Household seismic safety Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description

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Seismic and seismic event refer to earthquakes, motions of the ground that can be hazardous to the occupants of buildings and the security and utility of structures such as bridges and tunnels. Methods to reduce hazards to structures (presently including low rise houses) are described in the article seismic retrofit. That article only describes methods used and is not intended as a guide for modifying structures. This article provides more specific guidance for the householder.

This article, Household seismic safety is concerned with the following:

• Appropriate securing of household furnishings and appliances so as not to be a hazard to the occupants.
• Preparations that will assist a household's ability to live independently for several days after an event. These methods are applicable to any area subject to large disabling disasters that may overwhelm emergency response groups.
• Immediate responses appropriate to large seismic event.

There remains much that can be done to enhance home safety by the occupants, even if they are inexperienced mechanically, and some of these methods (such a securing water heaters) may be shown in some detail. Pamphlets showing application of these methods in greater detail are also available from public agencies, but often these show only a minimal and simplistic installation. Effective securing of household equipment and furnishings may require some thought - mostly along the lines of "what could happen", "how heavy is this", and "where are the strong points to secure to". It does little good to screw the back of a bookcase to a wall if the back is (as is common) weakly attached to the bookcase structure. Similary, an expansion bolt through drywall may simply pull through if the load is heavy - one must locate and used stout screws into the underlying wood stud structure.

Preparedness goes beyond mere structure. In a large event it is expected that police, firefighting, and medical assistance will be overwhelmed. The recommendations are that a household should have sufficient water and preserved food to live independently for three days. There are shops specializing in providing emergency equipment supplies, and containers to the homeowner.

There is also considerable neglect at the community level :

• Are you and your neighbors prepared to assist one another? Do you know who has first aid skills?
• Can you do CPR?
• Do you know emergency treatment for broken bones, burns, and bleeding?
• Do you know how to shut off your gas supply (and have an appropriate wrench nearby the valve)?
• Do you know what to do about a downed and live high voltage line touching an occupied vehicle?
• Do you have several fire extinquishers available?

At one time, the Boy Scouts of America were a popular organization among families with boys. This organization would encourage their members to learn such important matters of preparedness such as first aid and firefighting, especially as it was related to the possibility of nuclear attack or natural disaster during the Cold War. This organization's motto is Be Prepared. Unfortunately, following a move of headquarters from New York City to the U.S. state of Texas, they became involved in certain social issues that lead to their loss of respect and decline in membership in many areas - particularly in the region of Northern California, one likely location of a major earthquake disaster.

The U.S. Civilian Defense Corps - a product of World War II, was mostly dismantled in the later stages of the cold war, once it appeared that the probability of a major nuclear war was low. At the present time there is a vacuum of preparedness, organization, and abilities to deal with a large event, the appropriate civil organizations are starved for resources, and the political and legislative forces are concerned with other matters ranging from self-important to nonsensical, such as political redistricting and the suppression of the teaching of evolution in the schools.

There are many levels of detail in approach to securing a residence, ranging from providing large steel beams to reenforce a large garage door opening down to putting small dots of "earthquake" wax under small valuable items.

Table of contents

1 Objects within buildings 1.1 Securing appliances and wood stoves 1.2 Securing furnishings 1.3 Kitchen cabinents

Objects within buildings

Any massive or tall object within a structure should be securely fastened to that structure, through bolts, screws, or strap hinges, so that the object does not move around during an earthquake.

Securing appliances and wood stoves

Usually, appliances using natural gas are connected to the ductile iron supply pipes with a flexible corrugated tubing made from a relatively soft material, such as brass. It is important that the appliance be properly secured, or at least restrained in its maximum motion, so that it cannot extend and tear the flexible connection.

Free standing natural gas stoves — which in older homes may not be surrounded by cabinetry, but are simply set down upon the kitchen floor — require some form of restraint. If necessary to move the stove small distances for cleaning, such restraint may be provided by sturdy cables which must be attached to strong locations on both the stove and the wall of the kitchen. Stoves attached within cabinets may be a hazard if the cabinets themselves are weakly attached to the building structure.

Gas fireplace inserts, both decorative and functional, must also be restrained. Some form of restraining clip should be installed that may be easily removed when necessary.

Wood Franklin stoves and pellet stoves, often placed upon a hearth in front of a fireplace or with a separate pipe, are often quite heavy, and must be secured to a substantial member of the flooring system.

Water heaters of any type, gas or electric, must be rigidly attached to the building structure, as when filled with water they are all quite heavy. When the building moves, the inertia of the water mass is sufficient to break the connecting water pipes, or to slide the bottom of the tank about, with the gas or electrical connections now at risk. All water heaters should be secured in every horizontal direction and at the top and bottom with wood or metal blocking and corrosion-resistant steel straps.

Securing furnishings

Bookcases not only need to be secured, it is also necessary to secure the shelves' contents. Each shelf should be secured from sliding out as a unit, and the shelf, if used for book storage, should have a lip at the lower edge. The space between shelves should be such that the books will not tip forward off of the shelf (pivoting about the lip), but rather should first strike the shelf above (which itself must be securely fastened). A book is easily removed by lifting it up slightly so that it will slide over the lip.

Small decorative items should be secured using Velcro or a putty known as "earthquake wax". It may be necessary to remove felt padding from the bottom of the object in order to apply either substance.

Kitchen cabinents

Most modern cabinets are factory built, or custom built to specification, and then installed within the kitchen. Older buildings or some modern custom work may have "built in place" cabinetry. Even if the cabinets have a modern appearance, they may be a simple "reface" of this older type. Security is important and it may be necessary to add additional blocking above, below, or to the interior of cabinet structure so that the cabinet may be well affixed to a structural member of the wall.

Child proof latches are also useful to retain the contents within the cabinets. While very old cabinets were sometimes made with a mechanical latch that had to be manually operated, more modern cabinets typically use gravity, friction, or magnetism to keep the cabinet door lightly closed. The child proof latch allows the door to be partially opened but prevents complete opening until operated by hand. Of course, caution must be used when opening such cabinets after a seismic event.

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