A refresher on earthquake safety: Forget the ‘Golden Triangle’ theory
A refresher on earthquake safety: Forget the ‘Golden Triangle’ theory
2023-10-24
Now for a short refresher on earthquake safety. Do you know what to do if the Earth starts to tremble? Maybe you’ve been through loads of quake drills, maybe you have a procedure when you hear a tremor. And maybe you’ve heard of the popular “Golden Triangle” theory about where to hide. Today we go over the basic, uncontroversial advice, which is to “get down, cover, stabilize.” We also hear from quake experts to bust some myths. The keys to remember are lowering your center of gravity, protecting your head, and hiding under something stable.
When an earthquake siren sounds, and the ground starts to shake, there’s no time to waste. Many of us aren’t sure where to hide to protect ourselves, but these passersby are well-informed.
Member of public
I remember what we were taught in school. You need to hide under a solid table, and protect your head.
Member of public
Hide under the table or beside a cabinet.
There are 36,000 to 40,000 earthquakes in Taiwan every year. Only about 1,000 are strong enough to notice. Many of us have been going through emergency drills ever since we were children. The drill is always get close to the ground, cover yourself for protection, and when the quake calms down, leave the building while protecting your head. But where to hide is the million-dollar question. And best practice has changed over the years.
Chan Chien-yang
Fire Safety Museum of Taipei City Fire Department
In the 1999 Jiji Earthquake, when the Tunghsing Building collapsed in Taipei, the Sun brothers were trapped inside for many days. When they emerged, they said they had survived because of being next to a fridge, and having some fruit to eat. We can only say they were very lucky. But we can’t say, go and stand by a fridge next time there’s an earthquake, because in doing so you might be injured.
The “Golden Triangle” theory posits that when a quake begins, you should take cover next to a large piece of furniture, in a triangle between a wall and the furniture. Proponents say this space will increase your chances of survival. But earthquakes can cause furniture to move and walls to collapse, of course. It might not work out as you hope. In some cases, this space could become more dangerous.
Liao Cheh-wei
Central Weather Bureau Seismological Center
In general, we recommend that furniture like large cabinets should be fixed to the wall. For larger pieces of furniture, these days, we suggest buying an L-shaped bracket to fix it to the wall. Then if there’s an earthquake, they won’t move around.
Quake experts say the key is to get your center of gravity low to the ground and choose a sturdy piece of furniture to hide under. And do not go to turn off the gas or open the door – doing that could put you at risk of injury. The principles for best chances are “get down, cover, stabilize.”
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地震"黃金三角理論"是錯誤示範? 專家:重點"是這個"
2023-10-24
地震來了！趕緊找地方躲起來。但您知道嗎，要躲哪，可是關鍵！先前有人提出黃金三角理論，告訴大家，要躲在家具跟牆壁之間，才有生存空間，但專家強調，這是錯誤示範，重點是要躲在穩固的家具下面或旁邊，雙手記得保護頭頸，不要特地去開門、關瓦斯。
地震警報響起，瞬間天搖地動，地震來得突然，民眾要躲、要逃生，到底該怎麼做。
[[民眾]]
“記得學校教我們的，就是要躲到堅固的桌子下面，然後要保護頭部”
[[民眾]]
“躲到桌子下，或者是躲到櫃子旁邊”
台灣一年，平均都會有3萬6至4萬起地震，這之中有感的將近千起。從小到大，好多場防災演習，標準SOP，就地掩護，地震稍緩後，保護頭頸、離開建築物。只不過，該怎麼躲，避震觀念，得與時俱進。
[[北市防災科學教育館長 詹前洋]]
“(921地震)台北市東星大樓倒塌的時候，孫氏兄弟那他們受困在裡面，長達了好幾天，(獲救後說)因為他的冰箱旁邊，然後有一些水果可以食用(才存活)，我們只能說他是很幸運的，但我們並不能說，以後的地震，我們就先去找冰箱，因為在這過程中，你可能就先受傷”
黃金三角理論告訴大家，地震來時要躲在大型家具旁，藉由與牆壁間的三角範圍，撐出生存空間，但震動可能導致家具位移、牆塌的角度也不一定這麼剛好，有時候反而更危險。
[[氣象署地震預報中心科長 廖哲緯]]
“傢俱的話一般來說，都建議說像櫃子，它最好可以固定於牆壁，像現在一些比較，大型傢俱也建議說要買一個類似L型的鐵片，然後讓它鎖在牆壁上，彼此在地震的時候，不會發生位移”
專家就說，重點在放低重心、挑選穩固家具來躲，震動當下，絕對不要特地去關瓦斯、開門，以免受傷。把握趴下、掩護、穩住原則，就最有機會度過每次震動。
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