Parts of South Africa were literally shaken into a state of panic when an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.5 on the Richter scale struck Orkney, in the North West Province, on Tuesday.
Within a few moments social media sites were abuzz with users citing their experience, some of them 600km apart from each other.
South Africa is not accustomed to earthquakes — we do experience tremors from time to time, but none of them cause any real damage or make national news.
At 12.20pm on Tuesday, South Africans experienced what is believed to have been the second largest earthquake in 45 years.
The Ceres earthquake in 1969 is reported to be the most destructive earthquake in South African history.
It occurred on September 29, 1969, in the Ceres/Tulbagh area and registered 6.3 on the Richter scale.
It has been reported that Tuesday’s earthquake was felt as far as Botswana and Durban and lasted for approximately 90 seconds.
According to ER24, emergency services always face a challenge with such an incident.
When panic sets in, emergency contact centres should be prepared to handle more than normal the volume of emergency calls.
On top of this, emergency services have to combine resources to ensure that they are ready for a possible influx of emergency calls.
Questions that must be asked include: “What infrastructure has been damaged?” “Will emergency resources be able to reach affected people?”
- What should you do during an earthquake?
- Stay calm.
- Try and stay where you are.
Use large and sturdy objects such as a big desk to crawl under.
If you are in a building, try and stand with your back against a wall near the centre of the building.
You should try and stay away from windows and outside doors.
- Should you be outside at the time of an earthquake, look around you.
Ensure you are clear of power cables or anything overhead that might fall on you.
Do not stand near or against a building, debris might fall on top of you.
- Use the stairs to evacuate premises (only when it is safe to do so).
- What should you do after an earthquake?
- Establish if you have sustained any injuries.
Check around you and try to see if anyone else has sustained any injuries.
If you can provide first aid, proceed to do so.
- Call emergency services for medical assistance if someone sustained an injury.
- If the building you are in sustained structural damage, even if you are unsure, evacuate calmly and quickly (if possible).
- Try and listen to your local radio station for emergency or news updates.
- Do not enter any damaged buildings or areas.
- There might be debris lying around.
Be very careful around broken glass and other items that can cause you harm.
Do not take off your shoes.
- Stay away from beaches until the area has been pronounced safe.
- If the area you are in has an evacuation or emergency plan, try to follow it.
- Expect aftershocks.
(Tips courtesy of ER24)
