How to Survive a Real Life “San Andreas” Movie Earthquake

July 19, 2016

Earthquakes happen everywhere, every day, all over the planet. They are usually so minor that you can’t even register them, but sometimes they’re a true force to be reckoned with and leave nothing but deadly destruction in their shaky wake. We’re here to offer some potentially life-saving tips to help you keep a steady head if disaster strikes.

What’s going on?

According to EarthQuake Track, there have been 82 earthquakes globally, just today. California – the unlucky subject of this article – have contributed an impressive 20 earthquakes to that figure so far! For all those who have seen the 2015 blockbuster, San Andreas, (where Dwayne Johnson rushes around for a couple of hours being uncharacteristically serious and heroic) you may have heard of the San Andreas Fault line, that runs for approximately 1,300km through California. In simple terms, this is the tectonic plate boundary where the Pacific Plate and North American Plate meet. It has 3 separate parts – some are more vulnerable to dangerous movement between the plates (which result in earthquakes) – much like the segment that passes 35km under Downtown L.A. In the picture below, you can see a rare example of where two tectonic plates meet along the San Andreas Fault; clearly shown by the differing colors of the gray and brown rock. Fascinating stuff!

Is this a problem for us, right now?

First, it’s important to stress that the events in the San Andreas movie are not routed in any real scientific predictions, of what could happen during an earthquake of that magnitude. Mostly, it’s the usual, over-hyped, Hollywood disaster movie nonsense! However, in the wake of the terrible events of the recent earthquake in Nepal in 2015, seismologists (people who study earthquakes and their effects) have been warning of other upcoming threats. Like the long overdue earthquake expected along the San Andreas Fault! California has not experienced a major one since 1906; a catastrophic disaster that hit 7.8 on the Richter scale causing widespread devastation.

This is causing a lot of concern amongst seismologists and scientists about the impending disaster, that’s thought to be capable of reaching 8 or 9 on the scale. During the National Earthquake Conference at Long Beach in May 2016, a leading scientist, Thomas Jordan, warned that the San Andreas Fault is, “locked, loaded, and ready to roll”, and could hit at any time. Scary!

Below are some vital tips on how to prepare yourself for the San Andreas earthquake (or any earthquake!)

There are many amazing movements like The Great ShakeOut and America’s PrepareAthon, that make it their business to help you prepare, survive and recover from the effects of a major earthquake, wherever on the globe it may strike. They encourage individuals, businesses and communities to put effective practices and emergency plans in place to ensure you keep yourself as safe as possible. Watch this cool video below to get an overview of what you need to do:

We’ve compiled for you the basic steps on how to prepare, survive and recover from an earthquake:

There are a wealth of resources here and here to help you, whatever your circumstance or location, to be as prepared as possible. Be sure to share them with your friends and family, too. Stay safe, everyone!

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