Earthquake. I'm Amy Fots, and this is the Earthquake edition of Hello From the Ban. Last month we talked about natural disasters, and from that episode, I was asked quite a few follow-up questions by our listeners in an effort to please the tiny masses. Today we are diving deeper into a very specific type of natural disaster. The earthquake. Before we begin, all information in this episode comes from three sources: the U.S. Geological Survey, the UC Berkeley Seismology Lab, and the University of Utah Seismology Lab. And with that, today we will be answering three questions. The first, what causes an earthquake? The second, how do we prepare for and survive an earthquake? And finally, what do you do after a major earthquake? Let's get shaking! Our first question today is what causes an earthquake? Before we can answer that question, we need to talk about the anatomy or makeup of the earth. And what is the earth made of? It is made of three parts. The core, that's the innermost part, the mantle, that's the liquidy-gooey center, and then the crust. That's the part that we live on, the crust. And the crust is what causes the earthquakes. In its simplest form, an earthquake is the result of friction. Really quickly, we are going to demonstrate this principle together. Take your little cute hands, you're gonna put them together, and you are going to rub your palms together. It's going to get warm. Let's do it together. Ready? Go. That is friction. Friction is the release of energy between two items. And in the case of an earthquake, it's the result of two slabs of earth rubbing together and it releases energy. Again, friction. Now we're not done with those cute little hands yet. You see, the crust of the earth is made up of about a dozen rock masses. We call these plates, tectonic plates specifically. And they are constantly moving on the ooey-gooey center of the earth. But this movement is slow. Let's demonstrate this with our hands again. Don't hurt yourselves now, alright? You're going to take your hands, put your palms together, and rather than rubbing your hands together very quickly, you're going to press your hands together as hard as you can. You're gonna feel some strain in your elbows and your shoulders. Try and move your right hand upwards just a little bit. And now, if you're like me, your right hand just shot forward. That is a result of the release of energy. If our hands were two tectonic plates, all that pushing together has to go somewhere. That release of energy would be an earthquake. Over time, tectonic plates in different places will move apart, push together, or slide past one another. This movement causes a lot of pressure to build up. And when the pressure gets too great, the rock masses will suddenly shift along a crack in the crust. A crack in the crust of the earth is called a fault or a fault line. And when those shifting rocks release that energy, it's called a shock wave. The waves spread through the rocks in all directions. This is again the epicenter of an earthquake. In most powerful quakes, people even thousands of miles away from the center of the earthquake can feel the ground shake. And in some places, it's not the pushing together of the tectonic plates, it's the crumbling of the tectonic plates that causes the earthquakes. Fault lines are all around the earth. If you are interested to know where the nearest fault line is to where you live, it's a quick Google search on the US Geological Survey. They have a list of all of their known fault lines, and you can look up and see what your risk of an earthquake is in your area based on your address and where you live. So that's how an earthquake is formed. Just a lot of pressure. But how do you prepare for an earthquake? Much like we talked about in our natural disasters episode, have a family emergency plan. Make sure that you have an accessible 72-hour kit, food, water, a flashlight, you know, some things to get you through a couple days. If you are really worried about earthquakes, there are some extra steps that you can do. These include things like securing all of your furniture to the floor or to the wall. Making sure that if you have pictures or knick knacks or things hung on the wall, that there is a way to secure them. And another tiny little thing that I've experienced myself. If you have a shelf above your bed, make sure that that shelf is fully attached to the wall and that there are not things that will fall off that shelf onto you during an earthquake. Been there, been hit by that. And for you adults out there, if you are in an apartment or a home or a condo, make sure that you know where the gas turnoff valve is in case of a leak. So we've talked about preparation and where earthquakes come from. How do we survive an active earthquake? This is an interesting one for me because I remember as a kid being told to head to a doorway. It was all the rage in 80s educational videos. Head to the nearest doorway, that's the safest place to be. Well, guess what? Yeah, that advice has changed. That is no longer the go-to advice. Advice now is to drop, cover, and hold on. The University of Utah Seismology Group even made a cute little jingle about it. Step one, drop down wherever you are. Drop down to your hands and knees and hold on to something sturdy. If you're in a wheelchair, you're gonna make sure that the brakes are on. If you're on a walker, also make sure the brakes are on. You are going to then try and find something sturdy to hide under: a table, a chair, a desk. If you find yourself in a vehicle during a major earthquake, the advice is to simply safely stop your car and put on the brakes. You're just gonna ride it out, if you will. It's not funny. It's fine. Step two is cover. Cover your head and your neck with your arms. If there is a sturdy table or desk nearby, crawl underneath it for shelter. If there's no shelter nearby, you're gonna do the same thing we talked about before. Go to an interior wall away from windows. And the final step, hold on. If you are under a table or a desk, hold on with one hand and be ready to move with the table if it moves. If you are seated and unable to drop to the floor, bend forward, cover your head with your arms, and hold on tight. So those steps again drop, cover, and hold. Say it with me. Drop, cover, and hold on. If you are inside of a building when an earthquake starts to happen, stay inside, all right? Don't run outside. I was pretty young when I experienced my first major earthquake. I'm not gonna lie, I did none of the things that I have suggested. It was a hot, hot, shaky mess. Don't be like me. This earthquake, I was literally running around like it was the last 10 seconds of a countdown for hide and seek, and I couldn't find a hiding place. It was not the best way to handle the earthquake. And then, of course, the first thing I did when the shaking stopped was run outside. Don't do that. Don't be like me. If you're outside, stay outside. If you're inside, stay inside and move away from areas that could have things drop on you. Be on the lookout for flying debris. And finally, what to expect after an earthquake? Like I've said before, I've been through a lot of earthquakes, and aftershocks are always a little shocking, if you will. You think, oh, it's over, and then before you know it, you're like, oh, again? It's just one of those things that happens. After the major earthquake, be prepared to drop cover and hold on again for any subsequent aftershocks. But what do you do if you're trapped after an earthquake? If you have a cell phone, text, trying to call might not go through. Texts are more reliable in a disaster. If there is debris in the air, cover your mouth with your shirt for filtration. And instead of shouting for help, grab something or even use your hand. Try banging on a pipe or a wall or anything that you can to make noise to get attention towards you for rescue crews. Remember, text messages are always more reliable after a major emergency. And finally, remember your family safety plan. Having a safety plan in place will hopefully help you with that earthquake anxiety. Our tectonic plates are always on the move. Let's look at the statistics. There are around 200 earthquakes every single day. It is a daily occurrence all across the world. That friction we talked about at the beginning of the episode, it's always happening. It is ever present on the crust of the earth. Simply put, do the best you can to prepare and then don't worry about the rest. With that, I'm Mimi Fotz, and this has been Hello from the Van.