Getting the earthquake safety message to Spanish speakers

At 10:20 a.m. on Thursday, more than 10 million Californians will be asked to drop to the floor, crawl under a table and hold on to one of the legs. It’s part of the Great California ShakeOut earthquake drill. But for foreign-born Latinos, their first instinct might be to flee the building, rather than duck, cover and hold — and that could put them in more danger.

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But what works in Latin America isn’t necessarily the right thing to do in Southern California, said CalTech seismologist Pablo Ampuero, who was born in Peru and has witnessed people running outside their homes as soon as they felt shaking. 

“The construction practice in Peru is very variable, and many people build their own houses with their own hands,” he said.

But buildings in California generally don’t collapse in earthquakes. Instead, the greatest risk is from trying to run and tripping, or from being hit by falling or flying objects such as broken glass, flat-screen TVs or bookshelves.