"And the Mount of Olives shall be cleft in the midst thereof,
toward the east and toward the west; so that there shall be a
very great valley; and half the mountain shall be moved
toward the north and half of it toward the south. Yes, you
shall flee, as you fled from before the earthquake as in the
days of Uziah, King of Yehuda" Zecharya 14;4-8).
According to geologists, Israel is due to experience a major
earthquake. Usually, these occur every 80-100 years. The last
major ones were in 1837 and 1927, which caused heavy damage
and loss of lives in villages and towns all over the
country.
In 1991, the late Professor Yaakov Glick of the Haifa
Technion told the State Control Committee that the country
would be exposed to a major earthquake with a total collapse
of large numbers of buildings burying their occupants alive.
He said that the government must take immediate steps to
upgrade the construction of buildings, especially those built
in the fifties and sixties.
As nothing was ever done, a few years ago he again tried to
warn the Knesset. However, he was scoffed at. He left the
room and dropped dead of a heart attack in the Knesset
corridor. His last words were that we would experience
thousands of "Versailles" (referring to a poorly built
wedding hall that collapsed, killing 23 and wounding
hundreds, considered the largest non-military disaster to
occur in the history of the State).
What can we do to show Hashem that we are doing our best to
protect ourselves and our families? There are many simple
steps we can take to make our homes safer:
Columns, pillars and foundations can be reinforced to help
prevent the collapse of buildings.
DO NOT LET ANYONE SLEEP NEXT TO WINDOWS. Most people are
injured in earthquakes by falling glass, debris, plaster,
electrical wires and other objects. Replace glass windows
with safety plastic or safety glass. However, even so, do not
have anyone sleep next to windows. Put clear contact paper
over your glass windows to prevent them from shattering. This
can save eyes and lives, as flying glass can sever arteries
and veins, leading to massive bleeding and death.
DO NOT LET ANYONE SLEEP UNDER HEAVY PICTURES, BOOKSHELVES,
ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES, HEAVY LIGHTING FIXTURES OR CEILING
FANS.
Bolt firmly to the wall all cupboards, bookcases, buffets and
wardrobes. Do not assume that something is too heavy to fall.
On the contrary, the heavier the object, the harder it will
fall, crushing anyone in its path, ch'v.
Unless you are on a ground floor bordering open space, you
are probably BETTER OFF NOT TRYING TO RUN OUTSIDE. You can be
injured by falling objects and electrocuted by falling
electrical wires. Jerusalem stones can burst off buildings
and become very dangerous flying missiles.
TAKE REFUGE UNDER A STRONG WOODEN TABLE. Even if the ceiling
collapses, you will have enough air space under the table to
survive until you are rescued. Store under the table a few
cartons of bottled water, canned food and can opener, first
aid kit, flash light with extra batteries, diapers and food
for infants, tissues, wipes and transistor or solar operated
radio.
Other emergency items you should have in your home are an
emergency lantern, covered pail for a makeshift toilet and a
cell phone. Have a family emergency plan for either leaving
the home when possible and/or taking refuge under a heavy
table. Hold practice drills so your children will know what
to do if you are not at home. You should also have tools
available to pry open jammed doors, windows and to dig
yourself out (molding spade, crowbar, hammer, saw,
screwdriver and pliers). If you cannot take refuge under a
table, stand in a doorway.
FIRES
Fires are one of the biggest dangers of earthquakes and may
be prevented by following a directive sent out by the Israel
Electric Company.
Always disconnect all electrical appliances (except the
refrigerator) from the sockets before going to sleep or
leaving home.
You should also have on hand a water hose or fire
extinguisher to put out fires. Caution: A fire extinguisher
can give off dangerous fumes if used in a small enclosed
area. Bags of sand, salt, baking soda can be used to smother
fires.
Never throw water on an electrical fire! Water will
increase the intensity of the fire and you could be
electrocuted. You must always shut off the electricity at the
fuse box before attempting to extinguish an electrical
fire. Immediately following an earthquake or missile
attack. you should shut off the electricity and the gas,
whether or not you decide to evacuate your home.
If you live on an upper floor and have safety bars on the
windows and balconies, make sure that at least one of these
can be opened to serve as an emergency exit if your door is
jammed. IF THERE IS FIRE OR SMOKE IN THE CORRIDOR, DO NOT
OPEN THE DOOR. You can be engulfed by flames or overcome by
smoke. If there is smoke in the corridor, place a wet rag
under the door to keep smoke from seeping in and open all
your windows for air.
If there is a fire in your home that you cannot extinguish,
you must leave immediately. Wrap yourselves and your children
in wet blankets. Never try to walk downstairs from an upper
floor if there is heavy smoke in the hall; you might be
overcome by smoke inhalation and die long before you reach
the bottom.
Never try to use an elevator after an earthquake or missile
attack, even if the electricity has not been cut off. If your
home does not have a fire escape, you might consider buying a
nylon ladder which can be thrown out of the window and used
to evacuate your family.
You should have at least two week's supply of ready-to-eat
food and bottled water for any kind of emergency. Suitable
items are canned vegetables, tuna, sardines, chick peas,
baked beans, powdered or canned milk, granola, dried fruits
and nuts, peanut butter, power bars, canned and bottled
fruits and juices, baby food and formula, vitamins, crackers
and biscuits.
REMEMBER: YOU MAY BE IN A SITUATION WITHOUT ELECTRICITY, GAS
OR WATER. A portable cooking grill with either canned gas or
charcoal is a must. Buy some waterproof matches from a
camping store, or keep some matches in a waterproof
container. If you have mung beans, alfalfa, wheat berries or
whole barley, you can make sprouts in order to get some fresh
vegetables for vitamins. You should also have at least a
month's supply of any prescription drugs you or family
members need. Remember: roads may be damaged or closed.
A must is a way of purifying water, especially if you are not
able to boil water. Buy water purification tablets or a
special water filter from a camping store. If you have the
opportunity, fill up your bath tub and other container to
store water. If you have no bottled water, you can use water
out of the tank above your toilet but you must purify it.
Even if you still have running water in your pipes, it may be
contaminated and will need to be purified. If you are
rationing water, try to avoid eating salty foods.
Prepare emergency blankets, small enough when folded to fit
in your palm. They provide insulation and warmth and can be
purchased at camping stores. It is a good idea to have
sleeping bags and even a tent in the event of evacuation.
Enroll in a first aid course. Everyone should know how to
stop bleeding, treat shock, dehydration, burns, make splints
etc. and to administer CPR (cardio- pulmonary
resuscitation).
Above all, remain calm. Panic is the Number One cause of
death in disasters. Daven, say Tehillim, and trust in
Hashem. If you can boil water, make soothing herbal teas such
as camomile, verbena, melissa and motherwort or buy tincture
of motherwort at a homeopathic store and add 10 drops to a
glass of water for a mild tranquilizer.
May we never need to resort to the above.
