Earthquake

[Pi55y]

I quite agree that it is wrong of the British press to sensationalise the event and wrong to use stock photos which will only frighten people back in UK and drive another nail into the Turkish tourism industry.

However there has been some structural damage.  Today we were driving down the Karacula road from the otagar and on the right hand side at one of the petrol stations the whole of the gable end of the neighbouring building has collapsed onto a white car parked in the petrol station forecourt.  The whole area is cordoned off with hazard tape - I guess waiting for the insurance loss adjusters to attend.

Also JJ has lost a rear wall to his furniture shop which is along the same road.

[Eric]

Stay as safe as possible during an earthquake. Be aware that some earthquakes are actually foreshocks and a larger earthquake might occur. Minimize your movements to a few steps to a nearby safe place and stay indoors until the shaking has stopped and you are sure exiting is safe.
If indoors

* DROP to the ground; take COVER by getting under a sturdy table or other piece of furniture; and HOLD ON on until the shaking stops. If there isnt a table or desk near you, cover your face and head with your arms and crouch in an inside corner of the building.

Isn't this contrary to what everyone is told here - would you really want to stay inside and hide under the table when the front door is only a metre away? I can see the point in the above if you were living in an apartment.

A certain amount of common sense/judgement has to be applied to any situation.  You are correct in what you say above, but if you are in your 2nd floor lounge or bedroom then the circumstances are different.

Tomorrow, if Scunner allows, I will post some more info to help people in such emergencies in a separate topic.

[missdanni1992]

im 2nd floor apartment and would have to walk down 3 lots of stairs to get out so hiding under a table is my best option lol. felt 2 more tremors in the past few hours. 4.1 and 4.3 apparently. worrying

[Merlin]

im 2nd floor apartment and would have to walk down 3 lots of stairs to get out so hiding under a table is my best option lol. felt 2 more tremors in the past few hours. 4.1 and 4.3 apparently. worrying

yep

http://www.koeri.boun.edu.tr/sismo/map/en/index.html

[nichola]

I am sure Eric's information will be helpful to us all. The more information we have the better informed we all are to make an more informed decision about what to do in our own particular circumstances.

Missdanni - do you have any friends you can get together with and sleep on the beach or outside somewhere safe. I am feeling very sorry for you all alone while your boyfriend is working.

Remember every day there are tremors and most of the time we don't even notice them and in normal circumstances we wouldn't give them a second thought.

Yesterdays event makes this an abnormal situation and we should do what ever makes any of feel safer or better.

[Scunner]

Tomorrow, if Scunner allows, I will post some more info to help people in such emergencies in a separate topic.

Of course

[Scunner]

What you should do is of course very important - but another question I thought of - what DID you do? We had a similar level of earthquake there in 2004 and what did we do...nothing, just stood there until it stopped. Not the best course of action but it was such a surprise and shock that logic didn't appear to be easy to muster.

[Rindaloo]

Every earthquake we have experienced, we have done nothing.  Sort of rooted to the spot.  I know they say you shouldn't exit the building, if you are indoors, but I know there are places indoors that are better than others.  Did I move to a good spot?  -No.  I was on laptop, and WHILE quake was in progress, I was keying into the Koeri site to see how big it was.....

Had it become more violent, I can't be sure if I would have belted out of the villa, or rolled into a ball.

[yasemin3]

What you should do is of course very important - but another question I thought of - what DID you do? We had a similar level of earthquake there in 2004 and what did we do...nothing, just stood there until it stopped. Not the best course of action but it was such a surprise and shock that logic didn't appear to be easy to muster.

I thought a lorry was coming up the street, I was in Hisaronu. Then I heard the most horrible crashing noise in the ceiling and moved slowly, very scared, to the door. When I got to the door, everyone was in the street shouting 'deprem'. At that point I lost my marbles, grabbed the first person and shouted at them 'my daughters at the school' several times before I realised I was talking sh..e because the schools were closed. When I realised the reality that my daughter was at home, I called my husband and told him to bring my daughter to me, which he did. I realised I was panicking when I looked at a little girl who was crying in the street and her mum was trying to comfort her, at that point I realised the sight of me must be doing her no good at all and this sobered me a bit enough to say to her 'it's ok dear, we're in the mountains, so we're safe'. Enough said, I know now that in a very big earthquake, i would be the last person you could rely on to be sensible. I must say that I have never felt such power at work in my life, nor do I want to again!!)) But I laugh at my reaction now. I asked hubby what he done, he said he stood under a door frame with our little one until the tremor stopped and then vacated the building to come to me. That's the difference between us - calm and complete loony.

[Scunner]

Yes it is without doubt an incredibly powerful thing to experience - probably the most powerful for most of us. I guess it is that overwhelming power that makes some of us just stand pathetically and let it get on with shaking everything.