Earthquake – what you need to know when it occurs

Social media was abuzz yesterday when an earthquake occurred in Orkney, in the North West Province, at 12.20pm.

The quake registered 5.3 on the Richter scale, making it the second largest earthquake to hit South Africa in 45 years.

Many people were left shocked and numb as they didn’t know what to do as buildings shook.

Here are some tips from ER24, on how you can try keep yourself safe when an earthquake occurs in future.

What you do during an earthquake

1 Stay calm

2 Try and stay where you’re, use a large object such as big desk to crawl under.

3 If you’re in a building try and stand up against the wall near the centre of the building.

4 If you’re outside, look around you and stay clear of objects that can fall on you.

5 Use the stairs to evacuate a building when it is safe to do so.
When the tremor has cleared

1 Check if you have sustained any injuries and check around you for people who might be injured, and call emergency services.

2 If the building you’re in has sustained any damages, evacuate calmly and quickly.

3 Do not enter any damaged buildings or areas (don’t be a hero)

4 Stay away from benches until the area has been announced as safe by emergency services.

5 If the area you’re in has an emergency plan, try following it.

6 Expect a number of after shocks.