP'S ARTICLE ON THE: "TRIANGLE OF LIFE" 

      My name is Doug Copp. I am the Rescue Chief and Disaster Manager of the American Rescue Team International (ARTI), the world's most experienced rescue team. The information in this article will save lives in an earthquake.
     I have crawled inside 875 collapsed buildings, worked with rescue teams from 60 countries, founded rescue teams in several countries, and I am a member of many rescue teams from many countries...
....

THIS INFORMATION IS CONTESTED
NOT RECOMMENDED for the way builds are made to U.S. and Canadian building codes, which are substantially different than in the countries in which he has experience.

Recommended in Canada and U.S.: "drop, cover, and hold on!"

Read and draw your own conclusions.
http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/household/triangle.asp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangle_of_Life

[JetJumper]

And to revive this topic.

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsus/Quakes/ne00001232.php

Another one just happened today.  Didn't feel this one however.

[FocusFin]

I felt it, kind of like a big truck rumbling by.