California isn't the only state that experiences earthquakes. This article is an eye-opener for everyone!
EXTRACT FROM DOUG COPP'S ARTICLE
ON THE: "TRIANGLE OF LIFE"
>> >
>> > My name is Doug Copp. I am the Rescue Chief and Disaster Manager
of the American Rescue Team International (ARTI), the world's most experienced
rescue team. The information in this article will save lives in an earthquake.
>> >
>> > I have crawled inside 875 collapsed buildings, worked with rescue
teams from 60 countries, founded rescue teams in several countries, and I am a
member of many rescue teams from many countries...
>> >
>> > I was the United Nations expert in Disaster Mitigation for two
years. I have worked at every major disaster in the world since 1985, except
for simultaneous disasters.
>> >
>> > The first building I ever crawled inside of was a school in
Mexico City during the 1985 earthquake. Every child was under its desk. Every
child was crushed to the thickness of their bones. They could have survived by
lying down next to their desks in the aisles. It was obscene, unnecessary and I
wondered why the children were not in the aisles. I didn't at the time know
that the children were told to hide under something.
>> >
>> > Simply stated, when buildings collapse, the weight of the
ceilings falling upon the objects or furniture inside crushes these objects,
leaving a space or void next to them. This space is what I call the
"triangle of life".
>> > The larger the object, the stronger, the less it will compact.
The less the object compacts, the larger the void, the greater the probability
that the person who is using this void for safety will not be injured. The next
time you watch collapsed buildings, on television, count the
"triangles" you see formed. They are everywhere. It is the most
common shape, you will see, in a collapsed building.
>> >
>> > TIPS FOR EARTHQUAKE SAFETY
>> >
>> > 1) Most everyone who simply "ducks and covers" WHEN
BUILDINGS COLLAPSE are crushed to death. People who get under objects, like
desks or cars, are crushed.
>> >
>> > 2) Cats, dogs and babies often naturally curl up in the fetal
position. You should too in an earthquake... It is a natural safety/survival
instinct. You can survive in a smaller void. Get next to an object, next to a
sofa, next to a large bulky object that will compress slightly but leave a void
next to it.
>> >
>> > 3) Wooden buildings are the safest type of construction to be in
during an earthquake. Wood is flexible and moves with the force of the
earthquake. If the wooden building does collapse, large survival voids are
created. Also, the wooden building has less concentrated, crushing weight.
Brick buildings will break into individual bricks. Bricks will cause many
injuries but less squashed bodies than concrete slabs.
>> >
>> > 4) If you are in bed during the night and an earthquake occurs,
simply roll off the bed. A safe void will exist around the bed.. Hotels can
achieve a much greater survival rate in earthquakes, simply by posting a sign
on The back of the door of every room telling occupants to lie down on the
floor, next to the bottom of the bed during an earthquake.
>> >
>> > 5) If an earthquake happens and you cannot easily escape by
getting out the door or window, then lie down and curl up in the fetal position
next to a sofa, or large chair.
>> >
>> > 6) Most everyone who gets under a doorway when buildings collapse
is killed. How? If you stand under a doorway and the doorjamb falls forward or
backward you will be crushed by the ceiling above. If the door jam falls
sideways you will be cut in half by the doorway. In either case, you will be
killed!
>> >
>> > 7) Never go to the stairs. The stairs have a different
"moment of frequency" (they swing separately from the main part of
the building). The stairs and remainder of the building continuously bump into
each other until structural failure of the stairs takes place. The people who
get on stairs before they fail are chopped up by the stair treads - horribly mutilated.
Even if the building doesn't collapse, stay away from the stairs. The stairs
are a likely part of the building to be damaged. Even if the stairs are not
collapsed by the earthquake, they may collapse later when overloaded by fleeing
people. They should always be checked for safety, even when the rest of the
building is not damaged.
>> >
>> > 8) Get Near the Outer Walls Of Buildings Or Outside Of Them If
Possible - It is much better to be near the outside of the building rather than
the interior. The farther inside you are from the outside perimeter of the
building the greater the probability that your escape route will be blocked.
>> >
>> > 9) People inside of their vehicles are crushed when the road
above falls in an earthquake and crushes their vehicles; which is exactly what
happened with the slabs between the decks of the Nimitz Freeway... The victims
of the San Francisco earthquake all stayed inside of their vehicles. They were
all killed. They could have easily survived by getting out and sitting or lying
next to their vehicles. Everyone killed would have survived if they had been
able to get out of their cars and sit or lie next to them. All the crushed cars
had voids 3 feet high next to them, except for the cars that had columns fall
directly across them.
>> >
>> > 10) I discovered, while crawling inside of collapsed newspaper
offices and other offices with a lot of paper, that paper does not compact.
Large voids are found surrounding stacks of paper.
>> >
I moseyed through the food and wine, swayed to the music
and ended up in a big white tent with a bazillion cut roses in vases. The
fragrant flowers had already been judged and guess who won the three top trophies—like “Best
of Show” and best arrangements? None other than my friend, Tomi Edmiston. She had been
greeting people and answering their rose-type questions all day, and still looked fresh as a rose.
Congratulations Rosarians for making the world a more beautiful place—smells better too!
Today I am going to share my recent experience at an “Opening” as
in “Art Show Reception.” Since I am an unabashed, self-proclaimed artist-- beginning at age twelve, people think I know
all about artist receptions.
The Aromas
Hills Artisans have a wonderful show going at the Monterey Conference Center in
the heart of Monterey—at1 Portola Plaza. I would categorize it as an elegant collection
of art in a variety of media and style. Everything from gourd art to beaded
monarch butterflies clinging to a beaded necklace to watercolor, oil and
acrylic paintings, a carved wood Santa, a giant clay snail, a clay otter, stained glass, fused glass, fabulous photos of the Monterey coast plus my book “Secure the Ranch.”
Well,
somebody didn’t get the memo. A single beady-eyed bomber flew straight at me with
evil intent. I dodged him and ran to the back door and slammed it behind me.
Safe at last. 
….art is
my life. It puts a smile on my face and makes me feel great, and hopefully
other people as well. I'm planning to do more landscape painting this year. In
art you can do whatever you want, and that is my work process as well. One day
I might feel like playing with color, having fun splashing paint. The next day
I might feel like doing a fine line sharp edge, clean cut painting. So some of
my work can take days, months, even years before I paint on it again to finish
it. I have about 28 unfinished canvases, maybe more. And I have about 160
unfinished Acrylic and Collage on paper paintings to finish, and a whole lot
more for the years to come. 
