November 3, 2013
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Earthquake Drill, PLEASE??
I had a look around the church building, and the crack in the foundation at the front of the building has developed a bit. The building (declared dangerous in a major quake) has been reinforced with two buttresses on either side of the building, but the buttresses on the left side leave only a very narrow space between the church building and the cinderblock walls around the property. Cinderblock walls are also notorious for falling over and crushing bystanders, and are to be avoided during quakes. In addition to the single narrow exit at the back of the sanctuary, there is one emergency exit at the front, but it is on the left side, and anyone using it would have to squeeze between the two buttresses and cinderblock walls on the outside to get out. There is a small kitchen with an exit, but there is unsecured furniture blocking half of the doorway. Since the large kitchen cupboard is not secured or propped (and has an additional cabinet stacked on top), in a large quake this would topple and totally block the exit. So all we have is the main exit at the back of the sanctuary. We use folding chairs that are all folded and stacked against the walls after the service, but no one thinks anything of stacking them next to the door that is our only way out. In a large quake these would probably topple and block the only entrance. Hello? I am not sitting in that death trap of a sanctuary until they at least hold a drill and find out how dangerous the situation really is.

Here are the buttresses on the left side of the building. Even if one could get out of the sanctuary's emergency exit located behind the second buttress, one would have to squeeze between them and this cement wall, which by the way could also topple.

There is a bit more room between the buttressing and the wall on the right side of the building, but there are no exits here. Hmm... How about circling from the exit on the left side behind the building and escaping from the right side? That might be safer and faster.

This narrow hallway is he only way out. I really think that stacking folding chairs that would fall over in a major quake here is a very bad idea, but no one else seems to think so.
Stop the presses! I had a look behind the building and there is really no room to walk behind the church building as it is constructed as close as possible to the block wall that ajoins the property. The last place I want to be is in a narrow space between two walls that could crumble, so scratch that escape route. Yep, in the back room I will stay.










Comments (1)
I totally agree this place needs to be remodel and prepared for earthquakes.
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