ANGELES CITY – The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) has dismissed a wildly spreading email from an officer of the American Rescue Team International (ARTI) advising people to seek protection beside, and not under tables and other such objects as safety measure during a strong earthquake.
Philvolcs geologist Charmaine Villamil told Punto that she, too, has already learned about the email written by Doug Copp, who identified himself as the “rescue chief and disaster manager of ARTI”.
“It’s inadmissible. People should consult with recommendations of authoritative sources on such matters before they believe,” Villamil said.
Copp’s email spread like wildfire after the powerful earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan last March 11. Even schools were reported to have passed on his advice to students during earthquake drills.
The email was titled “Save Your Life with the Triangle of Life.”
Citing his record of rescue operations in 875 collapsed buildings and working with rescue teams from 60 countries and with the United Nations, Copp said that a collapsed building and an object such as table in it creates a triangular space which would save lives during an earthquake.
He cited the case of a collapsed building in Mexico City during a strong earthquake in 1985, noting that those who hid under tables were crushed, amid some space beside such tables.
“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 – NOT under them. This space is what I call the ‘triangle of life’,” the email said.
Villamil said that Copp’s advice is contrary to the usual recommendation for people to “drop, cover, and hold on” during temblors. This, she said, includes seeking refuge under strong objects such as tables.
“During earthquakes, the first concern is to avoid injury from falling objects,” she said, although she admitted lack of information in cases where earthquakes not just cause objects to fall but actually lead to the collapse of buildings.
“People should not readily believe any such information but rather find out from authorities, “Villamil said.
She noted that the recommendations of Phivolcs on seeking refuge under tables are similar to those of the US Geological Survey and the Japan Meteorological Agency.
Earlier, the American Red Cross also reacted to Copp’s recommendations, saying “Mr. Copp of ARTI, Inc., does not seem to distinguish that the recommendation to ‘drop, cover, and hold on’ is a U.S.-based recommendation based on U.S. Building Codes and construction standards.”
“Engineering researchers have demonstrated that very few buildings collapse or ‘pancake’ in the U.S. as they might do in other countries. Using a website to show one picture of one U.S. building that had a partial collapse after a major quake in an area with thousands of buildings that did not collapse during the same quake is inappropriate and misleading,” the American Red Cross noted.
Philvolcs geologist Charmaine Villamil told Punto that she, too, has already learned about the email written by Doug Copp, who identified himself as the “rescue chief and disaster manager of ARTI”.
“It’s inadmissible. People should consult with recommendations of authoritative sources on such matters before they believe,” Villamil said.
Copp’s email spread like wildfire after the powerful earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan last March 11. Even schools were reported to have passed on his advice to students during earthquake drills.
The email was titled “Save Your Life with the Triangle of Life.”
Citing his record of rescue operations in 875 collapsed buildings and working with rescue teams from 60 countries and with the United Nations, Copp said that a collapsed building and an object such as table in it creates a triangular space which would save lives during an earthquake.
He cited the case of a collapsed building in Mexico City during a strong earthquake in 1985, noting that those who hid under tables were crushed, amid some space beside such tables.
“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 – NOT under them. This space is what I call the ‘triangle of life’,” the email said.
Villamil said that Copp’s advice is contrary to the usual recommendation for people to “drop, cover, and hold on” during temblors. This, she said, includes seeking refuge under strong objects such as tables.
“During earthquakes, the first concern is to avoid injury from falling objects,” she said, although she admitted lack of information in cases where earthquakes not just cause objects to fall but actually lead to the collapse of buildings.
“People should not readily believe any such information but rather find out from authorities, “Villamil said.
She noted that the recommendations of Phivolcs on seeking refuge under tables are similar to those of the US Geological Survey and the Japan Meteorological Agency.
Earlier, the American Red Cross also reacted to Copp’s recommendations, saying “Mr. Copp of ARTI, Inc., does not seem to distinguish that the recommendation to ‘drop, cover, and hold on’ is a U.S.-based recommendation based on U.S. Building Codes and construction standards.”
“Engineering researchers have demonstrated that very few buildings collapse or ‘pancake’ in the U.S. as they might do in other countries. Using a website to show one picture of one U.S. building that had a partial collapse after a major quake in an area with thousands of buildings that did not collapse during the same quake is inappropriate and misleading,” the American Red Cross noted.
