PARKERSBURG - Wood County's 911 and area emergency agencies were inundated with frantic phone calls Tuesday afternoon after residents felt the earthquake tremor that briefly shook the East Coast.
Many callers wanted to know what they should do. Wood County 911 Center received 47 calls within 20 minutes after the tremor.
Businesses and government agencies evacuated buildings, which according to emergency officials may not be a good idea.
"It's hard to prepare for every contingency. We did prove Tuesday if you do evacuate, you need a plan on where to go," said Ed Hupp, Wood County Emergency Services Management director.
Hupp said emergency officials are discussing this issue and had started work on an emergency action plan for the courthouse and other county building before the tremor was felt here.
"Evacuation is probably not the safest thing; it's something to think about. Standing under other structures especially in an earthquake tremor could be hazardous. You should try to find someplace away from windows and glass," Hupp said.
"As far as I know no county buildings suffered any structural damage as the result of the tremor. It is such a rare thing for our area it's not even mentioned in some emergency plans. It's one of those circumstances where you have some older buildings and glass could have come down. We did get a lot of calls. The West Virginia emergency readiness plan doesn't even mention this circumstance. I can't remember the last time we had a tremor," Hupp said.
The area felt only a slight tremor, but according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency during an earthquake: be aware some earthquakes are actually foreshocks and a larger earthquake might occur; minimize movements to a few steps to a nearby safe place and if you are indoors, stay there until the shaking has stopped and you are sure exiting is safe.
If you are indoors, FEMA recommends taking cover by "getting under a sturdy table or other piece of furniture, and hold on until the shaking stops. If there isn't a table or desk near you, cover your face and head with your arms and crouch in an inside corner of the building."
FEMA urges you to stay away from glass, windows, outside doors and walls, and anything that could fall, such as lighting fixtures or furniture. Stay in bed if you are there when the earthquake strikes. Hold on and protect your head with a pillow, unless you are under a heavy light fixture that could fall.
In that case, move to the nearest safe place. Use a doorway for shelter only if it is in close proximity to you and if you know it is a strongly supported, load-bearing doorway, according to FEMA recommendations.
"Stay inside until the shaking stops and it is safe to go outside. Research has shown that most injuries occur when people inside buildings attempt to move to a different location inside the building or try to leave. Be aware that the electricity may go out or the sprinkler systems or fire alarms may turn on. Do not use the elevators," according to FEMA.
If you are outside when it hits, move away from buildings, streetlights and utility wires. Once in the open, FEMA recommends you stay there until the shaking stops.
"The greatest danger exists directly outside buildings, at exits and alongside exterior walls. Many of the 120 fatalities from the 1933 Long Beach earthquake occurred when people ran outside of buildings only to be killed by falling debris from collapsing walls. Ground movement during an earthquake is seldom the direct cause of death or injury. Most earthquake-related casualties result from collapsing walls, flying glass, and falling objects," according to FEMA officials.
In a press release issued Wednesday, Wood County 911 Director Randy Lowe said the center received 47 calls within a 20-minute window after the tremor, and of those calls, only three actually needed assistance from a public safety agency.
"We have ten phone lines and five dispatchers. You can imagine the stress level these dispatchers experienced. We only experienced five calls within the same time period the previous day," Lowe said, noting many of the calls were inquiries about the tremor as opposed to requesting help.
"As much as we would like to consult the public and try to relieve some anxiety, that is not our purpose and we do not have the phone lines or manpower to handle people calling in with questions," Lowe said.
"Those calls hinder the ability of someone with an actual emergency from getting through. Thankfully we did not have any life-threatening emergencies during this time. We absolutely do not want to deter people from calling 911 if they have a need for police, fire, or emergency medical services. This includes but is not limited to checking for structure damage and utility issues such as a strange odor. Information on when to call 911 can be found on the website: www.woodcounty911.com," Lowe said.
Lowe suggested during similar events, if there is not an immediate need for a public safety agency response, the public should monitor local newspaper websites, radio stations and the local television for information and specific instructions.
"As a 911 center, we cannot advise you of what your personal and family emergency plans should be, such as, should I evacuate my home or business. These plans need to be established prior to an emergency event. If you need assistance in putting a pre-emergency plan together, go to ready.wv.gov," Lowe said.
Lowe advised if you cannot reach 911 have the direct 10-digit number of local police, fire, and ambulance in your jurisdiction easily accessible.
Many people who were in vehicles at the time of Tuesday's tremor said they didn't feel the mild shakeup.
FEMA recommends if you are in a moving vehicle, and feel the shaking, stop as quickly as safety permits and stay in the vehicle, avoid stopping near or under buildings, trees, overpasses and utility wires. Proceed with caution once the shaking has stopped, avoid bridges, roads, or ramps that might have been damaged.
Acting Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin said he was surprised and concerned about Tuesday's tremors.
"Within minutes of the event, I directed Homeland Security Director Jimmy Gianato to contact various state agencies, utilities, chemical plants and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to assess and make quick determination if any of our citizens or significant infrastructure was in need of assistance. Fortunately, there are no reports of any injuries or damage caused by the quake."
