What Can You Do When an Earthquake Strikes?
By Awake! correspondent in Greece
HOW long does it take for a city to be destroyed by an earthquake? Actually, an astoundingly short time. In the case of Kalamata, a city at the very south of mainland Greece, it took less than five seconds.
A quake with a magnitude of 6.8 on the Richter scale turned this coastal city into a ruin. Of 21,000 buildings affected by the quake, 6,930 could be repaired, 13,440 were declared to be uninhabitable, and 630 were total ruins. The nearby village of Eleochori was almost totally destroyed, with 117 of its 125 houses collapsed or severely damaged. The number of injured ran into the hundreds, yet only some 20 persons died. Why was that? What saved so many lives?
Survivors Tell Their Story
“It was like an explosion, as if dynamite was exploding under the house. And I heard a curious roar,” one eyewitness told Awake! She added: “I felt as if I were falling into a gulf. I called out to my husband, ‘George, hurry, take the children out!’ Then the lights went out. I grabbed one child, and George grabbed the other, and we rushed down the stairs to the street. There was dust everywhere. Almost all the houses in our neighborhood crumbled. Yet no one was killed because most people were in the streets.”
That last remark is a clue to safety during an earthquake—get out of the buildings and into open areas. In Kalamata the quake struck on Saturday at about 8:20 p.m. At that time many of the people were already in the streets. In fact, crowds were down at the docks watching the inauguration of a new ferry service to Crete. Without a doubt that fortuitous circumstance saved many lives.
Another eyewitness, Mr. Karalekas, explained: “I have lived through many earthquakes, but this was something altogether different. It was terrible. It was like being on a ship in a storm, and the rolling motion hindered your walking. As soon as I felt it, I went to stand beneath the doorframe and shouted to the children to do the same. For the moment, that would provide some protection. Then, as soon as I could, I rushed the family downstairs into the courtyard. Fortunately, my house did not crumble.”
As a temporary safety measure, a solid doorframe can be a lifesaver. But as in this case, a quick exit to an open area is the best policy.
Government Aid—Rapid and Good
Official reaction to the disaster was immediate, and massive aid was sent to the region. Thousands of field tents were soon erected in open areas to shelter the homeless families. Improvised plumbing installations were set up to supply water to the tent “towns.” According to one newspaper report, the defense minister, Ioannis Haralambopoulos, was on the scene directing the rescue work. Aid was also offered by foreign governments. One Greek shipping magnate brought his luxury cruiser Marianna to Kalamata harbor and offered shelter and provisions to more than a thousand people.
Jehovah’s Witnesses also took immediate steps to cover the needs of their brothers and other interested persons in Kalamata. Provisions were sent from nearby congregations and from Athens by train. Although some of the Witnesses lost their homes and other property, they showed that they had not lost their appreciation for spiritual values. It was too dangerous to use their meeting place in town, so they set up a tent “Kingdom Hall” a few miles out of town for their Sunday meetings. In addition four smaller tents were erected in town for the mid-week Bible study meetings. In spite of the inconvenience, the attendance exceeded 100 percent of the congregation.
The Witnesses suffered no injuries or deaths during this disaster. However, we recognize that “time and unforeseen occurrence” affect people indiscriminately. (Ecclesiastes 9:11; Acts 27:13-20, 41-44) On other occasions, Witnesses have been injured and killed in disasters and accidents. Therefore, it is always wise to be prepared to the degree possible for those natural disasters—such as floods and earthquakes—that might be common to certain areas. Knowing how to act in such circumstances is the course of wisdom. As the Bible counsels: “A shrewd man sees trouble coming and lies low; the simple walk into it and pay the penalty.”—Proverbs 27:12, The New English Bible.
[Pictures on page 23]
Seven persons died here, but a ten-day-old baby was rescued
A temporary tent installation to house the homeless
The tent “Kingdom Hall” set up outside Kalamata