Don’t Hide in a Doorway During an Earthquake

You might be more knowledgeable about earthquake preparedness than others, depending on where you live in the world. You might have heard throughout the years to try to survive an earthquake by hiding in a doorway. A doorway is considered to be a sturdier, more reinforced component of a building. That also appeared fair, given that there have been instances where people have seen door frames remaining in place of everything else in buildings that had been completely destroyed by earthquakes in the past. Sadly, it isn't.

There are a few issues with this scenario. One is that the entire house often lacked any type of reinforcement in the residences that were destroyed, leaving only the door frames remaining. The timber frames were stronger but by no means sturdy due to the cheap adobe dwellings' fragility. This is less of a problem given because most houses are constructed differently.

A door frame is not by design in any way reinforced. There is nothing there that can withstand an earthquake. Even worse, doors are typically open. The majority of earthquake-related injuries are caused by being struck by flying or falling debris, therefore doing so exposes you to that risk. In an earthquake, it's better to take cover under a sturdy table or, in a pinch, lean against an interior wall and defend yourself as much as you can.