October 17th is the anniversary of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake – a great opportunity to remind the public to DROP to the ground, take COVER under a sturdy table, and HOLD on till the shaking stops. Though this has been advised for several years, many people still defer to the long-outdated command to stand in a doorway. Standing in doorways was advised in the US before modern codes and material standards were commonplace. The door frame used to be one of the strongest parts of the structure – at a time when buildings were made of materials like adobe. Now engineers, experience, and evidence all support that doorway standing in earthquakes is dangerous.
Make sure your education helps your audience to unlearn this outdated guidance.
