Recently, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake occurred in Baqing County, Nagqu City, Tibet. Zaduo County, Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province is adjacent to Baqing County, and the earthquake was strongly felt in the bordering towns. A series of topics related to earthquake avoidance have once again triggered heated discussions across the Internet, and the "Triangle of Life" earthquake avoidance method widely circulated on the Internet has also been discussed. Many people firmly believe that when an earthquake occurs, they can stay safe by quickly finding a triangular gap to take cover. But many people don’t know that this reliable-sounding method actually contains a lot of misunderstandings. Blindly searching for it will increase the risk of injury.
Can the "Triangle of Life" spread online really be used to absorb shocks?
Many people have heard the term "Triangle of Life" and regard it as a universal way to avoid earthquakes. When an earthquake occurs, they want to look for triangular gaps everywhere. However, this widely circulated statement actually contains a key misunderstanding.
Liu Xiangyang, former deputy chief of the National Earthquake Disaster Emergency Rescue Team (China International Rescue Team), said that there is indeed a triangular survival space in the earthquake ruins, but it should be noted that the life triangle is a small living space supported by furniture after the house completely collapses. It is a survival position in the ruins after the disaster, and is not a safe haven at the moment of the earthquake shaking. Therefore, you must not take the initiative to look for such spaces when hedging.
According to Liu Xiangyang, earthquake shaking usually lasts only a few seconds to tens of seconds. We have no way to predict where a collapse will occur or where a triangular gap will form. If we run around in a panic to find the triangular area, we will easily be injured by falling objects such as ceilings, glass, and wall tiles, which will increase the risk.
To put it simply, the Triangle of Life is the result of collapse, not a method of shock absorption. This is also the core difference between it and standard shock absorption methods.
Many people will be curious, since the Triangle of Life cannot be used as a shock absorber method, what are the standard shock absorber actions?
In this regard, Liu Xiangyang pointed out that the shock-absorbing method of "crouching on the ground, covering up, and holding on with hands" is more suitable for the indoor scenes of most urban buildings. Specifically, when an earthquake strikes, you should immediately lie down, lower your center of gravity, hide under a solid table, protect your head and neck, and hold on to the table legs to stabilize your body until the shaking ends.
Liu Xiangyang explained that this shock-absorbing method is completely opposite to the hedging logic behind the Life Triangle. Most casualties in earthquakes are caused by falling objects from high altitudes. This set of actions can be used to prevent falling objects; while the Life Triangle is aimed at the complete collapse of houses and is not suitable for daily building scenes.
What is the difference between earthquake protection in buildings, mud houses, and outdoors?
There is no unified formula for earthquake risk avoidance. We live in different environments and face different types of risks. Naturally, the corresponding risk avoidance ideas cannot be copied.
How to operate in different scenarios?
Liu Xiangyang introduced that if you encounter an earthquake in a city building, you must be careful not to run, jump off the building, or take the elevator during the shaking. You must take shelter nearby and wait until the main earthquake is over before evacuating in an orderly manner. For old houses, due to the poor structure of the old adobe house, it is easy for the whole house to collapse. Therefore, if you are very close to the door and can run out within a few seconds, you must evacuate to an open area outdoors immediately. In addition, if you are in a wild environment, you do not need to deliberately seek shelter. The key is to stay away from hillsides, rivers, and steep slopes to avoid secondary disasters such as landslides and rockfalls that may be caused by earthquakes.
Liu Xiangyang concluded - hide in the nearest building, run away if you can in an old house, and stay away from dangerous areas in the wild.
What preparations can be made in advance before an earthquake strikes?
When it comes to earthquake avoidance, it is important to evade for just a few dozen seconds on the spot, but many life-saving tasks must actually be carried out in advance during normal times.
Liu Xiangyang reminds everyone:
First of all, large objects such as bookcases and refrigerators at home should be fixed in advance, and heavy objects should not be placed at high places to avoid toppling and injuring people during an earthquake;
Second, prepare a family emergency kit in advance, including drinking water, dry food, flashlights, whistles and first aid supplies, and place them within easy reach;
Third, you should agree on a disaster gathering point with your family in advance to prevent family members from losing contact with each other if communications are interrupted after an earthquake;
Finally, you must be familiar with the escape routes at home and carry out simple drills appropriately to prevent panic and mistakes when an earthquake breaks out. You must have both supplies and escape plans ready so that you can respond calmly at critical moments.
