Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, May 12th Title: How to prevent earthquakes? What should I do if I encounter it? This press conference answers in detail

Xinhua News Agency reporters Wei Hongyi and Zhou Yuan

May 12 this year is the 17th National Disaster Prevention and Reduction Day. What are the disaster-causing rules for earthquakes? How should we deal with earthquakes? The Ministry of Emergency Management and the China Earthquake Administration held a press conference on the 12th to introduce earthquake safety knowledge and earthquake prevention and disaster reduction work.

my country is one of the countries with the strongest earthquake activity and the most severe earthquake disasters in the world. 33% of the world's mainland earthquakes occurred on 7% of the world's land, and about 57% of the population, 51% of cities and 58% of the country are located in high-risk areas of earthquakes.

Based on special national conditions, it is particularly necessary for the public to master relevant knowledge of earthquake defense. Regarding earthquake prediction, forecasting and early warning, Wang Xingzhou, Director of the Monitoring and Forecasting Department of the China Earthquake Administration, gave an explanation.

Earthquake prediction is an act of estimating and speculating the time, location and magnitude of an earthquake that may occur; an act of the government publishing information such as the time, location, and magnitude of an earthquake in accordance with procedures; an act of sending alarms and prompts to the public in the target area after the earthquake occurs a few seconds to dozens of seconds before the destructive earthquake wave arrives.

"In summary, earthquake prediction is to analyze risks, earthquake forecast is a pre-quake reminder, and earthquake warning is an alarm during earthquake." Wang Xingzhou said that current earthquake prediction is still a global scientific problem, and many earthquakes are difficult to make accurate predictions.

Intensity and magnitude are two yardsticks for measuring the strength of earthquakes. Zou Wenwei, director of the China Disaster Defense Association, introduced that the magnitude of the earthquake represents the amount of energy released by an earthquake, and the intensity of the earthquake indicates the impact and degree of damage of an earthquake on the surface.

"Each earthquake has only one magnitude, but more than one area with different intensity. As the earthquake energy is released, the farther away from the epicenter, the lower its intensity is." Zou Wenwei said.

"When the estimated magnitude is greater than 4, or the estimated epicenter intensity is greater than 5 degrees, we will issue early warning information to the outside world." Wang Xingzhou introduced that the public can search the WeChat warning mini program of "China Earthquake Network" on WeChat for mobile phones to obtain national earthquake warning information services.

Natural disasters are ruthless. If you are trapped in an earthquake, how can you maximize your survival time? Pan Zhaohu, the stationmaster of Gaomidian Station of the Special Service Detachment of the Beijing Fire Rescue Corps, gave an answer.

"Trapped in the ruins, the first thing to do is to use discarded building components, sturdy furniture, etc. to build safe spaces as much as possible." Pan Zhaohu said that food and water should be collected as much as possible to create a survival opportunity for himself, and fresh urine can also be used as an emergency.

A positive mindset is a barrier to fear. "After the earthquake, you must remain calm, maintain a positive survival mentality, actively suggest yourself, and believe that you can be rescued." Pan Zhaohu said.

Effectively sending a distress signal is a prerequisite for rescue. Pan Zhaohu suggested that trapped people should not blindly call for help when waiting for rescue, but should preserve their physical strength and use bricks, steel bars, etc. to rhythmically knock on physical objects such as walls, metal pipes, etc. to facilitate the identification and discovery of rescuers.

How should we prevent shock when living in high-rise buildings? Zou Wenwei said that high-rise buildings in my country all have strict seismic defense standards and requirements, and the possibility of complete collapse in earthquakes is generally relatively low. In case of an earthquake, remember the seven-character formula of "stuck the ground, cover, hold it tightly" and try to use a squat or kneel, hide under a solid object (such as a table), and hold the blocking object (such as a table legs).

Developing good disaster preparedness habits is the first line of defense to protect life safety. Shen Zhanli, spokesperson of the Ministry of Emergency Management, suggested that residents should conduct investigations in normal times, promptly eliminate hidden dangers such as aging of home appliance lines and gas pipelines, and at the same time, store necessary food, drinking water, first aid medicines, life whistles, thermal blankets and other items, master emergency skills such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation, hemostasis bandage, and use of fire extinguishers, and be familiar with escape routes.

It is better to be aware of nine out of ten defenses than to lose defense. According to reports, the Ministry of Emergency Management is working with relevant departments to coordinate the construction of emergency shelter sites across the country and improve earthquake defense capabilities.

Environmental shelter of different levels and types all have different service radii. Gao Yufeng, a second-level inspector of the Earthquake Geology Department of the Ministry of Emergency Management, introduced that the service radius of emergency shelter places is within one kilometer and can be reached by foot for 10 to 15 minutes; the service radius of short-term shelter places is within 2.5 kilometers and can be reached by foot for 30 to 40 minutes.

At the same time, each emergency shelter will set up at least 2 channels connected to the outside world in different directions, and will take into account the needs of special groups such as the disabled, the elderly, young children, and pregnant women, and conduct barrier-free designs. The main signs, directional signs, entrance and exit signs of emergency shelter will be set up in the inside and outside of the venue and around the surrounding areas.

Gao Yufeng suggested that residents should pay attention to the emergency shelter in their work and living areas, be clear about the distribution of places and the evacuation routes, actively participate in emergency shelter drills organized by communities and units, and master relevant skills.

Be prepared for danger in times of peace, and be prepared for it if you think about it. Shen Zhanli said that he will continue to promote the continuous improvement of earthquake prevention and disaster relief capabilities through measures such as strengthening earthquake monitoring, forecasting and early warning, conducting earthquake disaster risk investigation and rectification, making preparations for earthquake disaster prevention and response, and consolidating the grassroots foundation for earthquake prevention, disaster reduction and disaster relief.