If you are in a high-rise building and an earthquake occurs, should you run or not?

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, March 29 (Reporter Zhang Xiaoru) The Myanmar State Administration Council announced on the evening of the 29th that the death toll caused by the strong earthquake on the 28th has risen to 1,644.

So far, the earthquake has caused damage to buildings in many places in Myanmar's Sagaing Province, Mandalay Province and Shan State, and infrastructure such as bridges and roads have been damaged to varying degrees. Some neighboring countries have felt the earthquake to varying degrees.

In addition, according to CCTV News, this earthquake is the 17th earthquake of magnitude 6 or above that has occurred in the world this year, and it is also the largest earthquake so far this year. The epicenter of the earthquake is 294 kilometers away from the nearest border of China. The earthquake was strongly felt in Xishuangbanna, Dehong, Kunming, Lijiang, Baoshan, Dali and other places in Yunnan.

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How to deal with earthquakes in high-rise buildings?

Earthquakes are usually violent and rapid, and most people in high-rise buildings cannot escape to open areas in time. The collapse of buildings caused by earthquakes brings people a fear of "falling from a high altitude". When a major disaster occurs, people often make irrational actions out of this fear.

Every time a major earthquake occurs, almost everyone chooses to jump out of the window to escape because they are too afraid of earthquakes. As a result, the building does not collapse, but the person falls to death.

When facing an earthquake, if we are on the upper floors of a high-rise building, it is important to master reasonable response methods.

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First of all, we must make it clear that the current building design standards have requirements for earthquake-resistant design of buildings. Buildings need to meet the requirements of "no damage in small earthquakes, repairable in medium earthquakes, and no collapse in large earthquakes". This requirement is based on the historical earthquake situation in the design area. It requires that the designed building will not be damaged or can continue to be used without repair after being affected by a small earthquake; it may cause certain damage after a medium earthquake, but it can continue to be used after general repair or without repair; in the event of a large earthquake, it may cause major damage, but it will not collapse or cause serious damage that endangers life.

If the buildings meet the requirements of current regulations and will not collapse under the action of a major earthquake, then it is obviously not particularly dangerous to be in a high-rise building. In this case, pay attention to protecting vulnerable parts such as the head to avoid being hit by foreign objects. Try to stay in a closed and fixed area and wait for the earthquake to pass, so as to protect your health to the greatest extent.

However, although "no collapse in a major earthquake" is our design principle, it does not mean that existing buildings will never collapse. One possible scenario is that the intensity of the earthquake is particularly large, exceeding the design intensity of a major earthquake in the area. Although this situation is rare, every time it occurs, it will become a very tragic natural disaster.

Another possible situation is that the high-rise building itself has quality defects, or even "tofu dregs" construction. After the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, the state strengthened the review of building earthquake resistance design, and the overall earthquake resistance of buildings has been improved.

When an earthquake occurs, unless you can quickly run to an open area outdoors within a dozen seconds, remember the principle of "taking shelter nearby". When choosing a shelter area, try to choose a closed and narrow area such as a bathroom, close to a water pipe, and where a stable triangular space can be formed. Pay attention to protecting your vulnerable parts to avoid being hit by falling objects.

When a building collapses and you are buried, if possible, adjust your body to a posture that saves effort as soon as possible. Wait for the rescue signal from the outside world, and respond by knocking on stones, etc.

In the face of disasters, every life is precious. I hope everyone will remember that when an earthquake occurs, if you live in a high-rise building, do not run up or down. It is most important to find the most suitable shelter nearby!

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Has the Earth Entered an Active Vibration Period? Experts Respond

There have been 17 earthquakes of magnitude 6 or above around the world this year. Does this mean that the Earth has entered a period of active vibration?

Gao Mengtan, a specially appointed expert at the Institute of Geophysics of the China Earthquake Administration, said that the global earthquake activity this year is generally lower than in previous years. From the current situation, it is difficult to say that the earth is in a seismically active stage after this earthquake.

(Comprehensive from CCTV News, Science Popularization China, Xinhua News Agency, and the WeChat public account of the Ministry of Emergency Management of China)