As Hurricane Irene approaches the Eastern Seaboard, a little commonsense advice:
First, if you ve been told to evacuate, you need to get to higher ground as soon as possible. If you don t plan to evacuate, there s still the chance that you ll face flooding and wind damage, so make sure to prepare yourself with flashlights and batteries, as well as stores of food and water that will last a minimum of five days.
And, if you re one of those people who rushed out of their tall office towers during Tuesday s earthquake, you might want take a look at the New York Times advice on how to keep yourself safe in the event that another one strikes.
For one thing, it s not actually a good idea to run out of your office building and into the street when you first feel tremors. Any Californian could tell you that the best thing to do is to position yourself under something firm and secure until the quaking stops. Rushing out into the street only makes you vulnerable to falling glass and debris. See here.