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Earthquake in Turkey: The Triangle of Life and Disaster Kits Saves Lives
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 23 April 2024
Abstract
Objective:
Precautions taken before an earthquake are of vital importance. When buildings collapse, the weight of the ceiling crushes objects such as furniture, leaving a space or void within the rubble. This area is called the “triangle of life.” The larger and stronger the object, the more it will maintain its volume; the more the object maintains its volume, the larger the void will be, and the less likely it is that the person who uses this void will be injured.
Methods:
Durable, solid furniture such as beds and tables that can be tipped over during an earthquake in appropriate areas in the building can form a living triangle. Creating and using the triangle of life is the method of protection in an earthquake that produces the highest probability of survival.
Results:
Two earthquakes with magnitudes of 7.8 and 7.5 occurred in Kahramanmaraş, Turkey, on February 6, 2023. This report presents the case of a 43-y-old female victim of these earthquakes who used the triangle of life to survive; she was removed from the rubble 164 h after the earthquake.
Conclusions:
The case provides evidence that predetermining areas in which the triangle of life can be formed and storing supplies necessary for survival can decrease morbidity and mortality in an earthquake.
- Type
- Brief Report
- Information
- Copyright
- © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc
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